Community Library Notes: When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
“When the Stars Go Dark” by Paula McLain (who also wrote “The Paris Wife” and “Circling the Sun”) is the story of a woman who goes to Mendocino to get away from a previous tragedy. At age eleven, Anna Hart had lived in Mendocino with a foster couple, Hap and Eden, who was kind to her. Hap taught her how to survive in the woods, and now she remembers those lessons.
Anna works as a detective to find girls who have disappeared from their homes. In Mendocino, she sees a picture of a girl on a bulletin board at the Good Life Bakery. She runs into a friend from high school days, Will Flood, the town’s sheriff. He’s looking for the missing girl. They go to Patterson’s Pub and have a coffee. They both think about another girl, Jenny Ford, who was missing from high school and whose body was found in Big River. They chat like old friends.
The next day, Anna goes to the Ford’s house and sees Calib, Jenny’s brother, who is a painter. She invites him for a beer on the headlands overlooking the ocean. The following day she goes to Will Flood’s office and tells him she’ll work with him to try to find Cameron. She recognizes her own feelings of abandonment, of being given to a new family and leaving her friends, pets, and neighborhood forever.
Anna and Will go to see Cameron’s parents. The mother, Emily, is a famous movie star, and her husband works in L.A. and stays in Malibu during the week as he’s having an affair with his assistant. A girl from Gualala is now missing as well. Anna goes to the high school and talks with Steve Gonzales, Cameron’s English teacher, who liked Cameron’s poems though they were dark.
When they meet at Patterson’s again, Will tells Anna the Gualala girl’s mother has been called by a psychic. The psychic says the girl is dead lying in a forest. Author McLain refers to the spiritual in this mystery. Shannon, the girl, didn’t want anyone looking for her. Anna says everyone wants to be looked for. The author talks about polygraph tests and stress responses when answering questions. Though guilty people have no trouble passing polygraphs, one can rule out lies. Anna feels Cameron’s mother is irresponsible as she didn’t protect Cameron.
She and Will later drive to Petaluma to meet with a detective from the FBI who briefs them on the case. A man had taken the girl in front of two of her friends at her house as mother and sister slept. As they drive through Petaluma, Anna sees posters on every wall, and phone pole offers for search teams and calls for citizens to search for Polly Klaus, the missing girl. Anna feels they should do this for Cameron.
They go to see Emily’s brother and sister-inlaw, who are busy with their vineyard, too busy to help. When Anna goes home to Mendocino, she goes to Big River Beach down the cliff. She’s thrown a rope to pull her up by a man who lives in the park. A dog attaches itself to her and goes home with her as naturally as possible.
Anna talks with the psychic, and they connect with each other. Anna trusts her ideas. She thinks Cameron is still alive, but they must find her quickly. Anna wants to galvanize the townspeople into working together to raise money and make phone calls.
Anna goes to Ukiah, where Cameron lived in foster care. Her brother, Hector, is willing to talk about Cameron as he adores her. He talks about her being a fighter and stubborn and wants to help find her. Anna meets Greg at the community center to put up photos, poems, and mementos of Cameron’s life and announce a meeting they plan. That night they find Shannon’s car in Montgomery Woods, her tortured body in the trunk. Even the men examining the car are sickened by the scene. They think Shannon’s case is linked with Cameron’s.
Will gives Anna photos of Cameron found in her purse when Cameron had on make-up and looked like a model. At the Good Life Bakery, Anna finds a note on the bulletin board asking girls interested in being models to tear off the stub and call the number. Is this the specific clue she needs to find Cameron, who dreamed of a modeling career? Will Anna find her before it’s too late? Find the answers in this haunting story set in Mendocino by this gifted writer at your local library.and phone pole offers for search teams and calls for citizens to search for Polly Klaus, the missing girl. Anna feels they should do this for Cameron.
They go to see Emily’s brother and sister-inlaw, who are busy with their vineyard, too busy to help. When Anna goes home to Mendocino, she goes to Big River Beach down the cliff. She’s thrown a rope to pull her up by a man who lives in the park. A dog attaches itself to her and goes home with her as natu
rally as possible.
Anna talks with the psychic, and they connect with each other. Anna trusts her ideas. She thinks Cameron is still alive, but they must find her quickly. Anna wants to galvanize the townspeople into working together to raise money and make phone calls.
Anna goes to Ukiah, where Cameron lived in foster care. Her brother, Hector, is willing to talk about Cameron as he adores her. He talks about her being a fighter and stubborn and wants to help find her. Anna meets Greg at the community center to put up photos, poems, and mementos of Cameron’s life and announce a meeting they plan. That night they find Shannon’s car in Montgomery Woods, her tortured body in the trunk. Even the men examining the car are sickened by the scene. They think Shannon’s case is linked with Cameron’s.
Will gives Anna photos of Cameron found in her purse when Cameron had on make-up and looked like a model. At the Good
Life Bakery, Anna finds a note on the bulletin board asking girls interested in being models to tear off the stub and call the number. Is this the specific clue she needs to find Cameron, who dreamed of a modeling career? Will Anna find her before it’s too late? Find the answers in this haunting story set in Mendocino by this gifted writer at your local library.