Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - When the Stars Go Dark

Anna, a detective specializing in finding missing people, arrives in her hometown to escape a recent, mysterious, tragedy. She reconnects with high school friends and involves herself quickly in a local missing person's case with a history eerily similar to her own. She starts working closely with her friend, Will to investigate all while intertwining her history of childhood, the town, and growing up with her foster parents, Hep and Eden. She also adopts a dog, Cricket.

It's interesting that the book twists in a real-life missing person case, Polly Klaas, that happened at the same time as the setting of the book in 1993. Sometimes we forget how much more difficult it was to conduct searches and investigations before everything was on the internet and we had cell phones that function as computers. I found the author's note very personal and touching.

There are several content warnings I would give: child abuse, sexual assault, confinement, drug use and overdose.

Content Warnings

kzeender's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

meghan_readsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you for the opportunity to read When the Stars Go Dark, the new book from Paula McLain. As a lover of literary fiction, strong female characters, and a fan of mystery and thrillers, I was so appreciative of the chance to engage in a book that fit all of these reading preferences and genres for me. The book reminded me of the powerful, but also dark, mystery Cold Dark River by Liz Moore that I read last year in terms of tone, reconciling the past, and exploring the darker parts of a hometown, personal histories, and complex relationships.

When the Stars Go Dark is a powerfully written mystery, for me an effective slow burn but well paced mystery that blends the main character's personal history with urgent issues of child welfare. I wished for more time during the day or night, or both (!) to dedicate to this book and Anna's story. Though a dark story involving child abduction and themes on abuse and mental health, the book had a balance of character development, a range of well developed secondary characters, and a pacing that did not feel burdensome to the reader. I appreciated being on a journey with Anna as I learned about her history (recent and further back histories) and her urgency and motivation for working to resolve missing child cases.

I am always excited to engage with a mystery that involves a detective or similar main character returning home and having to somehow reconcile a past challenge, demon, or relationship and that tackles dark and challenging topics. These are the stories that are important to read and that can lead to important discussions or simply raise awareness of child welfare, abuse, and mental health. I admire a book that can be more than just a book but a talking point, a place for connection, or awareness of others' lived experiences. I respect Paula McLain as well for delving into darkness as surely crafting such a narrative, and realistic characters and plot points, was not at times easy; the pay off is the powerful mystery and my hope for more mysteries from this author.

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