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Gillian Flynn


USA flag (b.1971)

Gillian Flynn is an American author and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has so far written three novels, Sharp Objects, for which she won the 2007 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller; Dark Places; and her best-selling third novel Gone Girl.

Her book has received wide praise, including from authors such as Stephen King. The dark plot revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the reporter who has returned from Chicago to cover the event. Themes include dysfunctional families,violence and self-harm.

In 2007 the novel was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Writer, Crime Writers' Association Duncan Lawrie, CWA New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, winning in the last two categories.

Flynn, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated at the University of Kansas, and qualified for a Master's degree from Northwestern University.
 

Genres: Mystery
 
Novels
   Sharp Objects (2006)
   Dark Places (2008)
   Gone Girl (2012)
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Novellas and Short Stories
   The Grownup (2015)
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Omnibus editions
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Awards
Barry Awards Best First Novel nominee (2007) : Sharp Objects
Dagger Awards Best Novel nominee (2007) : Sharp Objects
Edgar Awards Best First Novel nominee (2007) : Sharp Objects
Anthony Awards Best Novel nominee (2013) : Gone Girl
Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction Best Book nominee (2013) : Gone Girl


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One of the Good Guys (2024)
Araminta Hall
"I've been a fan of Araminta's from the start; she is one of the most daring and intriguing writers working today. Her writing is so addictive, her characters so sharply realized. One of the Good Guys is a resonant, razor-laced, and dangerously glittering novel."
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Whalefall (2023)
Daniel Kraus
"Astoundingly great. Whalefall is, quite simply, a beautiful novel - a must-read story of the sea, the nature of awe, and the briny relationships between fathers and sons."
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The Centre (2023)
Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi
"What an absolutely stunning and unique novel! Ayesha has written a book that is not only thrilling, but also deeply thought provoking, a combination that is truly rare. And the voice! It's dazzling."
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Small Mercies (2023)
Dennis Lehane
"Small Mercies is a jaw-dropping thriller, set in the fury of Boston's 1974 school-desegregation crisis, and propelled by a hell-bent woman who's impossible to ignore. Thought-provoking and heart-thumping, it's a resonant, unflinching story written by a novelist who is simply one of the best around."
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Scorched Grace (2023)
(Sister Holiday Mysteries, book 1)
Margot Douaihy
"Within five pages, I was in love with this novel. The voice is unique and confident, the sense of place deeply present, and the plotting completely assured: every time I was about to ask a question about Sister Holiday, her background, her drive, the mystery - the answer magically appeared. Sister Holiday is simply a joy of a narrator - and definitely my kind of character: flawed, dark, buoyant, and often laugh-out-loud funny. I feel like she and Camille Preaker from Sharp Objects should go on a road trip together. This novel is so much more than a mystery (which is my favorite kind of mystery), it's an exploration of faith, love, and the worthy struggle to be a better human. I just loved it!"
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Sleepwalk (2022)
Dan Chaon
"To say this is one of the best novels I've read in years is almost not enough. Dan Chaon's Sleepwalk is a thrilling and often hilarious road trip across America in the very near future, told by a winning and murderous narrator. But beneath the zigzag adventure tale is a poignant reminder of the fragile nature of our humanity, an appreciation of the tricky balancing act of living. It's a beautiful, unsettling, and thoughtful novel -- told by one of America's great storytellers"

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