Book Recommendation: Gone Girl

I read quite a lot of books (probably about one a week on average). I am fairly selective about what I read-- while the "finisher" in me used to have a hard time giving up on a book a bit of the ways in once I'd committed to picking it, I now find my free time MUCH too valuable to waste it reading a book I don't enjoy.  I now am known to abandon books which, 20-30 pages in, are just not hooking me. And I don't write too many "you must read this book" recommendations, because I know people really have varied tastes and, as it is with movies, not everyone shares my (arguably strange) tastes.

I have a book that will surely hook you and is one of the best reads I've read this year-- Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. It was so popular that I had to wait about 6 weeks before it was available from the county library, and then I only got to have it out for a one week loan due to the large # of holds!

Because I'm too busy reading good books to write original book reviews, here is the "blurb" from the
author's actual site, which is also posted on Amazon.com, where the book, which stayed atop the NY Times Bestseller list for many (although I'm not sure exactly how many) weeks, was deemed one the editors' picks for "best books of 2012" (a distinction with which I wholeheartedly agree) :

Marriage can be a real killer.
   One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.
   On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
   As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
   With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

The language of the book may put some of you off. However, it is very well written-- very witty, very gripping, very twisted, and will keep you turning pages late into the night.  I am excited to check out Flynn's other two books (which she wrote before this one):  Dark Places and Sharp Objects.

If you end up reading this novel, let me know what you think (and, if you like it, let me know what other book recs you have for me based on our shared tastes!)!