The Enigma of Room 622

Starred review from October 3, 2022
The discovery of a body in room 622 of the Hôtel de Verbier in the Swiss Alps propels this intricately plotted tour de force from Swiss author Dicker (The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair). Sixteen years after the unsolved murder, author Joël Dicker, who’s reeling from the recent death of his beloved publisher, arrives at the luxury hotel, where he and an aspiring author he meets by chance resolve to explore why there’s no longer a room 622. The present-day action shifts between their research about the cold case, full of the reminiscences of the few witnesses they can track down, and the story of Macaire Ebezner, whose planned succession to the presidency of his family bank—which was holding its annual gala at the hotel at the time of the murder—is being thwarted by a board who prefers his business rival, rising star Lev Levovich. Flashbacks to the days leading up to the murder include the points of view of Macaire, Lev, and Macaire’s wife, each of whom comes across as brilliant and bumbling in turn. Dicker’s quasi-autobiographical frankness, his heartfelt tribute to his publisher, and the pull between past and present keep the pages turning. This astonishingly smart, emotionally satisfying, and strangely intimate novel is not to be missed.

Starred review from March 1, 2023

Dicker's award-winning international best-seller The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair was translated from the French into over 30 languages and adapted as a 10-episode American TV miniseries. His latest thriller, the first he's set in his hometown of Geneva, Switzerland, contains some autobiographical elements, including a touching tribute to French literary legend Bernard de Fallois, his late friend and publisher. In the novel, author Jo�l travels to the luxurious Hotel Verbier in the Swiss Alps, mourning Bernard's passing. There he meets the charming Scarlett, who distracts him with a mystery--why does the Verbier have a Room 621a, but no Room 622? The two learn of an unsolved murder years earlier in 622, and chapters describing their investigation alternate with chapters describing the events surrounding the murder. The meticulously crafted plot flows smoothly but quickly, while the points of view and setting shift constantly, a challenge for any narrator. Chris Harper, however, masterfully guides listeners along while creating distinct personalities for the diverse characters and maintaining perfect consistency for author Jo�l's interior voice. VERDICT With nods to classic mysteries as well as cutting-edge financial, legal, and police procedural elements, this brilliantly narrated metafictional thriller should please nearly all mystery fans.--Beth Farrell

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