Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a 4.5 star MUST READ for thriller fans

Upon finishing Gone Girl, the newest psychological thriller by established authorGillian Flynn, I had to ask myself, "are all of Gillian Flynn's books like this?". If they are, I can tell you now that I am going to be a huge fan. In short, I loved this book. I loved the way the author crafted the characters. I loved the way that she doled out the story, keeping you guessing about what was really going on. I loved the way that she threw out so many inconsistent details that you weren't really sure what was real, if any of it. Or who was lying to whom. Or ultimately, who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. 

One thing I really enjoy about reading thrillers is that they are like puzzles. I love trying to figure out where the author is going with a story before they reveal their twists in the plot. That said, I especially love when an author hits me over the head with a plot twist that I didn't even see coming. This book had all of the above. It started out pretty good, but normal for a psychological thriller, then just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, another detail would come out that had me doubting myself. Best of all, though, the author was able to reveal certain plot points that were total surprises to me. Things that I had not even considered, at least not seriously. Here I was, formulating all sorts of theories, which I love to do, and trying to keep track of all of the things that didn't seem to make sense and the story would hit me with an HOLY CRAP moment. At that point, I was hooked. 

I thought the characters in the book were great, also. I thought she did an exceptionally good job with Nick and Amy, making them both who they seemed, and someone else entirely. The layers to their personalities and relationship was riveting. And even the supporting characters were crafted with so many layers that they were constantly surprising me with there behavior. 

The only thing that keeps me from giving this book a flat out 5 star rating was the ultimate ending. For some reason, the ending just set me on edge. It's not that it wasn't believable, because it was. It's not that it wasn't appropriate to the story, because it certainly was. It is just that I didn't like where it ended. I can't say more than that without giving it away. 

So again, I say, I hope all of Gillian Flynn's books are this twisted, dark, and riveting. I am poised to be a major fan! A 4.5 star MUST READ for thriller lovers.