Bernard Werber. The Laughter of the Cyclops

When the body of renowned comedian Darius "Cyclops" is found in his dressing room after a performance, journalist Lucretia Nimrod and her longtime friend Isidor Katzenberg take up the investigation. They are the only ones who suspect that Cyclops did not die a natural death. It soon becomes apparent that the mysterious GHL group is involved. They also discover a chest whose contents spell doom for anyone who opens it. It also turns out that laughter is a far more mysterious, complex, and dangerous phenomenon than is commonly believed. Can laughter really kill?