Flynn's writing is weirdly excruciating to get through, like drawing a serrated knife across your tongue, but in the best possible way. I don't even LIKE mysteries, but I like her mysteries, because they're so expertly paced. In Dark Places, I was infuriated by the main character and loved and pitied her all at the same time. 
 Solid 3.5 stars for prose that wound me up into a ball of fear and anxiety, and kept me reading from the moment I picked it up to the end. I had to knock off 1.5 stars because the ending just unraveled so unsatisfyingly. I don't mean the "solution" to the mystery (which was believable and well-constructed, in my opinion); it was just the last couple of "resolution" chapters, the most important real estate in a thriller, that felt anti-climactic and mediocre, abruptly draining the excitement that had been building up the course of the novel. Nevertheless, I'll definitely be picking up her other books. It's a rare thriller writer who can deliver quality on the narrative journey, not just on the "gotcha" mystery solution at the end.