Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gilliam Flynn is my third independent reading book. In this novel the protagonist, Libby Day, witnesses the murder of her mom and two sisters. She testified that her older brother Ben committed the murders. These murders became known as the famous "Satan Sacrifice of Kinakee, Kansas." Around 25 years later, she is poor and is willing to do anything for money. She joins up with the Kill Club, a club that investigates tragedies such as this mass murder.  The Kill Club doesn't think that Libby's accusations against her brother from 25 years ago are valid, especially because there is no evidence to suggest that Ben was the one who killed everyone.  They pay Libby to talk to Ben (who has been in prison for the last 25 years) and her father, Runner, who abandoned her family long before the murders.

I haven't finished reading the book so far, but of what I have read, here's what I know: about a day before the murders, Ben (fifteen at the time) was falsely accused of molesting a ten year old girl named Krissi Cates, and was therefore dubbed as subjected to satanic practices.  This accusation made him an easy target for the murders.  However, Krissi agrees to lying about Ben. I also know that Libby was somewhat brainwashed by the child psychologist at the time of the murders and testified against her brother due to this. I still have to read more, but I really want to know what happens next.

This book relates to my inquiry project (truth v. ignorance) because Libby is in the  process of discovering what really happened all of those years ago. She was basically trained to accuse her brother because Ben had already been accused of worshiping the devil. He was an easy target that (for those times) didn't need any supporting evidence.  Another important aspect of my project is how Libby deals with the situation. At first, she agreed to join the Kill Club because they paid her for uncovering details. She continued her membership because she saw it as a good source of income. At the point I'm at in the book, she starts to become genuinely curious and seeks closure. She is also starting to feel remorse for her false accusations, where before she couldn't care less about the murders even though she knew there were some holes in her testimony. That is what my project is all about, and I'm intrigued to finish this book!