‘Gone Girl’ tops best-seller list

By Jocelyn McClurg

It’s taken more than two years, but Gillian Flynn’s marriage thriller Gone Girl has made it to No. 1 on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list, propelled by the movie adaptation.

The complete list will be published Thursday. Girl is outselling the No. 2 book, Killing Patton by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, by more than 2 to 1.

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The film, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as toxic spouses Nick and “Amazing” Amy Dunne, was also No. 1 at the box office over the weekend, pulling in $37.5 million.

Flynn’s razor-sharp novel was a hit from the get-go, entering USA TODAY’s list at No. 7 on June 14, 2012. The book has captivated readers with its twisty tale of a husband suspected in his (psycho?) wife’s disappearance.

“It’s a book you want to talk about with someone while you’re reading it and after you’re done thanks to Gillian’s mind-bending twists, which has led to terrific word of mouth,” says Crown publisher Molly Stern.

Gone Girl has sold more than 6.4 million copies, and it sold 280,000 copies last week (up from 140,000 copies the previous week), according to Crown. The recent publication of mass-market and movie tie-in paperback editions also has increased sales. (On USA TODAY’s new list, digital sales just edge out print.)

Gone Girl has never dropped out of USA TODAY’s Top 100.

The first time the book left the Top 25 was more than a year after publication — on Sept. 5, 2013, when it was No. 40. It returned to the Top 10 on May 1 this year as buzz began to build for David Fincher’s movie.

The past three weeks the book has hovered just below the top spot at No. 2. — Gannett Newspapers