Though he initially resists, he apparently comes round to writing the story as we read it. On top of this confection, Dicker tosses the metafictional bonbon of a lovelorn writer named Joël Dicker ( naturellement!), who is persuaded by a libidinous woman named Scarlett (what else?) to investigate a scandalous murder that took place in his hotel. Rich people misbehaving: we’re all familiar with the pattern, familiar enough that it is immediately recognized and easily parodied.Įven in its title, Swiss writer Joël Dicker’s novel The Enigma of Room 622 raises the ghosts of Agatha Christie, John Dickson Carr, and all their cohort to parody the popular elements of the “Golden Age” mystery, including the “locked room” mystery, disguised identities, poisons hitherto unknown, and the upper crust in tuxedos and ball gowns plotting to control a family inheritance-in this case a Swiss bank.

A smattering of semi-lifelike characters work their way through the entertaining investigation of a murder or two structuring a diverting puzzle for readers who don’t want to be taxed too hard. As in gunfights in old television westerns, the violence in most mysteries is so stylized that the psychological and emotional threats to the reader are muted to a childish level, one guaranteed not to raise deeper questions of life and death. We care little about the real consequences of stumbling across a murdered vicar in the stately library, though certainly we are aware of real murders, with genuinely suffering families and ambiguous explanations. Yet mystery stories of murder, robbery, and other serious crimes have been a huge source of amusement at least since the industrialization of printing. ALMOST EVERY DAY the news reminds us of the immediate horror and lifelong repercussions of crimes both individual and more general.

Joël dicker the enigma of room 622