Just noticed you edited your thread-starting post.
So to go back to your "locked room"-puzzle: I think you can have a secondary character tell you there's a secret exit somewhere, but I don't feel they should say it's the bookcase that's the key. Personally, I don't even feel you should be aware of the secret exit beforehand. You should basically be stuck in that room because "the door is locked and you don't have a key so you'll have to find another way out" and then it's up to the player to find the alternative exit or the alternative way to get the door open.
It's not like a single room will have so many hotspots that you won't be able to pinpoint your exit to the bookcase anyway.
The thing is that when you eventually find out that "the books are hollow and there's a mechanism behind them", then there should at least be some clues to be found in the room to help you solve the bookcase-puzzle. Having the player randomly pull books because you have no idea what else to do should definitely be avoided.
But this brings us back to a "difficulty"-matter, doesn't it?
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