Dark Places, a dark novel by Gillian Flynn

A mass murder. A mystery. If you are looking for a dark novel, this is for you. 

A mother and her two daughters are murdered in their house. Her youngest daughter, 6 year old Libby, survives, along with her brother, Ben, whom Libby accuses of being the murder and who goes to prison for the crimes. 

Libby spends the rest of her life, and has her whole identity wrapped up in being "the only survivor". She lives off donations from strangers, revenues from a book she wrote about the murders and speaking engagements. Seems everyone is curious about the night of the murders and the poor little survivor, until one day, the weren't anymore. There is a new story of a new little survivor girl, and Libby finds all of her finances have dried up.

Enter, the "kill club". A group of people from all walks of life who are interested in (sometimes obsessed with) big murder stories and doing their own detective work to right their perceived wrongs and get people that they consider innocent out of jail.

Libby encounters Lyle, a member of the "kill club" who believes that Ben is actually innocent, and offers Libby money to help them with their quest to free Ben. Flat broke and depressed, Libby decides to accept, strictly for the cash, but eventually starts to wonder if she had, as a little girl, named the wrong person for the murders. Becoming more engaged in the sleuthing, she starts to feel horribly responsible for her brother spending his life in jail. 

Is he really innocent?

A dark story full of dark themes and dark characters, this book is just the ticket if your in the mood for something dark, which, let's face it, we all are sometimes.