Book Review - The Enigma of Room 622 by Joël Dicker

Title: The Enigma of Room 622
Series: -
Author: Joël Dicker
 
Description: One night in December, a dead body is found in Room 622 of the Hotel Verbier, a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps. A police investigation begins without definite end, and public interest wanes with the passage of time.
 
Years later, writer Joël Dicker, arrives at that same hotel to recover from a bad breakup, mourn the death of his longtime publisher, and begin his next novel. Little does Joël know that his expertise in the art of the thriller will come in handy when he finds himself investigating the crime.
 
Meanwhile, in the wake of his father’s passing, Macaure Ebezner is set to take over as president of the largest private bank in Switzerland. The succession captivates the news media, and the future looks bright, until it doesn’t. the bank’s board, including a certain Lev Levovitch (Geneva’s very own jay Gatsby) have other plans, and Macaire’s race to the top soon becomes a race against time.
 
Review: Writer Joël is staying at Hotel Verbier, in room 623, and he is surprised to find out there is a room 621 and a room 621-bis, but no room 622. I gradually becomes clear that years earlier a murder was committed in room 622. The police investigation was never completed. Joël finds the perfect story for his new book and starts investigating the case himself. What happened in room 622 twenty years earlier?
 
If you’ve never read a murder mystery or a whodunnit, don’t start with this one. The story has different timelines, has many flashbacks, and we’re introduced to a lot of characters. All pivotal to the mystery. You have to have read more books in the genre, before diving into this beauty.
 
I’m in awe how author Joël Dicker (who’s also the main character in the book) thought of this story. It’s so well-crafted, complex, interesting, surprising and exciting. The mystery is filled with intriguing characters and storylines and has several unexpected twists ad reveals. The only reason I didn’t give this book a 5-star rating, is because it’s too long, it could have been a little bit shorter.
 
It is a whodunnit, but the book goes beyond the mystery. It’s a study of characters and their development, which makes the plot more secondary. But because you don’t know from the start who was killed in room 622 and what really happened, you will stay invested in both he plot and the characters it’s involving.
 
“The Enigma of Room 622” is a book for the more experiences mystery reader, and I would recommend it. It’s a really good mystery novel.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5