When the Stars Go Dark: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK • “A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain’s emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases.”—People (Book of the Week)
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE • “The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope.”—The New York Times Book Review
“This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in.”—Daily Skimm
Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing.
The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.
Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives—and our faith in one another.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE • “The kind of heart-pounding conclusion that thriller fans crave . . . In the end, a book full of darkness lands with a message of hope.”—The New York Times Book Review
“This mystery will keep you guessing, and stay with you long after you finish. Dive in.”—Daily Skimm
Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing.
The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna’s childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever. As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with saving the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.
Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives—and our faith in one another.
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Community Reviews
Had the potential to be a really interesting mystery with an exploration of trauma. However, I had some serious issues with how it was carried out. First, the whole thing with using a real-life tragic murder of a teenage girl (Polly Klaas) as a backdrop seemed exploitative, and also the importance of a psychic to the case, when in reality so many so-called psychics prey on the families of victims in need of closure, i hate when mystery books and crime procedurals give credence to this. I also found the protagonist's 'reason' for leaving to Mendocino kind of strangely written - some vague mentions in the first few chapters, and then completely forgotten until the very end.
Anyway, I'm just disappointed because I think this book had a lot of potential. Better story structure and less exploitation of real tragedy could have made an excellent novel, but it's just confusing. So many characters and timelines that aren't well woven together.
Anyway, I'm just disappointed because I think this book had a lot of potential. Better story structure and less exploitation of real tragedy could have made an excellent novel, but it's just confusing. So many characters and timelines that aren't well woven together.
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this story - but it was a bit too slow for my tastes. I liked the true-crime feel it had because unfortunately things like this happen all the time & it was cool to know that there are people out there who refuse to give up on the victims.
The last 50 pages...wowza that was a lot to unload on a reader but man was this story good. I struggled with giving this a 3/4 because it felt hard to get into at first and a bit dragged on at times, but the amount of research, symbolism and visuals the author uses really kept me gripped. Definitely a must read for fans of true crime/murder mysteries!
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