It was very hard to get into the flow of this story, at first and I found the characters a little two dimensional but I still really liked them. I wasn't sure how to rate this book because I neither loved nor hated it. It just was.

The timeline in this book is non linear which makes for a confusing read. The characters make some odd decisions and I couldn’t warm to them. This book is far too long.

Did my best with this one, especially as it has garnered some very positive reviews, but in the end had to admit defeat. I simply wasn’t interested in the characters or the plot, nor with all those twists and turns, and I found the meta-narrative conceit so hackneyed. Managed about a third then realised it wasn’t going to get any better. Too verbose, too long and basically too dull. An unsolved murder that I’m happy to leave that way.

Another great read from this author. This is the third novel of his I’ve read and my favourite thus far. Twists and turns which kept me guessing until the end. This isn’t your generic mystery - there is a mix of genres. It can take a while to get going, but persevere! The payoff is worth it.

This book was amazingly interwoven and a beautiful exploration into human relationships.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be as these relationships took the forefront over the murder but I couldn't stop reading it.

The characters are all complex and lovable in there own way and we're perfectly distinct.

I would 100% recommend this book to an avid reader who can spare the time for this book. It is one you need to sit and enjoy in long sessions to really get a feel and grip of rhe story. I would maybe not recommend this book to new readers.

Autumn was also a perfect pair to read and feel the emotions of the text.

I found reading it was a bit of a hard slog and although it get better it took me longer than I anticipated to finish. Probably not one to be read sitting by the pool, more for a dark and stormy night in front of the fire.

Thanks to Netgalley and to Quercus Books for providing me with an ARC copy of this novel, which I freely chose to review.
What can I tell you about this book? I kept thinking of different accolades and even genres as I read: jigsaw puzzle, with elements of the classic mystery with an amateur (a couple) investigator, a farce (full of confusion, characters who pretend to be something/somebody they are not, pretences, hidden objects, false clues, fake identities, cheating...), a spy novel, a book set in the world of private banking and high finances, a story of thwarted love and difficult family relationships, an autobiographical book about the author and an homage to his recently deceased editor (Bernard de Fallois), a metafictional exercise about an author writing a book about a mystery (an author called Joël who has recently lost his editor and wants to write a book about him but ends up writing... something else).
This is, as is always the case with Dicker’s novels, a long book, and it jumps backward and forward in time, from the present (2018) to the time of the mystery (15 years prior) and forward and backward between those two timelines. Those who prefer straightforward narratives that follow a chronological order and are not too demanding of our attention should not attempt this book. Although the time frames are clearly indicated every time they change, any distraction could easily cause confusion. It is true that the information is rehashed and revised a number of times, because the investigators (the author called Joël and Scarlett, a woman he meets during his holiday who insists on trying his theory about writing and what would work as a good plot for a story) keep reaching cul-de-sacs and having to dismiss all the clues and suspects they had been working on, so there are options to catch up if you have forgotten any small details. In spite of that, this is one of those books that should not be read over long stretches of time, as I suspect it could become increasingly frustrating, and either it will grab your attention and keep you reading or it won’t, from pretty early on.
For those who prefer their mysteries very tight, with no loose threads and totally realistic, this novel might not work either. It does require a huge dose of suspension of disbelief (this might depend on your interpretation of the overall narrative, but I’m speaking in general terms here, and sorry, but I cannot clarify matters without toppling the house of cards), and you need to be happy to follow the characters (and there are quite a few of those, whose points of view we are offered, always in the third person apart from Joël’s, who writes in the first person) wherever they want to take you without questioning too much how plausible it all is, otherwise, you will not be able to enjoy the experience, because you will get pushed out of the story (the stories) and will no longer care what the answer to the many questions might be. So yes, you need to be happy to be taken for a ride. And quite a ride this is.
For all the reasons above, I will not try to discuss in too much detail either the plot or the characters. Let’s say that I appreciated, most of all, the comments about writing and the reflections about the nature of fiction, the homage to the editor (who might be a character in this novel but who also had a counterpart in real life), and although I kept shaking my head at the twist on twist on twist, I admire the author for daring to (try to) pull such a literary trick out of his hat, and I am sure a couple of the characters of the novel (who are skilled performers themselves) would clap admiringly at his prowess.
I am not going to reveal the ending, but you will probably imagine, by now, that the author couldn’t leave without a final twist. Did I see the twist coming? Well, which one of the many there are in the novel? I kept thinking about other books I have read about writers at work, and I must admit this is one of the most entertaining ones I have come across, and it did keep me thinking and wondering till the very end, even if at times I thought Dicker had gone too far. If you want your characters squeaky clean, nice, totally realistic, and consistent, I advise you not to read this book. Otherwise, there are no major warnings required other than the cautions I’ve shared about the way the story is written and personal preferences.
A random fact I had to mention: there is a character called Olga, and although she is not a nice person by any stretch of the imagination, she does the right thing in the end. So, I won’t take offence at the use the author makes of my name.
The other comment I’ll add is that there is a fabulous note written by the translator as part of the backmatter that illustrates beautifully the process of translating a text, especially one as complex as this novel. I also like his description of the book:
And in this way, the novel turns in upon itself, like the ever circling spirals of a gastropod shell.
The author inside of the story explains that rather than describing a series of facts, a plot should ask a question or a series of questions. And on that front, you can hardly do better than this novel. If you are happy to give it time, don’t mind books playing tricks on you, and enjoy the challenge, give it a go. It might drive you mad, but it is likely to keep you entertained and make you smile in wonder.

this book was super boring.

the characters were annoying and flat.

all the twists and turns were not necessary at all. like. so much was on the page but all that was needed was just one sentence

Another incredibly clever mystery. The opening takes time to settle into and you begin to question why you’re being given everything in such minute detail but when things start to come together you find yourself completely hooked and unable the put down the book. Once again we have the blending of fiction and fantasy as the author becomes a character and you question what is real and what isn’t.

I really wanted to like this book as I keep seeing it everywhere but sadly I did not gel with the characters and ended up not finishing it which is very unlike me.

Thank you for the arc.

This had all the promise of a great book but it was just a little bit too long. One more edit and I think this would have been a great book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

If you love so much a good thriller as I do, this book is for YOU!
Full of mystery stuff and a good character is developed.
You need to read this one in fall or winter, this book scream for your reading and attention.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book had good potential but I found it a little overly complicated. I kept reading to the end but didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to.

⭐ -- The cover is very cool on this one!!

I threw in the towel on this one at about 30%. Unfortunately it just wasn't holding my attention, and life is too short to spend it trying to finish books that are not working. 🤷🏻‍♀️

**ARC Via NetGalley**

An unsolved murder in a hotel sounds like the perfect premise of a novel. Couple it with Joël Dicker, Switzerland's most famous literary star and a wonderfully intricate plot and this is the perfect read for thriller lovers who like their novels complicated and forensically plotted.

Rating: 2.5 stars.

I found this book too long and a little too convoluted. I enjoy a thriller, particularly one that you can't easy figure out, but the twists here were just too contrived for my taste. I read through to the end, as I needed closure, but the pace is rather slow and I didn't warm to the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this, The Enigma of Room 622’ written by Joël Dicker. and translated from French by Robert Bononno.

I really enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, and my one word to describe this is just "wow!". There are many twists in this story, that I find hard to explain without giving away the ending.

Joël Dicker is staying at the Hotel Verbier, in the Swiss Alps, there he begins to write his next novel as well as to get over a bad breakup and mourn the death of Bernard, his longtime publisher. After being shown to his room, 623, he finds himself fascinated with the room sequence of 620, 621, 621a, and 623. His questions are evaded when asked about why this has happened.

He later meets Scarlett Leonas, another guest at the hotel, and she joins him on his quest to uncover the truth about room 622, which leads them to an unsolved murder.

It is from around this point that the story jumps between Joël, and flashbacks and further flashbacks of the events that lead up to the murder.

If you enjoy mystery thrillers with a twist, this is a must read.

With 12 million books sold worldwide, Swiss author Joël Dicker is a global success and one of the most popular authors in the French-speaking world. His road to fame began in 2010 when he was awarded the Geneva Writers’ Prize for unpublished manuscripts, and Parisian editor Bernard de Fallois purchased the rights to publish his winning submission. A few months later, de Fallois released the book that made Dicker famous, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, which in turn became a film. Bernard de Fallois died in 2018, and with The Enigma of Room 622 Dicker pays homage to his publisher, mentor and friend.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2022/10/11/the-enigma-of-room-622-joel-dicker/ and https://crimefictionlover.com/2022/10/the-enigma-of-room-622-by-joel-dicker/

A highly original crime fiction! This novel starts off with an author within the story who is struggling to write a novel, and this character has the same name as the actual author; Joël. Joël sets off to a hotel in the Swiss alps, where he comes across a mystery surrounding one of the hotel rooms, where a man was murdered. Another guest of the hotel, a Ms Scarlett Leonas, convinces Joël to help her find out what happened - and to write a book about it. From there, we get into the true heart of the novel - a mystery surrounding a death connected to an important Swiss bank, and the characters of Macaire, Lev, and Anastasia. Macaire is the disinherited son of the president of the bank, married to Anastasia, and Lev is his rival - in more ways than one. In a different strand, Joël and Scarlett investigate at one remove the events that happened many years earlier, to Macaire, Lev and Anastasia. This book is so long and so complicated that it almost takes away from some of the originality and made it slightly arduous, but the incredibly tangled plot is also one of the highlights of the book - there are multiple plot twists and the originality of these twists means that it’s almost impossible to know where it’s going to take you next. For most of the book, infuriatingly, we don’t even know who the murder victim is. Some of the twists towards the end are really fantastic - in particular those relating to the enigmatic banking star, Lev. Glad I read this, it was different!

My thanks to #NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a general overview of this book, I thought it was alright I didn’t give up about the 5% mark but I decided to give it more of a go just because I got it as an advanced copy, and to give up with that as the understanding felt unfair. Once I’d battled through a little bit longer, I began to enjoy the book a lot more however I didn't like it enough that to make me want to go and buy my own copy or to investigate any of the authors other works.
The biggest issue I had with the start of this book was the way that it portrays women. This issue does continue later on but to a lesser extent. All the women in this book are seen as Incredibly attractive people who want nothing more than to sleep with which ever character they are supposed to be in love with. They don't seem to have any other personalities, all goals other than to be an appendage to somebody else. Furthermore, they are all so stunningly beautiful with that, whichever man they go, “I want that one” instantly wants her in return, just by looking at her. Everyone agrees that she's wonderful and is very attractive and it is very painful to read. Even the one woman who is not portrayed as a love interest who is the assistant to the author who features in this book in - a thing I'm going to get him in a minute - is still expected to centre her life around him. I feel like this is best summed up in the quote. “Joël, I'm not going to cancel my holiday because your girlfriend dumped you.”
The author appears in this book in a slightly confusing way. He is writing a book to commemorate his recently deceased publisher friend, but then gets distracted, goes on holiday, and writes the book, the enigma of Room 622. However, towards the end of the book we realised the half of what happens in that didn't even happen then. It's a book within a book within a book. In the immediate fictional world and the subsequent one that is revealed at the end. He falls in love with these ridiculously attractive women who just idolise him and allow him to play this sort of clever, suave, dapper gentleman hero. And I think it comes off quite poorly. I would struggle reading this with any other character, but for this to be the author, or a representation there of, just makes it all less palatable, and is the main reason I nearly gave up on reading this book.
Once we finally make our way to the actual mystery, we experience a number of time jumps and different points of view. These give a much more rounded view of the story, you can see everything, every scene is shown from multiple different angles. But you do get the sense that there is unreliable narration as the narrative twists. It feels like not all of these contradictory stories can be true. Sometimes they are, it's just that there is another point of view that we won't get through for another couple of chapters that gives us information that neither of the previous characters had access to. It did, however, make it slightly hard to understand. Who knows what? When did they know it? And who knows that they know that?
The mystery at the heart of this is about the fight for who becomes the president of a Swiss bank. Personally, I don't particularly care. I found that I had little investment in the source of conflict in this book. It's hard to feel sorry for someone who, if things go badly, just has to retire on their millions. I also feel like half of the complex. In this. Could be resolved if people sat down in a neutral place and had proper conversations like grown-ups. It wouldn't solve all the problems in this novel, but probably would deescalate things enough so that people didn't feel like they had to resort to murder.
There was also some inconsistencies with being able to keep track of people. There were too many people whose locations and motives changed every 30 seconds. I did finally guess who did it, but only because I slightly ran out of other people. Everyone is tide up 6 million different ways of why they could or couldn't be the murderer, based on evidence that they might reveal if you ask them nicely, and it's Tuesday, and it's raining in France. However, towards the end there was one character who seemed. Oddly absent and I went oh, it's them, that’s why they’re oddly absent. Funny enough, it was them, that’s why they were oddly absent. There were a few other surprises that whilst I could not. Predict the exact details of, I did get the general idea, and my answer would have led to the same end results. It felt like the author was trying to be too clever, to the point where we feel familiar with crime fiction than it's just obvious. A lot of the reviews talk about this book paying homage to various crime writers. However, if you pay homage too much, you just end up taking their best ideas and you just need someone who knows what they are to be able to see through what you're doing. I think that the ideas in this book have been done better in across different works by different authors.
There were also two lines the I want to talk about. I think that they are important in shaping how you view the author as opposed to the characters. Neither of these lines are important enough that they could not be removed from the book, and they aren't reflected upon in any way that provides philosophical insight or really affected how I saw the characters. They just make me think that the author was a bit of a dick. One is a casually anti sematic line said by women we already dislike, and this does not add to our disapproval of her in anyway. It never comes up again. There are other things she could have said that was more in keeping with what we already know about her that personally I think would have been less offensive. I get why an insult or derogatory comment was put here and that type of sentence works absolutely. It didn't need to be the line that it was. I'm not going to say the line because I don't wish to have a clip of me saying it which can then be taken out of context.
The second line, however I is less bad at a literal level but the ideology it purports, I think is bad. The line is “she deserved to be a servant for having such poor judgement”. There are better ways of phrasing what was meant to be said. You can make different comments and things but given that this woman is not shown to have particularly poor judgement. Just the idea that only rich people can have good judgement is bad enough. But then furthermore the fact that the woman she is comparing herself to in this situation has worse judgement. Really doesn't make the point that the character is trying to make. It just shows to me that the author has no respect for people who work ridiculously hard and do manual labour for a living.

At the end of the day, I feel like this same murder mystery could have been written so much better had things like chronology and points of view been arranged differently. So that I didn't just feel like I was being deliberately kept in the dark by the author. If the story had been told in a way where I felt like it was the characters tricking me, I get that. Having the author be like, oh, I'm just going to put this flashback here now, even though we're not talking to these characters. They are, not revealing this conversation the author is, made me feel like the author didn't have confidence in their own mystery.
I've also never seen. A group of people who love their jobs so much. Those who have family legacies at stake, I get a bit feeling some understanding towards, but the idea of wanting to be president of a company that you don't care for? I don’t get that. It's just your name on the building that you feel attachment to. I get that family is important to people, but I don’t think that it should come at this cost. Also, in most of these cases they’re the family that they're trying to impress, the legacy they're trying to live up to is still going. They aren’t trying to do it for the memory of someone, they're trying to do it to impress that person who is still living, you can have the conversations you need to have you can put in the work now, there is no need to cause all of this chaos.
Half of the characters in this book are portrayed as like super geniuses who can play everybody like a fiddle, and the other half are seen as incredibly stupid, and are their fiddles that are being played. I think it's quite interesting seeing who gets portrayed as who, and when. As it stands, I just think everyone is a little bit stupid. If you're looking for a crime novel somewhere, and this is