Going, Going, Gone!

I read a lot (I may have mentioned this before!) and I've developed a bit of a sixth sense for plot techniques. It's not often that I am surprised by a denouement.

I have also read my fair share of books that, frankly, don't deserve the hype: Fifty Shades of Grey, anyone?

But every now and then that rare book comes along that is worthy of the praise heaped upon it and keeps me guessing to the very end.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is one such book.

Nick Dunne and his wife Amy relocate from bustling New York City to small town Missouri when both Nick's aging parents need care. Oh, and because Amy and Nick have run out of money. Although Amy is a trust fund baby, her own parents' financial problems leave the couple unable to sustain their lifestyle - but caring for your in-laws sounds so much better doesn't it?

On their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick arrives home to find Amy gone and the house in disarray. When the police arrive, their investigation reveals that a large amount of blood has been cleaned up in the kitchen and suspicion naturally falls on Nick.

Gillian Flynn

Amid growing national media interest, his scorned young mistress appears casting further doubt on his protestations of innocence. Add further evidence such as massive credit card debt and a recently embellished life insurance policy for Amy, and Nick's case looks hopeless.

Told through Nick's eyes and Amy's diary, this book is packed full of twists and turns for our two protagonists. Is Amy dead? If so, who killed her? If not, where is she? And - as Nick declares his undying love, cynically believing this will bring Amy back - can she return?

In this compulsive, sociopathic game of extreme power play, with life as the ultimate prize, does anyone truly win?

Although it is difficult to warm to any of the characters, who all come across as fairly self-absorbed narcissists, I must confess that I absolutely fell in love with the author, whose warped mind gave me so much pleasure that now, knowing what I do, I have to re-read the book with enlightened eyes to fully appreciate the wit, subtlety and intelligence that went into writing it. Put simply, this is the book that J K Rowling must be desperately hoping she is capable of as her Harry Potter follow-up.

It's no surprise to me that the novel is now to be made into a Hollywood blockbuster (announced on 20 July 2012) by Reese Witherspoon and her production company. I look forward to Flynn's next offering.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is available online, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, part of Orion Books.