When a whole family is murdered in Stockholm, Inspector Joona Linna is brought in to investigate the murky case and soon uncovers an unsettling connection to disgraced hypnotist and medic Erik Maria Bark. With uber-villains in the Thomas Harris mould and a labyrinthine plot, this is set to be the veritable heir to the Stieg Larsson series. Unsettling and gripping.

Comparison: Henning Mankell, Karin Fossum, Camilla Lackberg
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Synopsis

You need clues. You need time. You need a motive. You won't have any of them. When a whole family is murdered in Stockholm, Detective Inspector Joona Linna knows there is only one person who can help find the perpetrator. Erik Maria Bark, retired hypnotist, is called in to work with Josef Ek, a fifteen-year-old boy who witnessed the brutal murder of his family. Following a series of accusations by his patients, Erik is reluctant to return to his craft but makes an exception for Joseph Ek. As he delves deep into the boy's mind, he discovers that Josef murdered his own family on the orders of his sister Evelyn. When Joona and Erik journey deep into the woods to find Evelyn, she admits that she was abused by her brother for many years. When she refused to submit to him, he took revenge on the entire family. When Josef escapes from custody and Erik's only son Benjamin disappears from the family home, Erik is thrust into a world of violence and gang warfare, forcing him to revisit his past to discover the truth.

Reviews

'Lars Kepler enthralls readers with The Hypnotist, just like Stieg Larsson did with the Millennium-series.' Norrkopings Tidningar, Sweden

'The Hypnotist is a rare beast: A Swedish thriller on a high international level with a smart, effective and surprising plot. The narrative has a skilful, refined, pulsating drive and the writing is sharp, convincing and multilayered.' Kristianstadsbladet

'One of the best -- if not best -- Scandinavian crime I've read. Who knows I might even manage to sleep with the light off again sometime soon!' Sam Baker

'Intelligent, original and chilling' Simon Beckett

'You'll be engrossed way past bedtime.' Stylist Magazine

'A carefully woven web of suspense, a sharp dialogue and a very inventive way indeed of dealing with how a tormented brain works.' Swedish Radio

'The book's structure is tremendously skilful. The suspense and the uneasiness only increase, while I chew my nails shorter and shorter.' Aftonbladet

'Lars Kepler has written a fine crime novel, a breathtaking thriller, which uncovers the many unpleasant sides of the human psyche. He opens the door to a human abyss. And he does it in an irresistible way.' Boras tidning

About the Author

Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril & Alexander Ahndoril, both critically-acclaimed writers under their own names. Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril's first novel Stjarneborg (Castle of Stars) has been translated in several languages while Alexander Ahndoril's novel The Director, about Ingmar Bergman, was shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. They live in Sweden. The Hypnotist is the first in a series featuring Detective Inspector Joona Linna. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation