I've always had a weakness for noir. [b:Gone Girl|8442457|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1339602131s/8442457.jpg|13306276] isn't exactly gritty or hard-boiled—maybe it’s a new genre—but whatever it is I want more of it. The characters start off being thoroughly banal, then become unlikable(), and then … well, it’s hard to say much without spoiling the story. There are twists aplenty. Some you'll predict, some are foreshadowed, some you just learn to start expecting. But some will really take you deliciously by surprise. And Flynn’s language is beautifully crafted, a pleasure to read.

The ending is weak. But fifty pages before the end, reflecting on that possibility, I promised myself not to pan the book if that happened: I had enjoyed it far, far too much to let the ending disappoint me. So let yourself enjoy the first 90%. Savor it. Then coast through the ending, keeping in mind how much you’ve enjoyed yourself.

My review won’t convince anyone to read it, so please read Linda’s. That’s the review that got me to rush to the library, pick this up, and start on it immediately despite my ever-growing to-read pile. And am I ever glad I did.

() Except for one sidekick