Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

by:  Gillian Flynn
published by: Shaye Areheart Books
publish date:  September 2006

"My sweater was new, stinging red and ugly." An edgy first line, and it provides the perfect opening for this gritty debut novel by journalist Flynn. Her protagonist, Camille Preaker, is a reporter for a second-rate Chicago newspaper. A solitary woman with a cynical bent, she appears to have carved out a workable life for herself despite a painful past and an estranged family. But when a second young girl turns up missing in Camille's hometown -- shortly after another local girl was found murdered -- Camille's editor sends her home to Missouri to cover the story. The question is, can Camille get to the bottom of the story before her demons get the best of her?

A classic whodunit, Sharp Objects is an gripping page-turner. Readers follow Camille to the field as she examines crime scenes, interviews the friends and family of the victims, and probes reticent investigators for information. After all, the world of investigative reporting is tantalizing. Take, for example, the provocative flirting between Camille and a Kansas City detective assigned to the cases. Is it sex they're after, or simply information? And the gradual unfolding of Camille's alarming past will keep readers riveted until the very last page.

Autumn's Thoughts:

This book has been on my To Be Read list for a long time.  I happened to notice the audiobook at the library and snapped it up.  First off I will say that the audiobook was good.  It was well read.

I'm not very familiar with cutters, but that seems to be one of the topics du jour.  I could probably start listing on my fingers all the books I've read in the last year or so that have dealt with the issue in some fashion.  This book far transcended all the ones I've ever read though.  Camille took cutting to a level I sure haven't heard of before. 

This book is described as edgy and gritty.  I would agree with that.  It was dark and at times I felt kind of dirty listening to the audiobook.  At times I felt sure I knew who did it, then something would happen and I would second guess myself and focus on a different character only to be wrong.  I'll just say I should have stuck with my first instinct! 

Kari's Thoughts:

I read this a while back this is what I wrote on Goodreads: "This was one twisted story. I liked it, but I'm not sure it is for everyone. The main character is very messed up. The ending was just disturbing."  That really sums up the book for me, Dark, dirty and disturbing!  Like Autumn, I kept waffling over who did it in the end.  The end was very disturbing to me and left me feeling kind of depressed.  I listened to the audiobook as well, and I liked the narrator, Anna Marie Lee.  She did a great job!