The Enigma of Room 622: A Novel

Written by Joël Dicker

Narrated by Chris Harper

A Wall Street Journal ""Best Mystery of 2022""

A September 2022 Amazon Best of the Month Pick

“Dicker salutes Agatha Christie even as he drops the reader through one trapdoor into another, so that by the end, we doubt we’ve ever read another novel quite like it. (We haven’t.) Fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley will hug this book in between chapters; the many readers who love Anthony Horowitz’s mysteries will celebrate. And me? I’ll be reading it again.”—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window 

""[The Enigma of Room 622 is an] exhilarating tour de force""–The Wall Street Journal

A burnt-out writer’s retreat at a fancy Swiss hotel is interrupted by a murder mystery in this metafictional, meticulously crafted whodunit from the New York Times bestselling author of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.

A writer named Joël, Switzerland’s most prominent novelist, flees to the Hôtel de Verbier, a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps. Disheartened over a recent breakup and his longtime publisher’s death, Joël hopes to rest. However, his plans quickly go awry. It all starts with a seemingly innocuous detail: at the Verbier, there is no room 622. 

Before long, Joël and fellow guest Scarlett uncover a long-unsolved murder that transpired in the hotel's room 622. The attendant circumstances: the succession of Switzerland’s largest private bank, a mysterious counterintelligence operation called P-30, and a most disreputable sabotage of hotel hospitality. A European phenomenon, The Enigma of Room 622 is a matryoshka doll of intrigue–as precise as a Swiss watch–and Dicker’s most diabolically addictive thriller yet.

Translated from the French by Robert Bononno

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063098848

Joël Dicker

Joël Dicker’s novels have been translated into over forty languages and sold more than fifteen million copies worldwide. Born in Geneva in 1985, Dicker later studied Law. His first novel was awarded the Prix des Ecrivains Genevois. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (La Verite sur l’Affaire Harry Quebert) was shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt and won the Grand Prix du Roman de l’Academie Française and the Prix Goncourt des Lyceens.

Reviews for The Enigma of Room 622

[Cynthia Yaunish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I couldn’t stop listening to this book. The plot twists and story were wonderful

[Jennifer Hartshorn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh my goodness, what a story! I was guessing right up to the end, so many twists and turns. Loved it!!

[Gloriana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The narrator is absolutely fantastic, so many characters and each so distinctive.

This is my favorite kind of mystery. A complicated “enigma” like the title says. The who/what/where/when slowly unravels. It has a kind of Agatha Christie flavor but it’s so also quite unique. Bonus for it being meta fiction too.

There is a baffling amount of back & forth in time, past & present. 10 years ago. 3 Days before the murder. One month before the gala. 15 years later. February, December, Yesterday, 1 day later. Etc.

But, I loved all 16 hrs of it!

[amina holt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was so much fun! The narrator was AMAZING. The time flew by.

[Rhonda Morrison · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Very dull. The story through chapter kept hinting at a mystery, but finally, not enough tension advanced and I gave up.

[SL Jones · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Had great potential but was too long. So many unnecessary twists & turns. The constant back & forth through time gave we whiplash! It was a struggle to get to the end.

[alisa hartley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ugh, I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I think it was a bit too long and jumping back and forth between timelines got exhausting. I finished because I was curious enough to want to know what happened, but kind of wish I hadn't bothered. A bit anticlimactic.

[Jamie L Pfeiffer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Engaging characters in the inside story, although by the end after 4 or 5 "AHA!" reveals, it was running out of potential murderers and getting a little tiresome. Generally liked the resolution, and the setup... good clues that were spottable but didn't spoil the big reveal. My only real dislike was that I found the frame story - the author writing book/grieving breakup and publisher death - wildly unnecessary. This seemed like a perfectly good novel without it, and that aspect didn't enhance it for me at all. Just my opinion, didn't lessen the overall enjoyment much.

I listened to the audio (at 1.2x, my usual speed). Enjoyed the narrative performance as well.

[Laurie Bauer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! I loved it, every word, every character and every twist. I'm so glad I read it, highly recommend.