Gone Girl

Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn













Amazon Blurb -

Marriage can be a real killer. 
   One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. 
   On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 
   As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
*****

Amy and Nick are two of the "beautiful people".  Young hip New Yorkers that are successful, vibrant, and just gorgeous.  He's a writer, she has a degree in psychology and writes personality quizzes for magazines.  They don't nag each other, want to have a friends night out, cool, no ball and chain, no hen pecking on either side.  Then trouble hits, Nick loses his job, his mother who lives in Missouri is terminally ill and his twin sis needs help since their dad has Alzheimer and this shouldn't be just on her.

And so starts the trouble.  Amy doesn't want to leave her life, Nick really could care less.  They go and she gives him money to open a bar with his sister.Their marriage slowly deteriorates and then on their anniversary Amy goes missing.  Who did it?  Well read and be prepared for a ride.

I loved this book, I figured out what happened about almost halfway, but was just a bit unsure.  That didn't deter me from enjoying the ride.  Here's what's funny, I HATED both Amy and Nick.  Didn't like either one one stinking bit.  She was a b*tch and he was a jerk plain and simple. That didn't stop me from loving the book either!  I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.  I recommend this one.

4 cannolis

And When She Was Good

And When She Was Good
Laura Lipman













Amazon Blurb -

When Hector Lewis told his daughter that she had a nothing face, it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds. But twenty years later, Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention. In the comfortable suburb where she lives, she's just a mom, the youngish widow with a forgettable job who somehow never misses a soccer game or a school play. In the state capitol, she's the redheaded lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record.

But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the area, she's the woman of your dreams—if you can afford her hourly fee.

For more than a decade, Heloise has believed she is safe. She has created a rigidly compartmentalized life, maintaining no real friendships, trusting few confidantes. Only now her secret life, a life she was forced to build after the legitimate world turned its back on her, is under siege. Her once oblivious accountant is asking loaded questions. Her longtime protector is hinting at new, mysterious dangers. Her employees can't be trusted. One county over, another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car, a suicide. Or is it?

Nothing is as it seems as Heloise faces a midlife crisis with much higher stakes than most will ever know.

And then she learns that her son's father might be released from prison, which is problematic because he doesn't know he has a son. The killer and former pimp also doesn't realize that he's serving a life sentence because Heloise betrayed him. But he's clearly beginning to suspect that Heloise has been holding something back all these years.

With no formal education, no real family, and no friends, Heloise has to remake her life—again. Disappearing will be the easy part. She's done it before and she can do it again. A new name and a new place aren't hard to come by if you know the right people. The trick will be living long enough to start a new life.

*****

"You have a nothing face."  So says Helen Lewis' father Hector to her, and so begins the abuse  by her father.  A frustrated nothing who takes it out on Helen, her mother is more relieved that her child is now the benefactor of his rage so she does nothing to protect her.

Helen knows she must get out, sadly her choice leads to what happens to most young girls that have no where to go.  But Helen is smart and she watches, hoarding away what she see's learning for when she is on her own, and on her own she becomes successful in an upper middle class neighborhood. 

After her pimp is jailed for murder, she must hide her pregnancy from him since he is the father.  Making up the excuse that her mother is dying and she has to go home so that she won't have to visit him, she gives birth and then uses his help to start her own call girl business.  He never knows about his son, she visits him regularly and he takes his cut from Helen, now known as Heloise.

In a neighboring town, there is the murder of a suburban madam.  Is there a crazed killer on the loose, or is this a well thought out hit?  Helen has to be very careful, her son and her life depend on it.

I loved this book!  It was just fantastic.  Helen was a fantastic character.  I was going right to the last few pages which had me gasping and on the edge of my seat!

4 1/2 cannolis