Gillian Flynn Books in Order
Gillian Flynn is the American author of psychological crime thrillers including Sharp Objects, Dark Places and Gone Girl, three standalone novels that don’t have any reading order to untangle. This guide lists them by publication date, followed by her shorter stories and other book contributions.
A printable book list is available below. You can print it or save it as a PDF.
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Standalone Novels
Edition note: Gone Girl was issued in a new special paperback edition in August 2026 that includes previously unpublished deleted scenes
- The Novels of Gillian Flynn, 2012 (includes Sharp Objects and Dark Places)
- The Complete Gillian Flynn, 2014 (includes all three novels)
Short Stories
- The Grownup, 2014 – short story, first published as What Do You Do? in the anthology Rogues. It was published separately as The Grownup in 2015 Amazon
- Masks, 2014 – graphic short story, with art by Dave Gibbons, first published by The Guardian
Anthologies and Other Contributions
- Rogues, 2014 – includes What Do You Do, the story later published separately as The Grownup Amazon
- The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For, 2015 – contributes the recipe Beef Skillet Fiesta Amazon
- I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara, 2018 – introduction by Gillian Flynn Amazon
- Flowers in the Attic: 40th Anniversary Edition by V.C. Andrews, 2019 – foreword by Gillian Flynn Amazon
Is Gillian Flynn Writing Another Novel?
In a 2025 interview, Gillian Flynn mentioned that she was working on a fourth novel, another psychological thriller, this time focused on a mother. However, as of October 2026, there is no title or publication date announced.
Gillian Flynn Book Adaptations
- Gone Girl – adapted into the feature film Gone Girl (2014). Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay herself.
- Dark Places – adapted into the feature film Dark Places (2015)
- Sharp Objects – adapted into the HBO limited series Sharp Objects (2018)
About Gillian Flynn
Gillian Flynn was born in 1971, in Kansas City, Missouri. With both her parents being academics working as community college professors, she had plenty of inspiration to start her writing career as an adult.
Official website: gillian-flynn.com
Gillian Flynn studied journalism at the University of Kansas. After graduating from college, she moved to California where she before earned her master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School in 1997. Then she started working as a journalist and critic, including for ten years at Entertainment Weekly, during which time she wrote Sharp Objects. The novel was published in 2006 and it won both the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasey New Blood Dagger and Ian Fleming Steel Dagger the following year.
In 2009 Gillian Flynn released her second novel, Dark Places, which ended up ranking at #15 on the New York Times Bestseller’s list. The book was turned into a movie in 2015 featuring Charlize Theron. She then wrote Gone Girl, which was published in 2012, a novel that not only was also adapted for the big screen in 2014 featuring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in main roles, but also brought Gillian Flynn closer to screenwriting, as she adapted Gone Girl for David Fincher’s 2014 film, and the screenplay was nominated for the Golden Globe.
She also co-wrote the 2018 film Widows with Steve McQueen, and then created, executive-produced and served as showrunner on Amazon’s Utopia.
Gillian Flynn is also the publishing partner behind Gillian Flynn Books, an imprint at Zando where she selects books by other writers. The imprint is still active and publishing new titles.
Major Awards and Honors
- Sharp Objects – John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger (2007)
- Sharp Objects – Ian Fleming Steel Dagger (2007)
- What Do You Do? – Edgar Award for Best Short Story (2015)