My first foray into the work of Joël Dicker. This thriller was rich in detail and provided a real sense of the place and characters. I actually enjoyed that it was a bit longer than a usual thriller as I was so engrossed in the story, I didn't want it to end!

I enjoyed Joel Dicker's previous works and am pleased to see that this lives up to the high precedent set by those. A gripping mystery, this is well written and the plot flows beautifully.

A real whodunnit with so many interweaving characters that could be the culprit. It shows that everyone has secrets and some would do anything to keep those secrets. Joel Dicker has provided a full set of characters with full stories and makes them interesting, more so than the main characters who are investigating, this works perfectly so that you are fully submerged in the victims and suspects lives.
Certain parts seemed to go on for far longer than completely necessary, especially when learning about Jesse’s (one of detectives) youth.
Overall a definite recommendation to all who love a classic whodunnit

I really enjoyed a couple of Joel Dicker’s previous novels including The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair but The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer is definitely not one of his better ones. I found it very slow and the conversations in it were very stilted- maybe a fault of the translation from French.
It is set in 2 time frames-1994 and 2014 where the same Detective is investigating 2 different but connected crimes. In the earlier time the Mayor of a small town and his family are murdered and in the latter time he is looking for the missing Stephanie Mailer
I got about a third of the way through and although the beginning had been promising it was not compelling enough for me to continue and I gave up.
This opinion is entirely my own and others might well thoroughly enjoy this mystery story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Reporter Stephanie Mailer is investigating the murders of the mayor, his family and a jogger. She doesnt believe the right man was convicted and she may have evidence. She goes to the detectives who investigated the case and they find themselves drawn back into it when Stephanie goes missing. Trying to find Stephanie leads them back to the town where it all began. Can they find the truth and Stephanie?

This was a very long book. I wasnt expecting so much length and detail. In some ways it's good, it allows more information of the characters and their lives. In others it meant the story dragged a little with extra parts that weren't needed. The story is told by various characters and jumps around the times quite a bit, frustrating when you want to know a certain thing but I think that's the point it keeps you reading.The mystery itself was clever and had plenty of twists along the way. The ending was good and finished the story well. I loved Anna, Jesse and Derek. They each had their own issues but were strong leads.

In 1994 four people were killed in the small town of Orphea. Police Officer Jesses Rosenberg and his partner were the ones who solved the crimes and a killer was convicted. Years later and Rosenberg is on the point of retirement when a journalist, Stephanie Mailer, contacts him to say that they got the wrong person. Days later Stephanie disappears. Rosenberg feels that something is wrong and cannot retire until her finds out the truth.
The is a very long book for the genre and that is my biggest quibble. Apart from that this is a nicely twisty book, jumping between time frames and addressing small-town life.

Having enjoyed Joel Dicker’s previous novels, “The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair,” and “The Baltimore Boys,” so I was delighted to get the chance to read this. This has similarities with those previous books – all are very long, for one thing, and tend to meander through the storyline, with a wealth of characters. I like his books very much, but, much like Donna Tartt, you will either find them glorious, or frustrating. If, therefore, you have tried one of this author’s books before and not enjoyed it, then I would suggest you stay away from this, as I doubt it will change your mind. If, on the other hand, you enjoyed them, then, this is an excellent read.

It is set largely in Orphea, a small, upmarket resort, near the Hamptons. It begins in July, 1994, with the evening of the town’s first theatre festival, which ends in bloodshed when the Mayor, and his family, are shot – along with a jogger who is running opposite the house where the killings take place. In 2014, Jesse Rosenberg, now in his mid-forties, is about to retire. He is known as, ‘Captain 100%’ and, one of the cases he solved, back in 1994, was that of the killing of the Mayor and the other victims. Ted Tennenbaum, a local man, was put away by Rosenberg, and his, then partner, Derek Scott. Now, just as Rosenberg is about to retire from the force, he is approached by a local journalist, Stephanie Mailer, who implies that the worng man was arrested for the killings. That same day, she vanishes…

Of course, Rosenberg is unable to leave things like that and recruits Derek to help him look into matters, along with Anna Kanner, a female member of the Orphea police force, who is ambitious and driven, but suffers a lot of discrimination from her male colleagues. Together, they begin to investigate, not only Stephanie Mailer’s disappearance, but the murders back in 1994. This has a great array of characters, such as Kirk Harvey, who left the police force in 1994 to begin work on his play, “The Darkest Night,” which gradually becomes more and more important to the plot, as well as those involved, not only with the investigation, but Jesse, Derek and Anna. Very much character driven, long, winding and an excellent read. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by this author.

First thing first: I liked this story and couldn't put it down reading as fast as I could.
It's an engrossing and entertaining mystery with different timelines and a huge cast of characters, each one part of a collective story and with a story of their own.
This multiple voices and timelines work well together and you are involved in their stories even if you never lose track of the main one.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and red herrings, and the solution came as a surprise.
It's a very long book with a huge number of characters and IHMO some cuts to the plot and the characters would have surely helped.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It was a good read and I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A twisting, compelling thriller from the author of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. A journalist goes missing whilst investigating the mystery of a decades old killing. The original investigating officers are drawn back in. Though a lengthy novel, it is fast paced and well written. Literary crime fiction at its best.

I really enjoy the detailed and incredibly thorough narratives of Joel Dicker, and 'The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer' is no exception to that depth in the storytelling - I am personally happy to read such detail, although I feel the pace dropped a little too much in this book, and some more stringent edits should have been made. There's always a slow unfurling of information and I overall enjoyed this book. It's a crime mystery that explores awful events in 1994, when a family is killed. I was fascinated how events move to 2014 and Stephanie Mailer casts doubt upon the killers guilt for this crime. After she disappears it's a puzzle uncovering the truth, and prepare for multiple perspectives and dual timelines.
I'd definitely recommend this book as there're lots of positives. I did prefer Dicker's previous novel: 'The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair', but with some edits and cuts this book could have left more of an impact.

My thanks to Quercus Books - MacLehose Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer’ by Joël Dicker in exchange for an honest review.

It was originally published in Paris in 2018 and has now been translated from the French by Howard Curtis. It is currently available in ebook with its hardback and audiobook editions listed for publication in March 2021.

In the summer of 1994 the quiet town of Orphea in the Hamptons was rocked by the shocking murders of a prominent local family along with a passerby. Young police officers, Jesse Rosenberg and Derek Scott, managed to crack the case and apprehend the murderer, not only earning themselves promotions but the lasting respect of their colleagues.

Now nearly 20 years later, Jesse is about to take early retirement when he is approached by journalist Stephanie Mailer, who tells him that she believes that they made a mistake back in 1994 and that the real murderer is still out there. Yet before she can provide more details, Stephanie Mailer mysteriously disappears without a trace. This leaves Rosenberg and Scott to confront the awful possibility that her suspicions might have been true.

So with the town’s annual theatrical festival approaching along with the 20th anniversary of the original murders, Jesse and Derek undertake an investigation into Stephanie‘s disappearance along with her allegations about the original case. They soon discover inconsistencies and new evidence. Then new murders occur.

This was an intriguing crime thriller/police procedural that moves between the present day and the events of 1994. It’s very much a mosaic, as Dicker builds up the tension quite slowly and also takes time to establish his characters, including their backstories. While there are plenty of twists and red herrings along the way, part of the pleasure for me was in Dicker’s attention to detail.

As with ‘The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair’, which I loved when I read in 2014, this is a multilayered novel and while set in the USA I felt that it has many of the sensibilities of European crime fiction. Something that very much appeals to me.

It’s a long book though I happily lost myself in Dicker’s Orphea for a few days, very much enjoying the journey that he took me on.

Stephanie Mailer is a journalist. She disappears after asking questions about the massacre that of a family and an innocent bystander. The case had been resolved 20 years ago. It had been the opening night of the Orphea Theatre Festival. Jesse Rossenberg and Derek Scott had been the original State Police investigators.

This story is written with a dual timeline and it's told from multiple points of view. Thenpace is slow and ther is quite a lot of characters. There's over 600 pages in this book. You need to keep your wits about you as as you might miss out on some clues. I did feel there was some parts of this story that could be cut out as they were irrelevant. The book has been translated from French to English.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Joel Dicker for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another good mystery from the author. I read his other 2 books too. I really like how he develops the characters and you become attached to them and follow the story for pages.
My only criticism is always the same, it's a bit too long. But, I love the writing, the character, and the plot.

Recommended author for me.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

This book has all the hallmarks of a Joel Dicker novel, it is expansive, and uses the trademark countdown to events and flashbacks. And to a certain extent that is probably why I found myself a little disappointed with this novel, it is just too similar in feel to his previous efforts and somehow just not as satisfying. His novels have a saga-like feel to them with complementary plotlines which gradually draw together, this book just feels too flabby, there are too many diversions and its just not tight enough to make it feel worthwhile ploughing through all the information to get the nuggets you need. In The Truth bout the Harry Quebert Affair and The Baltimore Boys you were invested in the characters, here most of them are not likeable and as an ensemble lack the light and shade that Dicker has shown before. I hope that this losing of the way is temporary having previously enjoyed his books. That said there is a satisfying conclusion which is almost stumbled upon rather than methodically reached in an Agatha Christie-style reveal where the whole reasoning is laid bare in a full and frank confession by the remaining perpetrator. A long and convoluted plot that requires a certain level of concentration and a need to sift the useful from the useless.

#TheDisappearanceofStephanieMailer #NetGalley

Unfortunately this book was not for me. At 650 pages, it is quite a long book, and it felt it. It took me about 6 days to get to 42%. I found it very good in the beginning but then it started to slow right down. With many threads and characters, at times I found it difficult to following what was happening. It became slow and slightly meandering and unfortunately, not enough to keep my attention.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

A great plot with interesting main characters and twists a plenty. This would usually mean I would rate it a four or five stars but unfortunately the padding got in the way. Lots of people introduced who had no proper baring on the story. Overall it seemed too lengthy and needlessly so. Leave out huge chunks and it would be perfect.

This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend! It was a chunk of a read and held my attention all the way through :)

The synopsis for this story sounded like it would have all the ingredients for an excellent murder mystery story. Sadly, at just 28% in, I have found that this is not the case. It started off well enough, but the translation from French does not seem to have worked well, as much of the dialogue is clunky and awkward.
The characters are not particularly well drawn, so that if it were not for the name heading at the beginning of a chapter, it would be impossible to tell who is narrating.
Some of the narrative does not actually make sense, presumably due to the translation.
The story becomes very slow and has too much introspection from various characters, and sadly the plot just did not ring true for me. When I reached the part where the volunteers decide to ‘go on strike’, and the consequent dialogue, I decided I’d had enough, it was becoming too silly for words.
It’s a very long book, and some judicious editing could possibly help it to become more readable. Sadly, I could not continue, I wasn’t sufficiently interested.
My thanks to the editor and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

Another book by Joel Dicker that I enjoyed but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It is full of twists but it’s so long that towards the end I didn’t care what happens any more, I just wanted to finish it.

74+

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The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer

by Joël Dicker

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Read in May 2020

The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer is completely addictive and also somewhat bonkers- a mad read that keeps you enthralled throughout despite its length with a cast of quirky and eclectic characters that I won't easily forget.

A mistake made, a murderer possibly gone free. That's the central theme but really this novel is a small town character drama where said characters are completely different from each other in behaviour, attitude and levels of insanity. Yet they are all the more real for that and about a third of the way into this the actual disappearance of Stephanie Mailer becomes secondary to your absolute need to follow along with them to their individual outcomes. 

I was a fan of this authors previous novel but this one is at a whole new level. It will have you sighing in exasperation one minute then on the edge of the seat the next. A very clever very insightful read that defies expectation on every page.

Highly recommended.