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A review by chuckstafer
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a pretty good police procedural/suspense/thriller novel! It was a bit slow at times, but it was a slow, tension building pace, not slow like I was being pelted with tons of irrelevant information that didn't pertain to the story. I think this novel read and progressed like a pretty good movie or episode of Law & Order: SVU or Found.
The story was dark and gritty which I enjoyed and the characters were all believable and each brought something to the table.
Beyond the predicted emotional "tugs" of the novel that included grief associated with a kidnapping, this novel hit pretty hard with themes of loss, sexual abuse, violence, and depression. It could be a bit dark at times, but it was written in a respectful manner and it helped to lessen the blow so to speak.
TW: infant/child death, sexual abuse, kidnapping
The story was dark and gritty which I enjoyed and the characters were all believable and each brought something to the table.
Beyond the predicted emotional "tugs" of the novel that included grief associated with a kidnapping, this novel hit pretty hard with themes of loss, sexual abuse, violence, and depression. It could be a bit dark at times, but it was written in a respectful manner and it helped to lessen the blow so to speak.
TW: infant/child death, sexual abuse, kidnapping
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault