A winding mystery with so many twists, turns and frayed threads, you really had to keep your head screwed on or you’d be completely lost. Luckily the story was enthralling enough to hold my attention, even if there was some of the cheesiest dialogue I’ve ever read in my life, particularly between the police officers.

This is the third book by Dicker that I read. The previous two were absolutely amazing. Therefore, I started reading this one with very high expectations. But, unfortunately, they weren’t fully met. Dicker’s writing style was captivating and gripping as always. However, some plot choices sounded to me a little too obvious. These are things that can happen, especially in a thriller, and it’s very difficult to keep someone’s eyes glued to all the 700 pages. But, in this last thing, Dicker is a master. He really is able to keep your nose stuck in the book ‘till the very end. Still, in comparison in particular to “The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair”, I found the plot enriched with details and tales a bit too pointless, useless, and the major case wasn’t so interesting in the end.
This book left me with a sour taste, but I think this is mostly because of the high expectations that I had. In fact, this is still a book of high quality thanks especially to the author’s high level skills.
Now, I really can’t wait to read his new novel coming out in March!

ABSOLUTELY TREMENDOUS!!!!! I was hooked on this book and finding out what happened. As a fan of everything true crime, the elements of that type story here captivated me both in the blurb and actual book too. Great read!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I wish to thank Netgalley and Quercus books for the amazing chance to read and review this new novel written by Joël Dicker.
The story starts in 1994 in the sea town of Orphea, where two brutal murders occurred. Jesse Rosenberg and Derek Scott are two police officers, that managed to solve the case and to arrest the culprit.
Twenty years later, though, a journalist, Stephanie Mailer, contacts Jesse, certain they made a mistake back then and that the real murderer is still out there and, maybe, ready to kill again.
When the woman disapperead Rosenberg and Scott find themselves involved into a big plot, while trying to understand what exactly happened to the woman and twenty years ago.

I love Dicker's writing style and imagination. His novels are full of mysteries, plot twists and interesting characters and it's impossible to stop reading this story, because it was captivating, brilliant and so beautiful.
Wonderful.

I'm pursuing the end of thus book to find out if I've guessed correctly whodunnit. I feel it could be a bit tighter in terms of straded timelines and storytellers. Slightly pedantically there are certain phrases too oft repeated, but overall there's a good story in here.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer, a stand-alone set in The Hamptons town of Orphea.

At his pre-retirement presentation Captain Jesse Rosenberg of the New York State Police is approached by journalist Stephanie Mailer who suggests that he might have got his first big case from 20 years ago wrong. That evening Stephanie disappears and as it isn’t reported for several days Jesse is already in Orphea re-investigating the original case, the brutal murder of the mayor, his wife and son and a jogger caught in the crossfire.

I enjoyed this novel which is essentially two cases, the re-investigation from 1994 and the 2014 investigation of what happened to Stephanie and it’s ramifications. I say essentially as this is a long novel which includes many characters, their backstories, their hidden links and their present day actions, some more interesting than others. I found the actual plots gripping and mystifying- I had no idea about the perpetrators - but I wasn’t so keen on some of the characters’ stories which I found overly detailed and rather boring.

The format is an absolute masterclass in keeping up so I can imagine the author with a big board and lots of arrows to remember all the links and details. The point of view changes between characters frequently, mostly the investigators, Jesse, his partner from 1994 Derek Scott whom he has drafted in to his re-investigation and Anna Kenner, a local deputy but there is a host of other characters who are examined thoroughly. The timeline also switches, mostly between 1994 and 2014, but there are also other years when there is the need to highlight significant events in the characters’ lives. Confused yet? It’s not as confusing as it sounds as each section is helpfully labelled with the point of view and the date but it does require concentration to keep up. I actually like the format as it allows for a slow reveal of secrets and information and it keeps the mind busy as the reader ponders each new reveal. I love the ending with its small ironies and a certain happiness. They seem a fitting reward after a long read.

The characterisation is difficult to review without spoilers. Obviously with such a long novel they are all well developed, warts and all. The investigators are a bit too good to be true, all dedicated to truth, justice and the American way while hiding heartbreak and guilt. The other characters are more flawed and not particularly likeable but, perhaps more interesting.

The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The Dissaperance of Stephanie Mailer

The long awaited third novel from Joel Dicker has finally made it into the English language after it seemed to be out in every other language out their. The mystery of why Dickers books don’t seem as popular on these shores blows my mind as he is one of the greatest thriller writers of our time. This, his third book is another superb book with mystery, suspence and romance.

In the summer of 1994, the quiet seaside town of Orphea reels from the discovery of two brutal murders.

Confounding their superiors, two young police officers, Jesse Rosenberg and Derek Scott crack the case and arrest the murderer, earning themselves handsome promotions and the lasting respect of their colleagues.

But twenty years later, just as he is on the point of taking early retirement, Rosenberg is approached by Stephanie Mailer, a journalist who believes he made a mistake back in 1994 and that the real murderer is still out there, perhaps ready to strike again. Before she can give any more details however, Stephanie Mailer mysteriously disappears without trace, and Rosenberg and Scott are forced to confront the awful possibility that her suspicions might have been proved horribly true.

What happened to Stephanie Mailer?

What did she know?

And what really happened in Orphea all those years ago?

One of the challenges that was hard to overcome in this novel was the amount of unlikeable characters. The vile nature was unearthed perfectly on the screen but they were so nasty that I began not to care anymore, the perplex nature of how everything connects is intruging but there is only saw far this can run before you stop caring. Towards the end I had my thoughts on who it was and obviously Dicker pulls out a number of surprises. I fully embraced Dickers writing and reveled in it but there was something slightly amis with this one, whilst far from disappointing it is perhaps the high standards and level of excitement I had towards this novel. I would still highly recommend it and as my most anticipated book of the year it ticked the right boxes.

This book is shameless hokum, and very enjoyable. It shamelessly steals the key plot lines of two books that were made into very successful films. The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer has a great cast of characters, and it owes a great debt to Agatha Christie. It will nake a terrific 10-part miniseries.

It took me ages to get to reading Harry Quebert and so when I got the chance to read this one, I had to get in early. I enjoyed Harry Quebert for its twisty threads and layers of intrigue and this was no different. A meaty read, a lot to chew over and it will take a while to digest, but tell you what, you feel totally full and satisfied by the end.

The plot is simple from first sight. It all takes place in the fictional town of Orphea which is on the coast in the Hamptons. It’s a nice and unassuming place but in 1994 murder comes a calling. An entire family is killed as well as a woman jogger running past the house. The dead man was the mayor of the town and this awful tragedy opens up a whole range of questions. An investigation results in a man being jailed for the crime. However, twenty years later and a journalist, Stephanie Mailer, is convinced they have the wrong man and tries to tell one of the policeman who jailed the guilty man that he missed something vital. He doesn’t take too kindly to this of course but agrees to talk to her. He never gets that chance as Stephanie disappears not long after.

There’s LOTS to enjoy in the novel and the easy flow of the translation helps enormously. I have since reread this in French and it’s even more twisty in that language for some reason but both versions prove that a good story and good writing travels well.

Joel Dicker’s unique style is something I really enjoy. He’s thorough, the novel is slow-paced at times and then BAM the loose threads you’ve been wondering about are all tied up…but then another one comes loose and off you go again as a reader on a mission. The story is written in dual timelines and is written from multiple perspectives so it does take some degree of concentration to work out the relationship between one character and another event at times, but this is a book which brings rewards.

What I really enjoyed was how the novel revolved around the fictional Theatre Festival. There’s a lot of interaction between characters, POV changes allow you to move around events like that slow-mo scene in the Matrix. It’s all very visual and compelling. The characters in the police force are compelling and very detailed. The rest of the Orphea inhabitants are a very interesting bunch although I’m not quite sure I’d like to hang around there. Some of them didn’t appear to have much to do with the story which was the only niggle I had with the book.

Visiting Orphea with Joel Dicker was a treat though. I certainly would never go jogging to a theatre with him!

For the last year I have been waiting in anticipation for this book to be translated into English. Was it worth the wait? Yes it was. I have read and enjoyed the authors other books and this one was just as good. The twists and turns were there alongside the red herrings. This mystery is set over 2 time periods twenty years apart but the characters remain the same with a few exceptions, and they all have something to hide. The storyline flowed perfectly and the mystery kept going at a grand pace until the final reveal. I would recommend this book to all. Please don't make us wait so long for the next book to be translated into English.

Truly a revelation. More engaging and gripping than The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (which is one of my all time favourites). Masterfully written - the complex interweaving narrative voices pull together across time to make a sensationally unputdownable novel. Brilliant.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for this advanced reader's copy. While I loved The Truth About the Harry Querbert Affair this one didn't grab me as much. It was OK but I thought that the story was a little slow paced.

I struggled a bit with this book and didn’t find it as engaging as the others I have read by this author. It focuses on a 20 year old case which a journalist, Stephanie Mailer, is investigating when she suddenly disappears. Parts are very good, but overall I found there were too many distracting characters, twists and turns that appear to add little to the plot or development.
I was pleased that the ending worked well to tie up all the loose ends.

This story is a page turner from the start. It draws you in to a very involved investigation which is a rollercoaster ride with plenty of twists and turns. With many red herrings it will keep you guessing.
Jesse Rosenberg is retiring from the Police force when he is confronted by reporter Stephanie Mailer. She is claiming on his first murder case in Orphea he and his partner Derek got it wrong. When Stephanie goes missing Jesse returns to Orphea. This case changed his and his partners life forever both professionally and personally. There investigation will bring many skeletons out of the cupboard and change the lives of Orphea residents forever.
This is my first Joel Dicker book but will not be the last.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this is not up to pair with Dicker's other novels. What worked so well in the Baltimore Boys and The Harry Quibert Affair--the attention to detail, the beautifully measured descriptions, the long chapters, the writing itself, the back and forth through time, and the great dialogues--here somehow does not.

This was a confusing read with so many characters I am not a hundred percent sure I got who did it and why exactly. It takes too long to get to any point and there are many occasions where it never really gets anywhere (why all the back story of Jesses's grandparents, for example?)

All in all it'd not a terrible book but if you have never read Joel Dicker, PLEASE do not start with this one. It'll put you off one who is actually an excellent writer, but got a little lost this time.
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I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

3-4 stars

This is a hard one to review as parts of this book are really good, parts are very slow and some sections go off on tangents that don’t add much to the storyline. The start is really good with a dramatic quadruple shooting in Orphea, a small sleepy town in The Hamptons in 1994. It’s the opening night of the Orphea theatre festival so attention is on that. This case is investigated by Jesse Rossenberg and Derek Scott of the State Police. They suspect local restaurant owner Ted Tennenbaum and following an accident in which Ted dies, the case is closed as they believed they have their killer. In 2013/14 Stephanie Mailer a New York journalist begins an investigation into the 1994 killings but she disappears which Jesse, Derek and Anna Kanner look into. The story is written in dual timelines and is written from multiple perspectives.

So, what are the positives? The cases are very intriguing, it gets twisty at times, the links between the two cases are good and well established and there are moments of suspense and tension especially later on in the book. It is well written and the story flows well albeit at a slow pace. The storyline is a bit like a slow moving river which gathers some momentum when it hits a waterfall, then slows again. There’s a lot going on to keep the interest and I like the way the story revolves around the Theatre Festival. Some of the characters are likeable and some are patently not as they are lying and hiding in plain sight. Some of the revelations are surprising and you don’t see them coming. The end is good and ties the events all together.

However, the book is extremely long and very detailed, some of which are superfluous. Some of the characters appear to be almost caricatures as their hysterical outbursts seem over the top. There is a play that keeps being mentioned written by ex police officer Kirk Harvey, which has been in rehearsal for years which becomes the opening play in 2014 and all of this seems very odd. Some dialogue jars a wrong note but some of that issue may be down to the translation from the original French. The plotting at times is convoluted and your head spins a bit and you certainly need to concentrate which is no bad thing!

Overall, I’m a fan of Joel Dicker, I loved the The truth about the Harry Quebert affair and The Baltimore Boys but sadly, in my opinion this book isn’t as good as those. I really like parts of the book but it’s length means you lose some pace and momentum. It’s an interesting book but not overwhelmingly so.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity of the ARC which is greatly appreciated.

What a brilliant, brilliant story. Joël Dicker is one of my favourite writers for a reason. His ability to hook you in and manage that many characters and details and then satisfy all storylines is a remarkable achievement. There was a darker comic side to this in contrast to the Quebert Affair which I loved and the pace was superb. I devoured this book in less than 36 hours which is always my indication of how much I'm enjoying a book. The twists and turns will have you turning the page as fast as you possibly can. I also loved the inception of Bergdorf's character writing a masterpiece of a mystery novel - Joël Dicker has also achieved that. I can't wait to add the physical book to my shelves as soon as it is out.