Book Review: WHEN THE STARS GO DARK by Paula McLain

 

Title: WHEN THE STARS GO DARK

Author:  Paula McLain

Publisher:  Oneworld Publications

Read: April 2021

Expected publication: 13 May 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟.75

 

Book Description:

 

Anna Hart is a seasoned missing persons detective in San Francisco with far too much knowledge of the darkest side of human nature. When overwhelming 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 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 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. 

What attracted me to this book:

 

I knew from the book’s description that WHEN THE STARS GO DARK would not be a light, fluffy type of story and that it would probably get under my skin, and yet I was immediately lured by the promise of a complex lead character and a mystery weaving real life crimes into its fabric. I was not disappointed!

My musings:

 

With the creation of Detective Anna Hart, author Paula McLain has taken the concept of the tortured detective to a new level. Hart is flawed, yes, but she has survived terrible trauma and has made it her life’s mission to rescue others from similar fates, which makes her a character to be respected, even though I did not always understand the dark places in her psyche that influenced her decisions.

 

We don’t yet know what terrible fate has befallen Anna when she sets out to revisit Mendocino, her old childhood home, but it was obviously bad enough to make her lose her family and take a break from her career. And yet Anna is immediately willing to help the town’s sheriff, who is also her childhood friend, when a local girl goes missing, putting her vast knowledge to good use despite still recovering from her personal losses. Soon Anna is up to her neck in the investigation, not afraid to uncover some of the town’s darkest secrets.

 

WHEN THE STARS GO DARK is not an easy read in places, and it packs a punch. Tackling dark themes such as loss, trauma, child sexual abuse and neglect, and the failings of the foster care system, it is often sad and confronting to read. And yet, through Anna’s resilience, a beacon of hope always remains. I especially loved the glimpses into Anna’s childhood, growing up with her wise and wonderful foster parents, who gave her a future to live for.

 

I love thrillers that are based on real life cases, and McLain adds extra depth to her story by incorporating the abduction of Polly Klaas in 1993, who was taken at knife point from her own home during a slumber party. It was interesting to read how Polly’s disappearance prompted a huge nationwide appeal for information, using the internet for the first time in a missing person’s case. McLain weaves truth and fiction together so seamlessly that the story was educational as well as entertaining, and I spent quite some time afterwards looking up the true-life crimes she refers to in her book. 

 

Summary:

 

All in all, WHEN THE STARS GO DARK was a tragic and yet beautifully written story exploring the lasting effects of childhood trauma whilst also offering a suspenseful mystery to solve. Told through the eyes of a scarred and brave protagonist, the book had a depth not often found in other detective stories. With complex and well rounded characters who each have their own tragic histories, it wasn’t always easy reading, but it touched my heart and ultimately gave me hope.

 

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.