The Alaska Sanders Affair

A Novel

By: Joël Dicker

Narrated by: Robert G. Slade

A Wall Street Journal ""Best Mystery of 2024""

“If The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair read like Gatsby by way of David Lynch, then The Alaska Sanders Affair recalls True Detective: there's something both classic and daring about it. One of the world's most original voices in crime fiction.” —A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

“The Alaska Sanders Affair ... transcends pigeonholing with its abundance of plot, subplots and melodramatic U-turns ... everything seems to be connected ... [and] Mr. Dicker casts an undeniable spell.” —Wall Street Journal

The thrilling new whodunit from Joël Dicker, master of the plot twist and the author of The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair and The Enigma of Room 622.

April 1999. 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.

Set both before and after the events of his phenomenal worldwide bestseller The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair, Dicker’s latest delivers the last word in slow-burn police procedurals. Clue by clue, witness by witness, question by question, his characters painstakingly piece together an unguessable puzzle that could only have been set by this acclaimed master of the plot twist. And as they uncover who Alaska Sanders truly was, other ghosts from the past emerge . . .

Translated from the French by Robert Bononno

An excellent read

Joël Dicker scored another excellent story. With thousands of books on offer, it takes a lot to achieve the level of engagement this book demands. The story twists and weaves it way through a very complex set of circumstances. It’s completely unique in this regard. Just when you expect the story to end, it takes off on a new tangent.
I found the translation well done indeed. It retains the style and nuances of the French original and is a pleasure to listen to in audio format. I enjoyed the book immensely and appreciated the challenges the story presented.

Existing book

I really enjoyed The Alaska Senders Affair and couldn’t stop listening. The narration was excellent and brought the story to life. While some parts of the plot seemed slightly less plausible, it didn’t detract much from the overall experience. Definitely worth a listen!

Plot twists

Narrator was superb. Story was complicated and satisfying. I will be looking for more books by this author.

Long, Complicated & Excellent Book

Joel Dicker has an amazing ability to unwind a complicated story while developing great characters. The book is long and the ending is unexpected but satisfying. I enjoyed every minute. Excellent reading/listening!

you've got to be kidding

This book was so wildly unrealistic that I could not finish it. The author knows nothing about police and police procedures.