When the Stars Go Dark: A Novel (Unabridged)
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3.5 • 137 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This emotional historical thriller set in the early 1990s rings disturbingly true. After suffering a devastating personal tragedy, Anna Hart—a missing-persons detective in San Francisco—flees to the Northern California town where she was raised. But Anna quickly gets swept up in the case of a local girl who has disappeared. Author Paula McLain seamlessly blends fiction with real-life child abduction cases to tell an intensely powerful story. She hooks us with both the race-against-the-clock search for a missing girl and Anna’s struggles with her own demons. Narrator Marin Ireland vividly portrays the worried parents, frightened teens, and harried law enforcement who come together in this gripping tale. Ultimately, the story contains a message of love and redemption.
Customer Reviews
enjoyable mystery
Enjoyable mystery. I really liked the main character, Anna, even though the author does not let you know why she is hiding out in Mendocino, her hometown. You know that she is grieving and has left her husband/partner behind but not much more is given. Throughout the novel, little pieces of information are revealed. This gimmick, I thought, was rather entertaining. Anna is a missing person detective, she is usually assigned cases where a child has been reported missing. While in Mendocino, she get involved in a missing child case. The mystery is credible and entertaining. There is so much in this novel. The Polly Klass case, foster care, child abuse, and more.
I just can’t even
I don’t normally leave reviews but I feel
like I need on this one. This drags and drags. Terrible ending. Don’t waste your money .