Originally posted May 24, 2024. For the ache of mystery is that we are compelled to solve it. For the frustration of mystery is that we are not always able to solve it. You might argue that a “literary thriller” which has the veneer of crime fiction but is actually an elaborate character study, such as 48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister by Joyce Carol Oates, does not belong on a detective fiction blog. To which I say: it’s my blog and I get to choose the mandate! Let’s get into it.  48 Clues revolves around the Fulmer sisters, Marguerite and Georgene (referred to by the de-gendered M. and G. both in their lives and in the narration). M., the older sister, is a beautiful, talented heiress and Guggenheim Fellow sculptor, whose apparently charmed life makes her abrupt disappearance all the more baffling. Unremarkable younger sister G. is “sturdy as a turnip,” works at a post office, and has a history of severe mental health issues. One morning, M. heads out ...