A missing girl. A broken woman. A truth about to come to light.
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. This is where she lived as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. On the day she arrives, Anna learns that a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in her childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever.
When past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment and that 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.
When the Stars Go Dark is a departure for McLain, but also is more personal—she has imbued Anna with her own experiences as a foster child and a survivor of sexual abuse. Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, this is a story of when fate meets opportunity for our complex heroine. There is a large cast, but it works for this atmospheric slow burn. The main characters are all well-developed, convincing, and fully fleshed out.
This book has McLain's signature beautiful and sweeping dialogue, but it is juxtaposed against the rugged wilderness and the shattered lives of the victims' families. She evokes both emotion and mystery in this near-flawless thriller. It is the perfect union of true crime and suspense. And although it can be slow at times, readers will be rewarded with this riveting and atmospheric tale about one woman's resilience, healing, and redemption.
Brilliant, bold, and brave!
PAULA McLAIN is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels, The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, and Love and Ruin.
McLain lives with her family in Cleveland.
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