Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

In this debut novel, Gillian Flynn brings the reader a fast-paced, intense read that kept me captivated. Camille Preaker is a second rate journalist who has returned to her hometown in order to report on the murders of two young girls. The police have little to go on and Camille finds herself drawn into the investigation. But Camille has demons of her own that she is going to have to face while she tries to break this story open.

I'm going to start off with the fact that I cannot believe that this is the author's first novel. It was such an intense read but it was SO good. Camille is an interesting main character, strong at points and weak at others, and such a different personality. Half of the book I was focused on trying to figure her out, what made her tick, and why she made the choices that she was making. I found myself caring about what happened to her without even realizing it. Flynn creates such a dark atmosphere to the story where you know bad things are happening but you have to wait and see what they are. The characters are all well thought out and the story flows along with ease even as it takes the reader into its' depths. The ending of the story was the only part of the story that didn't quite live up to my expectations but looking back now I'm thinking that it was better than I initially thought. All in all, this was a great read and a great way to begin the R.I.P. IV challenge.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 or really good!

P.S.- Readers should be warned that this is a dark read at times. Maybe it is the pregnancy hormones (I've been feeling out of whack lately) but I really felt for the main character but didn't always like the decisions that she made. Plus, cutting is involved which is a difficult topic. Personally, I will be picking up this author's second book sooner rather than later but I felt the need to give you a heads up...just in case and all that :)