Amy Dunne Is Missing...

This is a very good psychological thriller that begins on the fifth wedding anniversary of Nick and Amy Dunne. The couple has had some difficult times of late, and after living a charmed life in New York City, they have both recently lost their jobs and have moved back to Nick's childhood hometown in Missouri. In an effort to support them, Nick as borrowed the last of the money in Amy's trust fund to buy a bar that he's running with his sister, Go.

On the morning of the anniversary, Nick is at the bar when he receives a phone call from a neighbor; his front door is standing open and the cat has wandered out onto the porch. Nick races home to discover that Amy is missing and that furniture has been knocked over in the living room, apparently as the result of a struggle. The police arrive and begin to investigate, but what has happened is far from clear. The only thing certain is that Amy is gone, leaving behind the clues that will lead Nick to his anniversary present, something that has been her tradition on each of their anniversaries.

The story unfolds, alternating Nick's story in the wake of Amy's disappearance with diary entries that Amy wrote describing her life and the state of their marriage. Nick behaves in a manner that seems curious to many and before long, he will emerge as the prime suspect in the case. In the world of the 24/7 news cycle, the case becomes fodder for cable TV "journalists," and hovering over it all, are Amy's truly weird parents who have made a living writing children's books featuring a character named "Amazing Amy," loosely based on their daughter.

It's a gripping story, and the reader is whipped back and forth between Nick and the voice that emerges from Amy's diary until you don't know what to believe or whom to sympathize with. But the story will keep you on the edge of your seat right up to the shattering conclusion.