When The Stars Go Dark

This may be one of the most realistic and dark mysteries I have ever read. Paula McLain did not shy away from the heavy burden placed on those that investigate missing children. With a poetic and lyrical style of writing we follow protagonist, Anna Hart, who is insanely human and flawed as she not only helps find missing children but helps find herself. 

We start by seeing Anna leave her husband behind in San Francisco after what appears to be a death in the family. Part One was definitely the slowest moving and didn’t start off super action-packed like most thrillers or mysteries. Anna returns to her childhood home of Mendocino, California because she simply doesn’t know where else to go to grieve and grow. 

While there, a local girl, Cameron, goes missing and Anna feels the need to help her childhood friend Will, the town’s sheriff, find Cameron. Alternating between her childhood and present day we see the scars Anna carries, the wonderful foster parents she had, and how this town has some secrets hidden away. Specifically, the murder of her friend in high school that has remained unsolved. With ties to real child abduction cases such as Amber Swartz-Garcia, Polly Klaas, and Jaycee Dugard, McLain explores not only how these crimes are solved but the impact it has on family members, a community, and especially those solving the crimes.

I really enjoyed Anna re-finding herself in her home and the forests that surround them. Her journey with an unsuspected dog, Cricket, a psychic, Tally, and a bartender, Wanda, were all heart-warming to read. They remind me that even in the darkest of places and the darkest of books we can find relationships and friendships that bring us back to who we are.

I highly recommend this book to true crime readers and podcast listeners. If you enjoyed Long Bright River I think you’ll also really like this book, they are different but I got the same feeling and impact from both. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. The expected publication date is April 13th 2021.

Paula McLain demonstrates her range as an author with this emotionally laden almost-thriller. I picked up this ARC from NetGalley after enjoying The Paris Wife.  This book is nominally historical fiction since it takes place in the 90s, but it is much more a deep examination of grief, guilt, and forgiveness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I've enjoyed other books by this author and When the Stars Go Dark was no exception. I will recommend this book to friends who enjoy mystery/thrillers as well as historical fiction.

When The Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain is the perfect way to spend a wintery, cold afternoon. I loved this story and the mystery McLain sent me on to solve! Anna grew up dealing with a hard childhood with her siblings and ended up in the foster care system before she knew it. Anna knows all to well how growing up with parents that are distracted or under the influence can be. As an adult, she found herself as a missing persons detective, trying to help find young victims that have disappeared for any number of reasons. But it is the latest case that brings her back home and forces her to face her past. 
In true Paula McLain fashion, she weaves a little US history in her story-telling reminding us of a real life kidnapping story, Polly Klaas, and how her story took over the nation. I loved this story and McLain's story telling ability keeps you engaged and wanting more. Her story is easy to read and flows nicely from chapter to chapter. 
I will definitely be recommending this to others and will continue to look out for Paula McLain's other works. Special thanks to NetGalley, Paula  McLain, and Random House-Ballantine Books for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 stars 

#WhentheStarsGoDark #NetGalley

Paula McLain has succeeded at creating a nuanced mystery that grabs the readers attention from the start.  The main character, Anna Hart is an emotionally scarred woman who is fighting her own personal demons.  Her husband has asked her to leave and Anna starts an emotional journey revisiting her past as she goes back to the town where she was raised by her foster parents.  While there, Anna who is a missing person's detective finds herself drawn into the case of a missing teenage girl.  Anna is obsessive in her need to solve the case which brings back memories of when one of her high school friends disappeared.  One of the facets of the book that I enjoyed was the fact that there were just enough hints in the story for the reader to solve the mystery.  It all made sense it the end.  Also, I liked that the reader felt like they could get inside Anna's head while she grappled with her own issues.  There were a lot of layers to this story.

I know Paula McLain for her historical fiction novels and was surprised to see that this was a mystery/thriller. Though set in 1993, it still seemed more mystery than history. However, after reading the Author's Note at the end, I realized Ms. McLain had interwoven a real kidnapping case into her story—I just hadn't recognized it as a true story while reading. I think this added a touch of reality that is usually missing from these kinds of books, and I appreciated that.

As for the story itself, it's more of a mystery than a thriller, even though the chapters are short. I suspected two characters for the kidnapper and one of them was correct. The ending reveal did feel a bit rushed to me though. When Anna finds the clue that leads her to the kidnapper, it seems to come out of the blue and it's not something the reader could have picked up on earlier. Also, the mystery of Anna's immediate past, what drove her to Mendocino, felt lacking to me. Yes, it was tragic, but not the kind of detail that needed to be hidden for the whole novel. I think there could have been more insight into Anna's character, and more development, if this knowledge was revealed much earlier in the story. As it is, it was hard to fully understand Anna's motivations, even though the story is written from her perspective, because we were missing this detail from her past.

That being said, I did appreciate the development given to secondary characters, particularly Emily. Her story was heartbreaking, but I loved the subtle strength she grew for the sake of her daughter. Also Cricket the dog was a lovely addition.

I was drawn to this book because I'd heard about it from other book reviewers, so I decided to give it a go. It was my first book I've reviewed from Net Galley. 

I've ultimately decided to rate it three (maybe 3.5) stars, and I have several reasons. 

First, I want to say that the book is very, very well written. The author is clearly quite talented. Her prose and ability with the written word is amazing. Some of the language in the book was stunning. The descriptions so vivid. This is also my first read by this author but from what I've heard this writing is typical for her.

I think my biggest issue that led me to my rating is the length, specifically in relation to the plot. I feel this story could easily have been told in significantly less pages. For most of the middle of the book it felt like not much was happening and I started to get a little frustrated. Almost as if I was stuck in the 'rising action' portion. I told myself it must be a slow burn, and maybe the end will have some sort of redemption. I basically kept waiting for it to really grab my attention, but it never really did. I wasn't bored reading it. I think I was just expecting more of a wow factor, for something eventful or crazy to happen, to be surprised. Even when the ending events unfolded it still felt, maybe, a little bit uneventful? 

I have a hard time articulating why, but I also had a hard time connecting with the main character, Anna. That connection just never clicked into place for me. That connection that causes you to become deeply invested in what happens to a character. 

I think maybe this book just wasn't for me. It seems like a whole lot of people like it. Maybe it's just not my thing. Again, it's very well written and I respect the time and research that clearly went into it.  I didn't not like it - I just didn't love it. I am curious to read more of McLain's work now, though, as I do think she's a good writer. I just didn't connect with this particular story. I would still recommend this book for lovers of crime, mysteries, and thrillers.

This is my first book by Paula McLain; I will most certainly read her again. This book is not for the faint of heart. It's intense and makes you feel the pain of loss from multiple perspectives. While the case at hand is that of a missing teenager (actually several missing teenagers with the very real Polly Klass playing a peripheral role), the story also revolves around mothers and their children--and all kinds of loss that can upend a mother's life. I was a little worried that this would be too heavy for me since I often try to avoid books about kids these days; however, I'm glad I took the chance on this page-turner. 

I did occasionally feel like there was a bit of repetition from the protagonist's point of few and that too often we were told that her conclusions came simply from her gut. However, after I completed the novel, I think that was actually an important part of the narrative. First, there is a suggestion here that some people intuit things and, further,  that there are also connections between people that create (or appear to create) unbreakable bonds. I think that is what we were to be thinking about here. In addition, if you read this novel, I suggest you also read the afterword. In it, McLain explains that she has first-hand experience with the dissolution of a family and a child's experience in the foster care system. Because much of this novel's plot surrounds the protagonist's painful past and loss of family, I now realize that the repetition in the novel has much to do with how a person in such a position might really think--how such a refrain would play on repeat, how the loss and past experiences would haunt that person everyday of their lives. So with the awareness that the author is trying to help us see into this world, I understand now that the writing was both personal and authentic. 

Overall, this was a heavy novel but also a total page-turner. I think there is room for this to grow into a sequel, but it certainly stands very well on its own. I recommend picking this one up.

I thank NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the opportunity to read this advance copy for an honest review.
A side note, but of importance, is I am a reader of historical fiction primarily.  I do read other genres for my patrons but will always return to HF.  Here's the 1 mystery I will read for probably 4-6 months.  Another side note:.  Paula McLain gave a talk at my son's university either late 2019 or early 2020 and in the middle of the lecture, he texts me a picture of her and asks if I know her.  He really enjoyed her lecture and is a psychology major interested in childhood trauma and juvenile crime.  One more side note: I attended a webinar with Paula McLain and Lisa Scottolini  regarding them switching genre-teams in their latest books.  That made me say "OK, time to grab their books." and here we are.
There is a trigger warning if you have been a victim of violent crime, or in missing persons.  That being said, I do not, so I plunged in.
McLain writes this mystery like her historical fiction and I am overjoyed.  There are definitely some basis on cases we have read in the papers, so maybe there is a lot more fact to this fiction that one realizes.
The writing grabbed me in the beginning and sped me along right through to the end.  I would say this is "unputdownable".  The pacing was fantastic, making me want to read more and find out how it is resolved.
Dedicated readers of thrillers might be bored but folks who read broadly will find enough to love.
I run a book club that reads all sorts of genres and fell like this is one that I could include, and also suggest to patrons looking for something different to read. 4+ stars, rounded to 5 because I dont have a 4.5 button.

Thank you so much for letting me read this book before it was published? I have read other works by the author and loved them all. As I was reading this book i remember why I love Paula McLain’s way of writing. Each sentence just flows like a river, bring the story to life.. I loved loved this book. I’m a fan of mystery and serial killers.
Any mystery fans will enjoy this book. I couldn’t put this one down til I finished it. Her characters are so we’ll developed., 
This is a story of Anna and the neglect she experienced as a child. Then as a foster child and then to a loving family.Which all lead her to becoming a detective.. She had some sort of a recent heart-ache, which you learn later on in the story. She becomes involved in a missing child of a Hollywood star. The story also brings in the real story of Polly Klaas. I hate to write a long review, because I hate to give away any of this story. 
I will be recommending this book to my book club, because of all of the different issue brought into this book 
Thank you NetGalley.

Anna Hart is a missing persons detective in the San Diego PD. She and her husband have recently separated and having no where else to turn, she heads back to her teenage home. There she runs into an old friend, Will, who is now the town sheriff. There’s currently a missing 15 year old girl and Anna jumps in to help, putting all her efforts into this case, distracting herself from her own issues. 

<I>When the Stars Go Dark</i> has a lot of poignant moments and Anna does a lot of self reflection in this novel, as she sees so many parallels of her former life. McLain’s writing is gripping, raw and emotional where it needs to be. 

The mystery was easily solved from the beginning but I found that the story wasn’t really about the mystery itself; it was about Anna’s journey back home - to find herself, to find what she left behind, and to make herself whole again.

Review of Advance Reader’s Copy eBook

San Francisco Detective Anna Hart, on leave from her department for personal reasons, travels to Mendocino, California. She has ties to the town . . . it became home when a local couple took her in as a ten-year-old foster child. 

Once there, she finds herself drawn into the search for a missing girl. The intense investigation, coupled with being home, keeps her emotionally tied to the anguish of her foster-child past and an unexplained trauma that apparently drove her away from her home and family. 

As the detective devotes her time and energy to the search, will she find the missing girl before her abductor ends her life?

Set in northern California in 1993, the strong sense of place anchors an intense story filled with believable, relatable, flawed characters. The overarching plot is complex, concerning the abuse, disappearance, and killing of young girls. The story is raw, brutal, and chilling, emotionally compelling, dark, and depressing.

Tiny snippets of Anna’s backstory provide readers with some clues for the character’s behavior and her emotional state. 
Unfortunately, with only smidgeons of this backstory revealed at any one time, thus the details are insufficient to provide readers with any real context for Anna’s larger story. Therefore, instead of drawing the reader into the telling of the tale, it generally serves to hinder the flow of the narrative and keeps the reader from fully emphasizing with the character.  

Although the ending feels a bit abrupt, leaving readers wishing for some closure regarding Anna’s return home, the main plot points are satisfactorily resolved. 

Recommended.

Absolutely beautiful story I was drawn in from the first pages.Caught up in the twists and turns I read late into the night.A book I will be recommending an author I will be following,#netgalley#random house

I am always impressed when authors step out of their typical genre--even when the results miss the mark--but that’s not the case here. Paula McLain’s new book, When the Stars Go Dark, mostly moves away from historical literature and tackles a crime novel with great success. The story follows a troubled detective, Anna Hart, who specializes in missing children cases. It’s clear from the beginning that Anna is in the midst of her own crisis as she takes on a new case, and McLain gives us small details of that and her past interspersed with the current case. For historical fiction enthusiasts, When the Stars Go Dark takes place in the early 90s (sort of historical), and the real-life disappearance of Polly Klaas plays a role in the story. McLain does a lot of editorializing on child abuse victims, adoption, foster care, but through the character of Anna, it still worked for me. I really enjoyed the layers of mystery, and McLain played the natural setting of northern California beautifully. I highly recommend When the Stars Go Dark to McLain’s readers who may not usually read crime novels, and to crime novel readers who like a more emotional connection to the story.

"When the Stars Go Dark" by Paula McLain started out slowly with the building of the setting and the main character Anna Hart, but became a book hard to put down.  Set in the early 1990's, the author does a beautiful job of telling the story of this detective, Anna Hart and her own personal journey as she longs to help those missing and the families that love them.  References to the real life missing persons case of Polly Klass, enhance the story line.  This may not be a subject matter everyone would enjoy, missing girls, physical & sexual abuse; but it is beautifully written and I will be reading books by Paula McLain in the future.  Thank you NetGalley and Random House / Ballantine for the ARC and opportunity to read and review!

From the very beginning, this book grabs hold of the reader and doesn’t let go.  Seldom have I felt the protagonist's pain as much as I did with Anna.  You know from the start that she's hurting, both mentally and physically.  The story deals with difficult subject matter, missing children, and there is a tie-in with the real-life kidnapping of Polly Klaas.

At times, the dialog is brutal and almost painful to read.  At others, the author speaks about the magnificence of the forest setting.  Her prose is beautiful and haunting.  The ending is satisfying, without having everything wrapped up in a neat bow.

This was a great read!  I was mesmerized throughout and highly recommend it.  My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.  #WhentheStarsGoDark #NetGalley

The beginning of this book had me imagining all kinds of reasons Anna is hiding out from her own past and present. A Detective in San Francisco, it’s obvious that something has happened to make her leave the city and head to Mendocino, where she lived as a kid.

The day she arrives the first thing she hears is about a missing girl in the area. This is bringing up a lot of emotions and flashbacks from her time living here with her foster parents. A girl went missing then as well. And that crime is still unsolved. When another girl goes missing Anna realizes she may be exactly where she is supposed to be at the moment. With all of her experience and knowledge of predators, she can’t help but get involved.

There are some true crimes and names here that you will recognize. There is a lot about trauma and human nature. This one had everything. I’m sure I bit my lip at least twice. What I loved about this book was the rawness of the emotions. There was no attempt to pretty up the facts. They tore at your heart to the very end.

When you are brave enough to face your demons, then maybe you can reclaim your life.

NetGalley/ April 13th, 2021 by Ballantine Books

Beautifully written with just enough true life to make it even more captivating. All of the characters are flawed, exquisitely human. I’ll be reading more from this author!

I had to bribe myself to read the first 65% of this book, with its heavy themes and unexplained tensions. The last third took off like a shot and had me sucked in. I do wish there would have been one final chapter covering her return home and how she moves forward as a wife, mother and detective.

Set aside some time when you read this book because once you start - you are not going to be able to walk away!   Paula McLain is one of my favorite authors in historical fiction!   This book has some things that are "historically accurate" but the story is her own creation and one that doesn't disappoint.  

I liked the character development - and there were a few of them!   The town, the forest and the surrounding area are such an important part of the story - I felt I could drive there, walk in the woods, find the area they walk because they were all described in such a vivid descriptive way.  

The book started slowly for me and I walked away after the second chapter thinking - oh well BUT came back and then was wrapped up in the story, the emotions and the need to know what was going to happen!

Well worth the read!!