In just a few years, Swiss writer Joël Dicker has become one of the world's most respected authors. Since 2012, when he published his first novel, The Last Days of Our Fathers , he has amassed over twenty million readers.
"A global phenomenon," "the writer who's reviving bookstores," and "the irritating literary prodigy" are just some of the descriptions critics have given him. In any case, he has already published seven novels and has won the admiration of readers worldwide. So, let's get to know Joël Dicker a little better.
Who is Joel Dicker?
The novelist Joël Dicker
Dicker was born in Geneva on June 16, 1985. Since Geneva is the French-speaking part of Switzerland , his native language is French. Furthermore, his father was a French teacher. At 19, he moved to Paris to study drama, but just a year later he returned to his hometown, famous for its watches , to attend law school at the university.
Around that time, his first short story was also published. Titled "The Tiger ," it won an international prize for young French-speaking authors. This motivated him to continue writing, and in 2010, he submitted the manuscript of " The Last Days of Our Fathers" to the Geneva Writers' Prize . He won the award, and two years later the novel was published in France by Éditions de Fallois.
The book was a great critical and popular success. But true recognition would come with his next work, published that same year. It was The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair , and it earned him numerous awards, some as prestigious as the Goncourt des Lycéens , the French Academy Prize , and the Lire Prize for best novel in French.
It has been translated into forty-two languages and read by millions. All of this has made Dicker a new global literary phenomenon . Five more novels followed, confirming his status as one of the great authors of contemporary fiction, which we will now present to you.
The works of Joël Dicker
A cover of The Last Days of Our Fathers , Dicker's first novel
Joël Dicker's novels fall squarely within the realm of the genuine thriller genre . However, we must clarify this statement. We often understand this term to refer specifically to crime novels, and indeed they are. But there are other genres that also encompass this type of story.
The main characteristic of a thriller is that it creates tension in the reader , who is eager to reach the end to discover the outcome. This is true of detective novels , but it can also happen with other genres, such as adventure novels or even historical novels.
Indeed, aside from their historical or crime fiction nature (which many of them also possess), Joël Dicker's works are characterized by combining mystery and suspense with unexpected twists . As for the themes they explore, the most common are love, friendship, secrets , and, in general, human life itself . But now that we've explained who this Swiss writer is and what his novels are like, it's time to focus on them.
The last days of our fathers
The last days of our parents took place during World War II. The photo shows the Battle of France.
Indeed, Dicker's first work was a war and espionage story set during World War II . In 1940, the British government created the SOE (Special Operations Executive). As its name suggests, it was a section of the secret service responsible for carrying out acts of sabotage in German-occupied Europe.
In this context, we meet Paul Emile , a young Frenchman who travels to England to join the resistance. He is soon recruited by the SOE and, along with his new comrades, subjected to brutal training. They are then sent to France for their first mission . But the Germans have already been alerted to their arrival. In their adventure, these young men will experience love, friendship, and fear amidst some of history's most terrible circumstances.
The truth about the Harry Quebert case
A cover of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair , which made Joël Dicker famous.
As we mentioned, Joe Dicker's second novel was the one that catapulted him to literary stardom and gained him millions of readers. This one is indeed a detective story . Furthermore, it introduces Marcus Goldman , the character who also stars in *The Book of the Baltimores* and *The Alaska Sanders Case *.
It is undoubtedly his most accomplished work to date. In The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair , Goldman visits his mentor ( Quebert ) to discover that he had a secret relationship with a teenage girl named Nora Kellergan. But shortly afterward, her body is found buried in his garden, and the veteran writer is arrested as the prime suspect.
Goldman sets out to prove his teacher's innocence while writing a book about the case. This will bring a host of secrets to light. But the truth will only emerge at the end. Also, you should know that there's a TV series based on the book, starring Patrick Dempsey , Ben Schnetzer , and Kristine Froseth.
The Baltimore Book
The Baltimore Book
Actually, this novel is Joël Dicker's third, but it can be read before his second. In it, Marcus Goldman himself tells the story of his family . They had two branches: the more humble Sinclair branch, which is the protagonist's, and the wealthy Baltimore branch. However, everything changes forever as a result of what the narrator calls "the Drama . "
Set in two eras, Dicker paints a portrait of the upper classes of American society in this novel , while also offering us a deeply human story in which we accompany the protagonist through his life.
The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer
The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer is Joël Dicker's fourth novel
Joël Dicker's third novel is also set in two different periods. But above all, it is a police thriller in the purest tradition of the genre. In 1994, while the residents of Orphea attend the opening of their theater festival, a man wanders the streets in search of his wife.
Finally, they find his body in front of the mayor's house, who, incidentally, hadn't attended the opening of the event. New York City police officers Derek Scott and Jesse Rosenberg solve the case. But twenty years later, a journalist named Stephanie Mailer tells them they arrested the wrong man, even though he was right in front of them. Shortly afterward, she disappears without a trace.
On this occasion, Dicker gave us a magnificent thriller full of suspense that you won't be able to put down until the last page.
The riddle of room 622
Swiss Alps, where The Enigma of Room 622 takes place
Joël Dicker's next novel is also a crime story, which earned him an award in Spain: the Alicante Noir International Prize . But above all, it has the unique feature of the author himself becoming a character. He also returns to his favorite technique of structuring the story in two different time periods.
A body is discovered in room 622 of a luxurious hotel in the Swiss Alps. The police take charge of the case, but are unable to solve it. Years later, writer Joël Dicker arrives at the hotel seeking solace from a broken heart. He is soon intrigued by the old crime and decides to investigate it. But he won't be alone. He'll have the help of Scarlett , an aspiring novelist staying in the next room.
The Alaskan Sanders case
Cover of The Alaska Sanders Case
Dicker once again delivers an excellent thriller set in two different periods. And, in addition, he treats us to the return of Marcus Goldman , who will investigate a crime alongside Sergeant Perry Gahalowood and Agent Lauren Donovan.
This time, it's the murder of Alaska Sanders , whose body is found in 1999 by a lake with a note in her pocket that reads, "I know what you've done ." Eleven years after the case was solved and the perpetrators imprisoned, novelist Goldman and the two police officers reopen the case. But this one also brings back memories for the writer of the Harry Quebert case he investigated in the past.
A wild animal, the new from Joël Dicker
Lake Geneva, one of the settings for A Wild Animal
We conclude our exploration of Joël Dicker's work with this novel, which hasn't yet arrived in Spanish bookstores. It will be released on April 4th, but you can already pre-order it on the Penguin Random House website.
On July 2, 2022, a pair of criminals set out to break into a Geneva jewelry store to commit more than just a common robbery . Twenty days later, we find ourselves in an exclusive resort on the shores of Lake Geneva, where Sophie Braun is about to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Everything in her life seems perfect, but it will soon begin to unravel. We will have to travel back in time to uncover the origin of this intrigue.
In conclusion, Joël Dicker is a master of the thriller genre with millions of readers and the most prestigious awards in his language. His stories are addictive , with an exceptional command of suspense and plot . And to all this are added well-developed characters who, in many cases, evoke our sympathy. We encourage you to read the novels of this former literary prodigy who is now one of the masters of the crime genre.