When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

A special thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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!

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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.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

McLain's latest work of historical fiction spans the life of Beryl Markham, a British-born Kenyan aviator, horse trainer, and in her later years, author.  She was one of the first bush pilots, and was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. 

Beryl was born in England to Clara and Charles Clutterbuck (an accomplished horse trainer).  When she was four, the family moves to Kenya, which at that time was then colonial British East Africa.  Beryl's mother returns to England and leaving her husband, son, and daughter.  It is there, on her family's farm, where Beryl develops her love of horses and applies her knowledge to become first licensed female racehorse trainer in the country.  The Kenyan landscape feeds Beryl's reckless and strong spirit and she forms a live-long love affair with the country.

The story follows Beryl's life, her love affairs with men, horses, and flying.  She is beautiful and electric, admired by many for her non-conformist ways, and never tamed.   

McLain writes with beautiful sweeping dialogue, and her descriptions of Africa are vivid and gorgeous.  I was hooked from the opening sentences which are of Beryl's Atlantic crossing.  Oh and I also love the cover!  If you enjoyed The Paris Wife, you will love this–McLain is at the top of her game.