The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker

Marcus Goldman is this year's celeb author.  His first book was a meteor, soaring to the top of the bestseller list and bringing him fame and fortune.  But now it's a year later and the words aren't flowing; in fact, he has a huge case of writer's block and his agent and publisher aren't happy.  He turns, as he as his entire adult life, to his mentor and best friend, the renowned author Harry Quebert.

Harry picked out Marcus in college when Marcus was his favorite author and mentored him through the writing of his novel.  Harry's first novel had propelled him to the heights of literary success where he stayed.  A kind, generous man, Marcus has always wondered why Harry didn't have a family, a lover, or many friends.  He finds out when a body is found buried in Harry's yard and Harry is accused of the murder thirty years before of his lover, Nola Kellergan.  Even worse, Nola was only fifteen years old when she was killed.

Harry admits to the affair but denies having killed her.  Marcus is repulsed, but determined to be there for his mentor, as Harry has always been there for him.  He decides to investigate the murder himself since he feels that the police have stopped looking once they decide that Harry has done it.  As Marcus starts to talk to people in town, it becomes obvious that his is not a popular move.  Everyone is sure that Harry did it, and he is now a pariah.  Marcus starts to find notes telling him to get out of town and they make him even more determined to find out the truth about what happened that night thirty years before.

Joel Dicker has written an engaging mystery that is a real page-turner.  The novel won several prestigious French literary awards and was a runaway best seller.  Readers will have to examine their own thoughts about love and fame, and whether a relationship can exist between two people divided by age.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.