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When the Stars Go Dark, Paula McLain

Hello Subscribers and Visitors of The Cozy Book Blog by Diane-Lyn,

Welcome back! Oh, it has been quite a while since I’ve posted, and I apologize for the hiatus. Life has thrown all kinds of monkey wrenches my way lately, as life often does. As an educator, I am grateful for these summer months and the chance to catch up, regroup, and share more reviews with you. Today, I offer Paula McLain’s When the Stars Go Dark. The novel is set in 1993 in a small, coastal California town; a community caught in the grips of the Polly Klaas murder and the disappearances of other young girls. I hope you enjoy my review, and thank you visiting The Cozy Book Blog by Diane-Lyn!

Best, Diane-Lyn

Synopsis (from When the Stars Go Dark)

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 flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now believes it might be her only refuge. 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 life, when the unsolved murder of a young girl devastated 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.

Review: The Cozy Book Blog by Diane-Lyn

I was excited to dive into this novel. The subject matter appealed to me (I’m intrigued by cold cases), as did the 1993 setting (I was young and into my first few years of teaching; a time when children were still allowed to be children, no cell phones, no standardized testing…). Anyway, I was drawn in; excited to be fully captivated and absorbed in what appeared to be a highly gripping read. The book had so much potential, but for me, it fell flat. I’m left disappointed and bored. Here are my thoughts:

  • Anna survives a traumatic childhood only to be struck again with tragedy and loss as an adult. These particulars were helpful in understanding a wounded protagonist and the anguish that shaped her. She did hit the jackpot with a great set of foster parents, but there were so many unnecessary details about them that it slowed down the pace of what should have been a brisk plot. Over time, it just became a boring, overly wordy distraction that consumed too many chapters.
  •  I really wanted to like Anna. I tried so hard to connect with her character; to empathize with the direction she needed to take following an unthinkable tragedy. However, Anna’s decision to travel across the country and throw herself into another family’s crisis felt contrived, unrealistic, and made it difficult to understand or relate to her on any level.
  • There were way too many characters coming in and out of plot. I found this confusing and often had to go back in the book to remind myself of who these people were as it was difficult to keep track of them all.
  • The whole whodunnit theme was predictable, weak, and lacked intrigue. I didn’t feel any rising tension or a big “pow” at the end, which is required in a novel of this genre.

This was my first Paula McLain novel. I’ve heard amazing things about The Paris Wife, so I may give that one a try; but this one just didn’t grab me. To be fair, there were things about When the Stars Go Dark that did hit the mark. I loved the way McLain embedded real life cases of that time frame (Jaycee Dugard, Polly Klaas) into her fictional story line. This gave an otherwise dull novel some energy and depth. McLain had clearly researched the subject area, profiles of predators, and the impact of trauma. She was able to successfully embed this knowledge into a wide array of characters. I just wish it could have been enough for me.

In Conclusion…

When the Stars Go Dark held great promise, but the execution lacked any semblance of a “wow” factor. Frankly, it was slow and boring. There were far too many confusing shifts and extraneous details, making this a frustrating read. I just cannot recommend this one.

Meh.

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Review by Diane-Lyn: Rags of Time, Michael Ward

Author Michael Ward contacted me and requested an honest review of his novel, Rags of Time. As a lover of historical fiction and murder mysteries, I was delighted to do so as this novel offers the best of both worlds. I hope you all enjoy my review, and I thank Michael Ward for the opportunity.

1639. London. Tensions are high. Demands for religious freedom and Parliamentary independence set a troublesome stage for a civil war under the reign of King Charles I. In the midst of this chaos, Thomas Tallant, a young spice merchant, is fighting a war of his own when he becomes the prime suspect in the brutal murder of the successful and wealthy Sir Joseph Venell. Thomas falls under even more suspicion after two additional and equally brutal murders occur. Desperate to clear his name, Thomas finds himself entangled in a secret, dangerous world in which he is forced to take unimaginable risks. He enlists the help of mysterious Elizabeth Seymour – a unique, intelligent woman obsessed with astronomy, mathematics, and gambling. As suspicions against Thomas mount and his world begins to implode, he and Elizabeth work tirelessly to clear his name before it’s too late.

Wow, what a ride! This book wastes no time – opening with a savage murder followed by an aggressive manhunt. This is the central story line, but the novel offers so many additional dimensions and layers. I loved Ward’s ability to insert a backdrop of important historical context and smoothly connect that into the plot. These seamlessly woven details add substance to the story line rather than distract from it, and they transport the reader right into the vintage setting and the uneasy atmosphere of that time period. The struggles between Parliament and King Charles I, the tensions over church reform and the riots that ensued provide depth and set the climate for this vivid historical murder mystery. In addition to London’s history, I also was moved by Thomas’s complex personal history that shaped him and his familial relationships – including a horrible family tragedy and his secret involvement in the tulip mania (and collapse) of the 1600’s. Everything comes together brilliantly!

Ward provides a wide array of characters who remind us that regardless of the era, people have always been complicated. I could relate to Thomas’s family dynamics and the balance between his critical father (Sir Ralph) and gentler mother (Lady Beatrix). Both parents had endured unthinkable loss, yet both remained strong and committed. Each of them supported Thomas in their own way, and despite any strife between Thomas and his father, Sir Ralph’s loyalties to his son remained secure. I was also intrigued by Elizabeth’s peculiar character. She was such a rarity of that time period; bold, passionate, and so far ahead of her time. She was unconventional but not in an annoying “rebel without a cause” sort of way. Instead, she was a deeply textured, highly intelligent woman who was unafraid to swim against the tide when necessary. And flawed, yes flawed –  her addictive personality served her well at times, but was a downfall at others. Indeed, Elizabeth was complex and intense. I enjoyed her imperfections, her strength, and perseverance. Thomas was a courageous character who seems to find, through no fault of his own, bad luck everywhere he turned. His determination to face his fate head on instead of running away from it make him a likeable and respected protagonist.

This is a gripping novel from start to finish with a major shocker at the end (and no, I never saw that one coming!). I highly recommend Rags of Time to readers who enjoy historical fiction and murder mystery enthusiasts. Ward clearly researched this time in history and wrote a well-developed, well-crafted and powerful novel. Bravo!

To purchase your own copy of Rags of Time, click here: Amazon. Please note that this is an Amazon affiliate link, which only means that when you click the link and make a purchase, I receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you. My opinions remain my own.