The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joël Dicker – Linked, but not connected

Release Date: 2018 • Country: Switzerland

The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer is a mystery/crime novel by Swiss author Joël Dicker, known for his previous thriller The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair. I read the Harry Quebert book more than 5 years ago and found it so gripping at the time that had to take an afternoon just so I could finish it. My friend mentioned he came out with another mystery book, and I thought it would be perfect to read on the plane. Long story short, I stayed up late reading it all the following nights and finished it in about a week!

Stephanie Mailer is a journalist who starts investigating about a quadruple murder happened in 1994, i.e. 20 years prior, in the Hamptons, to write a novel about it. At the time police had found who did it, but she finds out they might have arrested the wrong person for it. When she gets close to finding who’s the real murderer, she tells the police officers responsible for the original investigation about their mistake. The same night, she disappears. That’s when police starts digging up the 20 years old case to find out who really did it.

Apart from the fact that this book really draws you in, I was impressed by the number of characters and connections, and how everyone’s story and point of view contributed to the bigger picture. This book was really long, but don’t be intimidated: every single word and every single chapter are there for a reason, and they are there to reveal more of the background bit by bit.

Obviously, as it’s a mystery novel, there are many unexpected twists but I found them all to be plausible – this doesn’t always happen with thrillers. It is a well-constructed mystery novel, and if you are a fan of the genre you will definitely enjoy it. Quick disclaimer, I think this book is only available in French, Spanish and Italian atm, but it might still come out in English sometimes soon considering the success of The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair.

Have a good weekend! 🙂 x

Linda Arrighi

Featured Image: @unmotparpage.