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1994, 2014: A woman investigates murders of 20 years ago, and then disappears herself…
The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer
What you need to know before your trail
In the summer of 1994, the quiet seaside town of Orphea reels from the discovery of two brutal murders.
Confounding their superiors, two young police officers, Jesse Rosenberg and Derek Scott crack the case and arrest the murderer, earning themselves handsome promotions and the lasting respect of their colleagues.
But twenty years later, just as he is on the point of taking early retirement, Rosenberg is approached by Stephanie Mailer, a journalist who believes he made a mistake back in 1994 and that the real murderer is still out there, perhaps ready to strike again. Before she can give any more details however, Stephanie Mailer mysteriously disappears without trace, and Rosenberg and Scott are forced to confront the awful possibility that her suspicions might have been proved horribly true.
What happened to Stephanie Mailer?
What did she know?
And what really happened in Orphea all those years ago?
Locations
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Travel to Orphea in the Hamptons
As well a crime novel, this is also a portrayal of a small-town community, the myriad characters who live and work there and the tragedy of four murders in one day. Years later, the case is reopened by a visiting journalist and that’s when the real problems start. The police are proud and unwilling to reopen the case they apparently solved. The guilty man has to be guilty and no outside journalist is going to change that.
Orphea is an interesting place and has an interesting police force. You get the impression that the murders and then the disappearance of this journalist is the most exciting things to have happened here. In fact, the only things. Everyone is reluctant to talk about it though and there are clearly guilt people hiding in plain sight.
It’s here in Orphea that was written by ex police officer Kirk Harvey which was the opening play in 2014 – the festival theatre brings culture and public gatherings to the town and reveals a lot about the people here.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Disappearance of Stephanie Mailer
Destination/location: Orphea, New York State, The Hamptons Author/guide: Joël Dicker Departure Time: 1994, 2014
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