"The Murder Case" (Hotel "At the Dead Climber’s") by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, summary

This science fiction novella, stylized as a classic police procedural, was written by the Strugatsky brothers in 1970. This work stands out in the authors’ bibliography as an experiment in genre form, where a hermetic detective plot unexpectedly transforms into a philosophical drama about contact with extraterrestrial intelligence and human moral responsibility. A key feature of the text is its exploration of how formal bureaucracy and following instructions can lead to irreparable tragedy when confronted with the unknown.

The book was adapted into a film in 1979 by director Grigori Kromanov at the Tallinnfilm studio. The film, "Hotel ’At the Dead Mountaineer’," won the Silver Asteroid award at the annual Trieste Science Fiction Film Festival, becoming a cult classic among Soviet audiences thanks to its visual aesthetics and electronic music.

The inspector arrives and meets the guests

Police Inspector Peter Glebsky arrives at a secluded hotel nestled in a snowy mountain valley in Vingi County after receiving an anonymous death threat. On the way, his car narrowly avoids a collision with a reckless motorcyclist towing a skier. The hotel, with the ominous name "At the Dead Mountaineer," greets the policeman with an eccentric sign and a massive St. Bernard named Lel.

His first encounter with the hotel’s residents is quite unusual. Glebsky discovers a young man hanging from the ceiling at the door. He introduces himself as Simon Simonet, "Senior Lieutenant of Cybernetics." The hotel’s owner, Alek Snevar, introduces the inspector to other guests: the wealthy Moses couple (Mr. Moses possesses the talents of a magician, and his wife, Olga, is a dazzling beauty) and a strange couple Glebsky encountered on the road. They are the powerful Scandinavian Olaf Andvarafors and an androgynous creature in dark glasses, whom everyone calls "Child" or Brun.

The investigation begins with a complication: Snevar claims he didn’t call the police and that no crimes were committed at the hotel. Glebsky contacts management, confirms the call was false, but decides to stay at the hotel until tomorrow due to bad weather and fatigue, intending to enjoy the owner’s signature liqueur.

Strange incidents and an avalanche

A peaceful stay at the hotel is disrupted by a series of mysterious events. Glebsky spots a man in a fur coat on the roof — Mr. Hinkus — behaving extremely suspiciously, hiding bottles, and constantly feeling cold, citing tuberculosis. Someone vandalizes the inspector’s room and leaves a note composed of newspaper clippings, identifying Hinkus as a dangerous gangster nicknamed Filin.

That evening, while playing billiards, Olaf demonstrates supernatural accuracy, sinking balls into pockets along impossible trajectories, driving Simone to despair. The inspector tries to sort things out with Hinkus, who hides on the roof in a panic, refusing to come down for dinner. The situation is exacerbated by a natural disaster: a massive landslide blocks the only exit from the ravine, cutting off telephone service. The hotel’s residents find themselves cut off from the outside world.

That night, an exhausted man bursts into the hotel and is found on the doorstep. The stranger, who identifies himself as Luarvik Luarvik, is slow-moving, has difficulty finding words, and insistently demands to see Olaf Andvarafors. Glebsky and Snevar go up to Olaf’s room and find him dead: his neck is broken, but the room is tidy, and the window is open. There are no footprints in the freshly fallen snow on the ledge or beneath the window.

Investigation in a confined space

Glebsky takes control of the situation, seals off the room, and begins an investigation. A complex device of unknown purpose — a black box with dials — is discovered in the dead man’s suitcase. Simone, after examining the device, suspects its military or space origins. The physicist himself confesses a shocking detail to the inspector: while attempting to make advances on Mrs. Moses, he discovered in her room not a living woman, but an ice-cold mannequin, which later "came to life" again.

Hinkus is soon discovered, bound and hidden under a table in one of the empty rooms. Freed, "Filin" hysterically confesses to being a gang member sent to spy on a defector nicknamed Beelzebub (whom he identified as Moses). Hinkus claims he was restrained by Olga, who possesses superhuman strength. To prove their point, he and Snevar show the inspector a steel channel, tied in a knot with their bare hands.

Luarvik, having regained some consciousness, identifies Olaf’s body, but does so strangely, as if recognizing not a person but a machine. He insistently demands the return of the "suitcase" (the device), offering enormous sums of money for it. Glebsky confiscates the money as an attempt at bribery and refuses to hand over the evidence.

The Alien Theory

Simone, putting together the facts — Olaf’s phenomenal abilities, Olga’s "dead" state, Luarvik’s strange speech, and the technical devices — comes to the conclusion that the hotel isn’t occupied by humans. He tries to convince Glebsky that they’ve encountered aliens.

Soon, Moses reveals his true colors. He, Olga, Olaf, and Luarvik are aliens (or cybernetic organisms created by them) who crashed. Olaf died due to a power shortage, and the "murder" was merely the disabling of a mechanism. Luarvik is the pilot of a rescue ship. They desperately need the "suitcase" — an energy accumulator — to escape Earth. Moses (the real one or his replica) is indeed being hunted by the gangster syndicate "Champion," mistaking him for their fugitive treasurer.

The Inspector’s Fatal Choice

Glebsky faces a grave moral dilemma. On the one hand, there’s a fantastical tale of aliens, supported by miracles (appearance transformations, monstrous strength). On the other, there’s professional duty and the logic of a police officer, which tells him he’s dealing with a gang of cunning criminals using hypnosis and tricks. Simone pleads with him to hand over the battery and let them go, but Glebsky, fearing he might commit malfeasance, remains adamant. He orders everyone under arrest until the authorities arrive.

At a critical moment, Simone and Snevar attempt to take the suitcase from the inspector by force, but Glebsky resists. Taking advantage of the confusion, the aliens (Moses carrying Olga and the device, Luarvik dragging Olaf’s body) escape from the hotel and attempt to escape into the mountains on skis.

Tragic ending

Glebsky, Snevar, and Simone run out onto the porch. The inspector awaits the arrival of the police helicopter he supposedly called (in reality, the radio was down). A helicopter does indeed appear in the sky. The aliens, seeing it, continue on, not expecting a trick. However, the helicopter belongs not to the police, but to the "Champion" gang, summoned by Hinkus.

The helicopter descends, and the bandits open heavy machine-gun fire on the fugitives. Olaf, Olga, Moses, and Luarvik perish in a hail of bullets. The helicopter disappears behind a ridge. In despair, Simone accuses Glebsky of stupidity and formalism, blaming him for the demise of contact with another civilization. The inspector is left alone with his realization, realizing that his adherence to the letter of the law led to disaster. In the end, only the dog Lel howls mournfully, mourning the dead.