When the Stars Go Dark

A Novel

By: Paula McLain

Narrated by: Marin Ireland

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.

Twists and turns

Lots of twists and turns in this one. I could not stop listening. Voice work was great. Voice editing was good. This is going to be reviewed on thehippiebookworm.com coming soon.

Best book I've listened to

I listen to books on audible regularly and When the Stars Go Dark is exceptional. I have been riveted by it. The narrator is excellent and the story is compelling. I highly recommend it.

Incredible

One of the best books I've read in a very long time. Thank you for writing about this horrifying truth.

great story! great narration?

Don't pass this up.. it's a great story told with great narration ! WOW!

A compelling story

This novel is a compelling story, very believable, and a little sad. My only criticism is that I can get slog down at time in a little too much description, but at other times that description is necessary and deeply engaging. L the mixture of fiction with historical events I think made it a little more believable, having personally through those historical events.

I thought the narrator did a very good job in conveying the huge emotional content . It took a little bit for me to get into it but towards the end, I had a hard time believing the book until it was finished.