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A corpse is found in room 622 of a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps, and the case is never resolved. Some years later, mystery writer Joel Dicker arrives to stay in that same hotel. He has decided to get away for a bit from his home in Geneva after a breakup and the death of the man who was not only his publisher but a dear friend.
When he learns that what is now room 621A was renumbered because of a murder, Joel gets curious. Encouraged by the woman in the room next to him, Joel decides to investigate the old case (with her help), and as he does so, he starts writing.
Joel’s investigation leads him to the story of Macaire Ebezner, the heir of a large private Swiss bank. Macaire expected to become the bank’s next president, as had always been the case for the bank: Ebezners held that position for two centuries. But an upstart with no financial background, no background at all, really, is putting a wrench into the works. The very talented and likeable Lev Levovitch has been on the bank’s board for about 15 years, and the other board members are now thinking about naming him president instead of Macaire.
The story Joel learns, and readers discover as they turn pages, is focused on the week leading up to the gala where the bank’s board will name the new president. It also frequently looks back to 15 years earlier, when Lev entered the picture.
The Enigma of Room 622 is a story-within-a-story (within a story?). The novel’s protagonist is a character very like the real author of the book. The tone of the book is fairly light, and reading it feels a bit like watching an entertaining magic show: there’s almost literary sleight-of-hand going on. Since the book is almost 600 pages long, it could have gotten tiresome, but instead, it just makes the reader feel more invested in what happens to each of the characters they’ve spent so much time getting to know.
The plot jumps between 2018, when Joel is taking his vacation and writing; and an indeterminate number of years before, when the murder happens; and 15 years before that. Again, despite the length, the book is light on its feet as it does all that hopping.
This book is really entertaining and intelligent (it also feels like a pretty clean read, with limited profanity or other questionable content; it’s just rated moderate because of one — why? — use of strong language). I had a great time with it and put Dicker’s bestselling The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair on my to-read list.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 1 use of strong language, about 15 instances of moderate profanity, about 30 uses of mild language, 1 use of British (bl) profanity, and 10 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content is minimal; we know characters are having sex but it’s off-screen. There are a few off-color comments, as well as an extramarital affair. Violence includes a murder by shooting but no gory details.
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