When the Stars Go Dark
- Downloads：3577
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-24 12:31:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Paula McLain
- ISBN：0593345207
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Christy Stickney
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This book is incredible！ I learned so much！ I loved reading the authors note at the end。
Corri Parsley
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I enjoyed that is made me second guess who the killer was until the end。
Kim Gausepohl
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Too many mysteries makes for a muddled story。 The inclusion of the Polly Klaas subplot seems like a marketing ploy to lure in true crime readers。
Sheri
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A thriller though was hard to follow the storyline。 Seemed it jumped from certain parts。
Helayne Abston
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Superb。 This is a non historical fiction book by Paula McLain。
Julia Holcomb
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A Good ReadThis book starts out slowly， and I almost put it down。 Glad I didn’t though， the story becomes riveting。 Anna is a complex and compelling character。
Mary Emma
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This book follows Anna， a missing persons detective who goes back to the town she grew up in after going through a tragedy。 While there， she finds herself involved in the case of a girl who recently went missing。All I have to say is wow！ I picked this up on a whim from Book of the Month， and I’m so glad I did！ This book is more than just a mystery， as it covers serious topics， such as trauma， grief， and sexual assault。 It is a beautifully written story that kept me turning the pages because I wa This book follows Anna， a missing persons detective who goes back to the town she grew up in after going through a tragedy。 While there， she finds herself involved in the case of a girl who recently went missing。All I have to say is wow！ I picked this up on a whim from Book of the Month， and I’m so glad I did！ This book is more than just a mystery， as it covers serious topics， such as trauma， grief， and sexual assault。 It is a beautifully written story that kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know what was going to happen。 It’s very much a character driven story， so it’s not for everyone， but definitely check this out if you like slow burn， character driven mysteries with a deeper meaning。 。。。more
Lianna
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I thought this book was fantastic。 It's set in 1993 and follows Anna Hart， a missing persons detective in San Francisco。 Immediately you know something is wrong， as Anna has left her home and is drinking away her memories in the small town of Mendocino， where she grew up as a foster child。 Throw in a missing child， some old friends， and a stray dog and this book will take you off into the mystery！Paula McLain does a great job at weaving the storyline together with her intense character developme I thought this book was fantastic。 It's set in 1993 and follows Anna Hart， a missing persons detective in San Francisco。 Immediately you know something is wrong， as Anna has left her home and is drinking away her memories in the small town of Mendocino， where she grew up as a foster child。 Throw in a missing child， some old friends， and a stray dog and this book will take you off into the mystery！Paula McLain does a great job at weaving the storyline together with her intense character development。 Anna Hart is not a likeable character， she is intensely driven to the point where seemingly obvious human interaction and relationships are left behind。 I liked how this story， though certainly a mystery novel， is heavily character-driven， and we can see Anna go through a lot of change and development as she finally comes to accept and forgive herself。I liked how one person described this as a "literary-mystery。" I think that's a very apt explanation for the type of book this is， because it's not truly a straight mystery， nor is it a standard literary novel。 McLain is joining all of the other authors breaking down the barriers of genre and audience， and I am 100% here for it！ That being said， the literary aspect does make this book a bit longer and description heavy than a typical mystery book may be， which can be difficult for some readers to get through。 Personally， I felt that it was the perfect amount of description and action， leaving the reader very content with the way things closed。 。。。more
Mason Callahan
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For some reason， I had such a hard time following this storyline or getting interested in the plot。 I usually love reading thriller/mysteries in this format but was oddly distracted through my whole reading。 It could absolutely be a me problem and have something to do with my own issues but even still， the ending came out of nowhere and wrapped really quickly。 There were a lot of random leads that really lead to nowhere。 It wasn't my favorite， but it also wasn't terrible。 My favorite character w For some reason， I had such a hard time following this storyline or getting interested in the plot。 I usually love reading thriller/mysteries in this format but was oddly distracted through my whole reading。 It could absolutely be a me problem and have something to do with my own issues but even still， the ending came out of nowhere and wrapped really quickly。 There were a lot of random leads that really lead to nowhere。 It wasn't my favorite， but it also wasn't terrible。 My favorite character was the dog named Cricket， of course。 。。。more
Whitney Campbell
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I give this a 4。5。 While reading， I thought that this author has either experienced trauma themselves or has done some good research about trauma and its affects。
thewanderingjew
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When The Stars Go Dark， Paula McLain， author; Marin Ireland， narratorI have enjoyed other books by this author， but this one， not so much。 While I sympathize， perhaps even empathize， with the author and her own history of abuse， I think too much emotion and too much analysis made the book less of a mystery and more of a self-help book designed to help the author and perhaps other females， who have experienced some kind of abuse， to reconcile their pain so they can go forward and not remain stuck When The Stars Go Dark， Paula McLain， author; Marin Ireland， narratorI have enjoyed other books by this author， but this one， not so much。 While I sympathize， perhaps even empathize， with the author and her own history of abuse， I think too much emotion and too much analysis made the book less of a mystery and more of a self-help book designed to help the author and perhaps other females， who have experienced some kind of abuse， to reconcile their pain so they can go forward and not remain stuck in the past holding onto the unpleasant memories。 A Detective， Anna Hart， carrying lots of baggage and suffering from some sort of recent trauma， with no place else to go， returns to her childhood home hoping to work through and solve her own problems。 Her husband does not want her to return home until he can process what they are dealing with， as well。 While in town， she reconnects with old acquaintances， one of them who is now the local sheriff， and she becomes embroiled in the kidnapping investigation he is conducting。 However， she seems to take the lead， and he seems to be assisting her as the investigation progresses。 This is unrealistic。Anna was raised by a wonderful foster family who loved her dearly and taught her survival skills。 However， Anna’s life was filled with tragedies that she never processed fully。 As a detective， Anna was a specialist in missing persons cases。 Every case， though， became personal to her and she grew more and more obsessed with the victims because of her own past history。 Her objective was always to reduce the personal pain of others， which ultimately brought personal pain to her own loved ones。As the story progresses with the harrowing stories of kidnap victims， young girls who are sexually abused and sometimes murdered， it grows very melodramatic and less mysterious。 The dialogue is filled with too many simplistic explanations and too much psychoanalysis， reducing the novel to a kind of self-help book or piece of chick lit。 Introducing psychics into the narrative was plausible， until the end when she becomes more of a fortune teller。 McLain seems to feel that she has to save us all from ourselves。 The book is more about her thoughts and feelings and so sometimes masquerades as a kind of memoir which is helping her to solve her own problems and move on。 I hope it worked for her; the book did not work for me。 I expected more。 I think she let her emotions and history guide the book， rather than a rational presentation of the suffering of the victims and their families。 It seemed to focus more on the detective’s suffering （aka McLain）， than anything else。The author also tried to use symbolism to make a point， and the one at the end felt totally contrived。 The raven simply felt like a bird to me， doing what a bird does rather than indicating that Anna should fly off as it did。The dialogue was cloying。Some of the language seemed inappropriate， as with the description of “ass-kicking” boots。 The coincidences， as with Anna discovering that the missing girl who was adopted， had an “unknown” brother who lived nearby， seemed implausible。 The novel was redeemed slightly by the research that went into the book。 It was informative and instructive as the investigation tactics were presented。 The idea of who might be guilty often being the one you least expected it to be， was also interesting， because sometimes the person most guilty is the one most adept at hiding that fact。 Still， when I was forced to suspend disbelief， at times， the novel went off the rails for me。 Since the issue of missing persons is so real， including the unreal， trivialized it。 。。。more
Karen
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Crime novel， mystery， thriller。。。excellent read from Paula McLain。 Well-written and suspenseful with tough subject matter - that of missing children and of adults， haunted by their pasts， who search for them。 Set in the 90s in California during the time period of the well-known case of Polly Klaas。
Mindy Parris
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**3。5This one's a bit hard to review because I think it's a solid book overall but it took me almost two weeks to actually finish it， and that is unheard of for me， especially with this genre。 I think if you like mysteries as well as flawed characters dealing with inner turmoil and demons， you would probably enjoy this one。 It isn't anything spectacular but I would still say it's pretty good。 **3。5This one's a bit hard to review because I think it's a solid book overall but it took me almost two weeks to actually finish it， and that is unheard of for me， especially with this genre。 I think if you like mysteries as well as flawed characters dealing with inner turmoil and demons， you would probably enjoy this one。 It isn't anything spectacular but I would still say it's pretty good。 。。。more
Jill Folden
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Incredible book！ Not what I was expecting， but much， much better
Melinda Medlin
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No wonder she has so many issues， she has been abandoned multiple times and has no confidence in herself or other people。 It’s sad。
Tali
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Meh
Jeanna Hall
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Tragic with a good ending。 Complete page Turner。
Jeana
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4。5 Stars
Amber
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4。5 stars。 I really enjoyed this novel。 I thought I knew what to expect。 Another detective returns to her home town to solve a case， connecting the past with the present。 I figured it'd be plot and suspense heavy， but this was definitely a character driven novel with a more mild pace and I loved that about it。Anna is such a closed person。 She doesn't open up to a lot of people。 However， since we are reading from her perspective， we get so much from her。 How her past effects her present。 How it h 4。5 stars。 I really enjoyed this novel。 I thought I knew what to expect。 Another detective returns to her home town to solve a case， connecting the past with the present。 I figured it'd be plot and suspense heavy， but this was definitely a character driven novel with a more mild pace and I loved that about it。Anna is such a closed person。 She doesn't open up to a lot of people。 However， since we are reading from her perspective， we get so much from her。 How her past effects her present。 How it has always effected her。 Throughout the novel， she recognizes connections between her and the victim， her and other people in ways that I found unique in comparison to the typical detective。 It wasn't her， the detective， separate from everyone else （though she tries to distance herself from everyone in the beginning）， it was people like her and everyone working together。 The characters she came into contact were great as well and real enough that a couple of them became quick favorites。My single complaint was the ending。 I felt like things were tied up too neatly， one problem/question solved after another。 The ending was satisfying， but the rest of the novel flowed so naturally that it felt a bit off。Overall， I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys strong character driven novels。I received a review copy。 。。。more
Robin
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4。5
Meredith
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Wow！ What a page turner。 If you enjoy crime stories， this is the book for you。 Girls missing。。。 are the cases related？ Read the book and find out， but be prepared for twists and turns that leave you speechless。
Jessica Mccolgan
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Wow！ This book was un-put-down-able。 An absolutely *beautifully* written story， Paula’s ability to dive deep into the complexities surrounding trauma， the profound， lasting impact it has on us all， and the different choices we make in how we cope。 Her strength also lies in how she gets into the mind of her very realistic characters and describe the tiniest of details in expressions and nuances so you were right on track with anything the main character noticed。 Not only was the writing itself in Wow！ This book was un-put-down-able。 An absolutely *beautifully* written story， Paula’s ability to dive deep into the complexities surrounding trauma， the profound， lasting impact it has on us all， and the different choices we make in how we cope。 Her strength also lies in how she gets into the mind of her very realistic characters and describe the tiniest of details in expressions and nuances so you were right on track with anything the main character noticed。 Not only was the writing itself insanely effective at capturing ALL of my attention， but the story was so deeply riveting I am sure I will think about this book for days to come。 Highly recommend！！！ 。。。more
Jeanette （GR isn't sending comment notifications）
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Finished。
Jenreadsyahoo。com
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When I think of tropes， I think of all the romance tropes I love。 I guess I didn’t realize how many tropes thrillers had。 I think I’m done with this particular one for a while。
Pamela Lombardi
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Riveting mystery hard to put down。 McClain’s Anna is a portrait in loss who a woman spending her life trying to reverse losses both internal and external， intentional and accidental， systemic and unique。 McClain’s ability to layer is magnificent and I learned so much about what i didn’t know i didn’t know。 Looking forward to her next book。
Jess Clayton
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I'm impressed！ Paula McLain can write suspense！ I'm impressed！ Paula McLain can write suspense！ 。。。more
Renee
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I really enjoyed Paula McLain's style of writing， it pulled me in from the start。 Although I was able to guess what the ending would be fairly early on， I was still engaged throughout the entire book which is a testimate to Mclain's writing。 I really enjoyed Paula McLain's style of writing， it pulled me in from the start。 Although I was able to guess what the ending would be fairly early on， I was still engaged throughout the entire book which is a testimate to Mclain's writing。 。。。more
Laney
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4+
Lani
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When the Stars Go Dark is a slow burn literary mystery that interweaves the 1993 child abduction case of Polly Klaas with fictional cases （but that seem all too real） of other child abduction cases in the surrounding area。 The first half of the book slowly builds the main characters， the cases， the troubled past of those individuals and then the last half of the book moves at a faster pace and much like an episode of Criminal Minds。 I devoured the second half of the book in one night。 The writin When the Stars Go Dark is a slow burn literary mystery that interweaves the 1993 child abduction case of Polly Klaas with fictional cases （but that seem all too real） of other child abduction cases in the surrounding area。 The first half of the book slowly builds the main characters， the cases， the troubled past of those individuals and then the last half of the book moves at a faster pace and much like an episode of Criminal Minds。 I devoured the second half of the book in one night。 The writing was exquisite and really brings to light the pain and vulnerability of victims。Brief synopsis: Anna Hart is a missing persons detective， focused on abducted children。 Her own troubled past brings insight and empathy to this job that she devotes her life to。 A recent tragedy brings her back to her home town where she discovers a missing child case has just been reported。 In an effort to escape her own troubles， she throws herself into this new case。 But being back home forces her to face her own past and current tragedy while also searching for a child in imminent danger。 What I liked about this book: There was so much I loved about this book。 I loved how the author used the actual case of Polly Klaas in telling this story。 I also loved the way this story built， peeling back layers of the characters and how the troubled past of Anna helped her relate to the victims and tell their stories。 The writing brought to the life the wilderness and the fight for survival in everyone， And， the fast pace at which the story ended made the slow build worth the wait。 I really enjoyed the criminal profiling element and then finally Anna's own coming to terms with her tragedy。 It was all beautifully written。What did not work for me: At first I admit to struggling with the slow start and the jumping back and forth but by the end I found an appreciation for the way this story builds。Highly recommend this book。 Please note that there are some very tough subject matters in this book。 Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Leslie
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