Here’s how The Hollow Man book is key to solving the mystery in Netflix’s Wake Up Dead Man

If you’ve watched Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, you’ll know Rian Johnson packs his films with little clues that seem harmless at first, until suddenly everything clicks into place. And this time, the secret weapon isn’t just Benoit Blanc’s drawl or a cleverly hidden prop; it’s a book. A very specific, very nerdy, very telling book.

So, here’s why The Hollow Man book by John Dickson Carr is absolutely crucial to the mystery at the heart of the Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

So, what exactly is this book doing in the film?

via Netflix

Early in the story, we learn that the community’s book club at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude has just finished reading The Hollow Man, a classic 1935 locked-room mystery. It’s referenced by both Father Jud and Blanc, and it quickly becomes clear this isn’t some random easter egg.

In fact, Blanc calls it “a syllabus of how to commit the perfect crime,” which says a lot about how central it is to the investigation.

Why would a killer in this film be so interested in a decades-old detective novel? Because The Hollow Man is the locked-room blueprint. It’s the kind of guidebook you’d turn to if you wanted to pull off the impossible.

So, what is The Hollow Man all about?

via Netflix

At its heart, the novel follows two seemingly impossible murders. One is inside a locked room, and another is in plain sight with no footprints leading towards or away from the victim.

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However, the most famous part of the book, and the part Wake Up Dead Man clearly draws from, is Chapter 17. In this chapter, Carr’s detective, Gideon Fell, explains all the classic tricks behind impossible crimes. He describes how an apparent murder might actually be an accident staged to look suspicious. How a victim might be manipulated into causing their own death without realising it. And how a hidden mechanical device could be used to commit the killing while everyone assumes the room is safe. These concepts echo throughout Monsignor Wicks’ unsettling death in the film.

So, why is this book so important to the plot?

via Netflix

According to Mashable, the killer in Wake Up Dead Man seems to use The Hollow Man as direct inspiration, perhaps even as a step-by-step manual. Monsignor Wicks is stabbed in a tiny room, in front of an entire congregation, with no obvious way for the killer to enter or escape. It’s exactly the kind of puzzle Carr was famous for. So when Blanc notices The Hollow Man on the parish reading list, he realises it isn’t simply a cute reference. It’s motive, method, and mindset wrapped up in one dusty paperback.

The novel reveals that the killer wants to impress, outsmart, and design a murder that feels like a performance.

It also reveals something about Blanc himself

via Netflix

Blanc referring to the book as a “syllabus” isn’t just a witty line. It shows he immediately understands the challenge being posed. In a sense, The Hollow Man becomes the unspoken conversation between detective and murderer. It’s an intellectual duel played out across decades of mystery-writing tradition.

Blanc isn’t just solving a crime; he’s answering a provocation. By using Carr’s logic, he knows precisely where to begin unravelling the trick.

So, what does the book symbolise in the film?

via Netflix

The Hollow Man exposes the mentality behind Monsignor Wicks’ death. It shows that the killer thinks they’re clever, possibly too clever for their own good. It reveals a belief that theatrical locked-room tricks will hide the truth. And it suggests a desire to stage a murder that feels like fiction, as if they want the world to admire the puzzle more than mourn the victim.

In a film built around appearances, faith, secrets, and the stories people choose to tell about themselves, it’s a perfect thematic match.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.