This book, despite the topic covered, comes across quite light to read. The style is very much in the first person and this made it chatty to read and easy to get into. The books picote around the original murder and this anchors it and makes the book flow well.
There is something almost personal about the book, as if it was written just for me. The tight structuring of the storyline into days before and after the murder, with days and dates of each ‘entry’ made clear makes this almost diary like and the more powerful for it. The book is almost cyclical, coming full circle and ending with the starting chapter topic which was reassuring in a way and made it seem like a neat ending, despite the drama to get there.

I loved [book:The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair|19301797] and if you did too then you will enjoy this much the same I'm sure.

The format, and some of the characters, are much the same. The story involves Alaska Sanders who was murdered 11 years ago in a seemingly closed case. Two men were responsible, one dead and one serving time in prison. However, when Marcus Goldman arrives in town the case is about to blown wide open.

Much like TTATHQA, this is a long novel (around 560 pages) but don't let that put you off. This is a gripping novel which will keep you turning those 560 pages long into the night. The story, as always, is complex, layered and just when you think you know where its going, suddenly it veers off course.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books | MacLehose Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest reveiw. One of my best books of 2024 so far

Another great story from Joel Dicker. I hoped I'd enjoy reading it as much as The Harry Qiebert Affair. Lots of artists and surprises that leave you guessing until the end

It’s been such a long time since I’ve read the first two books in this series, I’d forgotten the plot and many of the characters Marcus was referring to. This didn’t detract from the overall storyline, but had I been able to remember, it may have enhanced things a bit.

The writing feels like old Hollywood noir slapstick in parts; some unexpected comedy duo teaming up to solve a murder. And I had a nice time with that, but would have had an even nicer time if the whole thing was half of the 600 pages in length at which it currently stands. The whole thing sagged towards the final third but did pick up pace again as we stumbled over the finish line.

The Alaska Sanders Affair by J. Dicker, published by Quercus Books, picks up 12 years after the previous book The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair - the same character Marcus Goldman, when he is drawn to investigate the 11 year old case of Alaska Sanders. A thrilling mystery that is best read in order. Twisty and full of unexpected turns that had me guessing til the very last page.
Blurb: The body of Alaska Sanders is found on the shore of a lake near the quiet town of Mount Pleasant, New Hampshire. The young woman’s death rocks the small community, but the murder is quickly solved. Within days, a suspect is identified and soon convicted. Case closed. Or so it seemed. . . .
Eleven years later, Marcus Goldman, celebrity author and amateur sleuth, picks up a thread that will unravel not only the “open and shut” case of Alaska Sanders, but the very fabric of his best friend,–Sergeant Perry Gahalowood–’s life. Gahalowood, who led the original Alaska Sanders investigation, is hell-bent on finding the truth and setting the record straight. Teaming up with Marcus, he hopes to find redemption by solving the most intricate and trying case of his career.

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future.

I read The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair some years ago, and whilst I remember enjoying it a lot I don't remember much detail of the plot, which is a shame, as this novel The Alaska Sanders Affair, picks up the same characters and narrator, Marcus Goldman, 12 years later, when he is drawn to investigate the 11 year old murder of Alaska Sanders. However it is very possible to read this as a standalone novel with a preamble from Goldman which sets out the bare bones of the previous plot and reveals that after the runaway success of that novel (which he wrote) he feels like a one-hit wonder.

This confusion of the author Joel Dicker, and the narrator Marcus Goldman, mirrors many of the twists and turns within this novel as the rather naive Goldman searches through the evidence and people linked to this old case to try to find out who really murdered the young and charismatic victim.

Is this book overlong? At times I thought so, and at times not. There is a lot of detail and a lot of characters, both slowly revealed to us. But like the previous novel it is hugely engaging and I was carried along with the twists and turns of the plot. There is a feeling of unfinished business at the end so we may be able to look forward to another novel in the series - perhaps in 2035. If I'm still around I will read it and I do recommend this one.