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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Readers say *When the Stars Go Dark* is a gripping, well-researched murder mystery with strong character development and a suspenseful ending. Many ap...
I am an outlier on this one based on all the other reviews. I don't understand all the high ratings. I don't necessarily shy away from dark reads (this is very dark, serial violent offenders, sexual abuse) but it was also so slow. Anna is a missing persons detective detective who flees to Northern California to take a break from her job and marriage when tragedy strikes her own life. However, a local girl, Cameron, has gone missing and Anna finds herself working another case. There were too many characters and I just wasn't all that interested in any of them. I was curious about what happened to Cameron and Anna. I didn't care for the real life story of Polly Klaas intertwined with the fictional story of the local missing girls. It was distracting and didn't add to the story for me.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Paula McLain does a fantastic job mixing real life missing persons cases with this work of fiction that hits frighteningly close to reality.
I was invested in the story from the get-go and it gripped me through the very end.
There are mentions of abduction, murder, child neglect and sexual abuse but they are not explored in detail as to cause extreme discomfort.
If you like a great suspenseful mystery, then I definitely recommend When the Stars Go Dark.
Oh and did I mention; there's a dog and she's awesome.
Paula McLain does a fantastic job mixing real life missing persons cases with this work of fiction that hits frighteningly close to reality.
I was invested in the story from the get-go and it gripped me through the very end.
There are mentions of abduction, murder, child neglect and sexual abuse but they are not explored in detail as to cause extreme discomfort.
If you like a great suspenseful mystery, then I definitely recommend When the Stars Go Dark.
Oh and did I mention; there's a dog and she's awesome.
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