When the Stars Go Dark has been one of those books whose cover has caught my eye a few times. I feel like the author, Paula McLain is well known in mystery/thriller circles so when I found this book ready to download in audio while looking for one to accompany my latest knitting project, I decided to give it a shot. And as it often happens when I pick books without reading the synopsis, I had to pay a little more attention haha. Let’s not make that mistake here and start with the synopsis:
Anna Hart is a missing persons detective in San Francisco. 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 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.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife comes a novel of intertwined destinies and heart-wrenching suspense: A detective hiding away from the world. A series of disappearances that reach into her past. Can solving them help her heal?
Content Notes include child death, kidnapping, murder, sexual assault, child abuse, rape, alcoholism, and animal cruelty.
Thoughts on When the Stars Go Dark
Anna Hart has returned to her hometown of Mendocino after some family trauma. As a detective who works extensively with missing persons cases, her appearance in the town seems to be a blessing as they struggle with a young girl’s disappearance. Reconnecting with her friend, Will, who is now a police officer himself, Anna decided to help out in the investigation. In the midst of this case, much about her past is revealed and its connection to the present.
When the Stars Go Dark is a serious book. It dives deep into the psyche of a police officer who had a foster care system childhood and is exposed to grief and childhood disappearances all the time, in addition to the things going on in her personal life. The true story of why Anna has come back is a small part of the events that transpire and that is one of my favorite parts about this book. It introduces Anna at her rock bottom and she claws her way out of it while helping others along the way. I loved her insights on the job and the relationships she built while following her intuition.
When she was a young girl, her friend had been kidnapped and murdered. Those wounds are open afresh as she is confronted by another disappearance in the same town. With her expertise in investigations of this kind, the stakes seem higher. I felt that the writing was masterful in bringing together trauma, police procedures, location, tension and historical background in the backdrop of a time when the Internet was still an untapped resource. It was only at the end of the book, listening to the author’s note that I realized how much of the book was based around facts and actual disappearance in the area. That sort of grounding really increased my liking for this book because it educated me about something I did not know.
I loved Anna as the main character. She is compassionate, haunted by her choices and yet willing to do the right thing, no matter how difficult it may be. There is a lot in her past and present that she needs to unravel but she does it with a good face, taking life as it comes and being open to experiences. Cricket is another of my favorite characters and the best sidekick I could have imagined her having. She brings out a loving side of Anna and adds more dimension to her. Also, Anna’s encounter and friendship with Tally, the local psychic!
I have read a few books in the last few years that have been in a small town. It reminded me a lot of The Legends of the North Cascades in atmosphere. When the Stars Go Dark portrays the same feels very well, while adding a tense time sensitive aspect to it. I felt so caught up in the story that I did not realize the significance of the 1990s setting until a little ways into the book. It felt so natural to be living in that world that I just did not get around to questioning it or comparing it to my present. I would not have thought of it as historical fiction, considering how old it makes me feel, being born in the 90s haha.
When the Stars Go Dark presented a hopeful message to me. It reminded me that in times of need, communities come together and make a huge difference. As sad as it is to have a disappearance on hand, it also brings people together. With support and love, we can face the guilt and trauma surrounding us and move each other forward. Facing sexual assualt, being unable to protect a loved one from it and the realities of living through it are portrayed in an haunting impactful manner. It is impossible not to feel for the characters, no matter what their situation may be.
There are two quotes that a discussion guide of this book mentioned which I wanted to highlight as well:
“If you think about it, most of us have very little choice about what we’re going to become or who we’re going to love, or what place on earth chooses us, becoming home.”
“I don’t believe forgiveness is something we have to kill ourselves to earn, it’s already here, all around us, like rain. We just have to let it in”.
I believe both the quotes were said by Tally. She is wise and I liked how her psychic abilities were interwoven into the narrative of the book. She is such a calming presence and I liked how she was portrayed in the book and audiobook.
If you are interested reading When the Stars Go Dark, add it to your bookshelf on Goodreads and Storygraph. Are there any books by Paula McLain that you have enjoyed? Tell me in the comments – I would love to read her again.
Great review. I already love this book after reading your review.
Thank you 🙂 I hope you enjoy the book when you get to it!
This sounds interesting but possibly a little dark for my personal taste.
I feel that way about some books too. This is a dark book indeed. Should have read the synopsis before I started. 😀