The shadow of the tightrope walker
“Romane darling, where are you? // Come on, it’s not funny, I’m exhausted… // Still no answer…” // One evening, after taking a shower, Joachim, horrified, discovers that his 7-year-old daughter is no longer in the ‘apartment ; the front door is ajar. //
This is how the novel “the shadow of the tightrope walker” by Stéphane Schmucker begins. The author was born in Sarreguemines, in Moselle, but has lived in Alsace for fifteen years, currently in Ostwald. He is a biology teacher for high school and BTS students in Strasbourg, after having worked for several years in scientific research, and it shows, the scenes are very precise.
Stéphane Schmucker gives us an intense psychological thriller in which dramas, hopes and secrets collide. It was the favorite of the Jury of the Psychological Suspense Prize. The action follows Joachim, eight years after this introduction. He is a devastated father since the disappearance of his daughter Romane and is only a shadow of himself. Her daily life suddenly changes when Lieutenant Breuil knocks on her door to tell her that his ex-wife is suspected of murdering his childhood sweetheart, Liliane. He has no choice but to return to Alsace to investigate the places of his past and to immerse himself in painful memories.
One thing leading to another, intrigues resurface from his past. Is he ready to hear the truth about his daughter’s disappearance? Fan of thrillers, this book is for you, and some places will be familiar to you, because its action takes place in Alsace, in particular in Illkirch-Graffenstaden and Strasbourg! The novel is available in bookstores for €17.95, published by Les Nouveaux Auteurs.
Facebook: Stéphane Schmucker