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Joona Linna #1
The Hypnotist
Read the number one Scandinavian crime bestseller taking the world by storm.
In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.
It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.
An international sensation, 'The Hypnotist' is set to appear in thirty-seven countries, and it has landed at the top of bestseller lists wherever it’s been published—in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark. Now it’s America’s turn. Combining the addictive power of the Stieg Larsson trilogy with the storytelling drive of The Silence of the Lambs, this adrenaline-drenched thriller is spellbinding from its very first page.
In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.
It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.
An international sensation, 'The Hypnotist' is set to appear in thirty-seven countries, and it has landed at the top of bestseller lists wherever it’s been published—in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark. Now it’s America’s turn. Combining the addictive power of the Stieg Larsson trilogy with the storytelling drive of The Silence of the Lambs, this adrenaline-drenched thriller is spellbinding from its very first page.
616 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Lars Kepler
43 books5,229 followersLars Kepler is the pseudonym of critically acclaimed husband and wife team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, authors of the No. 1 internationally bestselling Joona Linna series. With seven installments to date, the series has sold 13 million copies in 40 languages. The Ahndorils were both established writers before they adopted the pen name Lars Kepler, and have each published several acclaimed novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,229 reviews
March 8, 2021
(B+) 76% | Good
Notes: Spends a lot of time building up elaborate red herrings; successor developments being progressively less compelling.
Notes: Spends a lot of time building up elaborate red herrings; successor developments being progressively less compelling.
January 19, 2012
I wish someone would hypnotize me and erase the memory of reading this book.
OK, it isn’t that bad from a writing standpoint and basic premise, but it had a lot of buzz that I didn’t think it came close to living up to. Slapping that “The Next Stieg Larsson!”* label on any new Swedish thriller is probably automatic at this point, but it sets up a reader up for disappointment when there’s no character anywhere near as interesting as Lisbeth Salander around. Extra disappointing when most of the characters are so unlikable that you start rooting for the serial killer. Throw in a plot that disregards logic whenever it’s convenient to try and introduce some tension into a story, and this ended up as a thriller that wasted a pretty decent set-up.
*Lars Kepler is actually a pseudonym for a husband & wife writing team.
Erik Maria Bark used to be a psychiatrist who was considered one of the best hypnotists in Sweden, but he no longer practices hypnotism and now works as a medical doctor. Erik is called to the hospital in the middle of the night by police detective Joona Linna to examine a teenage boy who has been repeatedly stabbed and was found at a crime scene where most of his family was brutally murdered.
Linna believes that the boy’s missing sister may also be in danger, but he’s too badly injured to question via normal methods so Linna wants Bark to hypnotize him. Bark initially refuses, but eventually he decides to put the boy under and try to get critical information about the crime and the location of the sister. The shocking revelations that come out while the boy is hypnotized lead to a series of events that threaten Bark and his family. This pushes the strained marriage of Bark and his wife Simone to the breaking point and also further alienates their son Benjamin who suffers from a rare blood disease.
Crime thrillers and realistic police procedures don’t always mix, but they should usually have at least a nodding acquaintance. Not so much here. For example, Linna immediately decides that the only way to find the missing sister is to hypnotize the injured boy even though he’s half dead. Uh….as I understand it, the police usually have other resources to call on when they look for people other than browbeating former hypnotists into putting the whammy on critically injured patients. Later on the police have good reason to think that Bark is in danger, but he’s turned off his phone. Linna just leaves him a series of voice mails instead of sending cops to his house to check up on him. “Ah, fuck it. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Why bother wasting gas to look in on him?”
There’s an even more baffling piece.
The plot takes a weird twist halfway through that doesn’t end up going anywhere close to where it seems like it would originally. Ordinarily, I’d say that’s a good thing, but the first half of the book sets you up to think one thing, and then there’s a new development completely out of left field. It doesn’t feel organic or earned, it just feels like a cheat.
Even worse than the logic gaps and bullshit plot twists are the characters. Linna isn’t too bad, just kind of a bland stubborn cop. Bark comes across as kind of an oblivious arrogant ass with a pill addiction who will instantly dismiss his wife’s claims that someone was in their apartment the previous night when he was too whacked on drugs to know if a marching band had walked through. The kid Benjamin also seems like kind of whiney little prick, but at least he has excuses like asshole parents and a blood disease.
Worst of all is Simone. She’s generally shrill, hysterical, stupid and overall just kind of a bitch. Bark had a brief affair ten years before, and she never really forgave him for it. When he is called out in the middle of the night by Linna at the beginning of the book, she gets instantly suspicious even though Bark is a doctor who works at an emergency room. A cell phone mix-up makes her think that he is cheating on her again, and she begins hurling accusations at Bark without ever once explaining why. This is the kind of shit I hate in stories because it’s manufactured drama that could have easily been solved with a rational five minute conversation, but instead becomes a continuing point of tension because Simone would rather pitch a fit than explain anything.
Simone commits even worse offenses.
All in all, this seems like a couple of Swedish writers looking to hop on the Stieg Larsson gravy train came up a couple of decent ideas, but then botched it by trying to get too cute with their plot and making their main characters self-absorbed asshats.
OK, it isn’t that bad from a writing standpoint and basic premise, but it had a lot of buzz that I didn’t think it came close to living up to. Slapping that “The Next Stieg Larsson!”* label on any new Swedish thriller is probably automatic at this point, but it sets up a reader up for disappointment when there’s no character anywhere near as interesting as Lisbeth Salander around. Extra disappointing when most of the characters are so unlikable that you start rooting for the serial killer. Throw in a plot that disregards logic whenever it’s convenient to try and introduce some tension into a story, and this ended up as a thriller that wasted a pretty decent set-up.
*Lars Kepler is actually a pseudonym for a husband & wife writing team.
Erik Maria Bark used to be a psychiatrist who was considered one of the best hypnotists in Sweden, but he no longer practices hypnotism and now works as a medical doctor. Erik is called to the hospital in the middle of the night by police detective Joona Linna to examine a teenage boy who has been repeatedly stabbed and was found at a crime scene where most of his family was brutally murdered.
Linna believes that the boy’s missing sister may also be in danger, but he’s too badly injured to question via normal methods so Linna wants Bark to hypnotize him. Bark initially refuses, but eventually he decides to put the boy under and try to get critical information about the crime and the location of the sister. The shocking revelations that come out while the boy is hypnotized lead to a series of events that threaten Bark and his family. This pushes the strained marriage of Bark and his wife Simone to the breaking point and also further alienates their son Benjamin who suffers from a rare blood disease.
Crime thrillers and realistic police procedures don’t always mix, but they should usually have at least a nodding acquaintance. Not so much here. For example, Linna immediately decides that the only way to find the missing sister is to hypnotize the injured boy even though he’s half dead. Uh….as I understand it, the police usually have other resources to call on when they look for people other than browbeating former hypnotists into putting the whammy on critically injured patients. Later on the police have good reason to think that Bark is in danger, but he’s turned off his phone. Linna just leaves him a series of voice mails instead of sending cops to his house to check up on him. “Ah, fuck it. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Why bother wasting gas to look in on him?”
There’s an even more baffling piece.
The plot takes a weird twist halfway through that doesn’t end up going anywhere close to where it seems like it would originally. Ordinarily, I’d say that’s a good thing, but the first half of the book sets you up to think one thing, and then there’s a new development completely out of left field. It doesn’t feel organic or earned, it just feels like a cheat.
Even worse than the logic gaps and bullshit plot twists are the characters. Linna isn’t too bad, just kind of a bland stubborn cop. Bark comes across as kind of an oblivious arrogant ass with a pill addiction who will instantly dismiss his wife’s claims that someone was in their apartment the previous night when he was too whacked on drugs to know if a marching band had walked through. The kid Benjamin also seems like kind of whiney little prick, but at least he has excuses like asshole parents and a blood disease.
Worst of all is Simone. She’s generally shrill, hysterical, stupid and overall just kind of a bitch. Bark had a brief affair ten years before, and she never really forgave him for it. When he is called out in the middle of the night by Linna at the beginning of the book, she gets instantly suspicious even though Bark is a doctor who works at an emergency room. A cell phone mix-up makes her think that he is cheating on her again, and she begins hurling accusations at Bark without ever once explaining why. This is the kind of shit I hate in stories because it’s manufactured drama that could have easily been solved with a rational five minute conversation, but instead becomes a continuing point of tension because Simone would rather pitch a fit than explain anything.
Simone commits even worse offenses.
All in all, this seems like a couple of Swedish writers looking to hop on the Stieg Larsson gravy train came up a couple of decent ideas, but then botched it by trying to get too cute with their plot and making their main characters self-absorbed asshats.
September 28, 2019
”They’d thought he was dead when they found him among the other bodies in the terraced house. He’d lost a great deal of blood, gone into a state of shock, and hadn’t regained consciousness until seven hours later.
He was the only surviving witness.
Detective Joona Linna was certain that the boy would be able to provide valuable information, possibly even identify the killer
But if the other circumstances had not been so exceptional, it would never even have occurred to anyone to turn to a hypnotist.”
Erik Maria Bark has seen his career go up in flames. His relationship with his son is changing and not for the better. His relationship with his wife is on life support. To cope with all of this, he is taking too many “legally prescribed” drugs.
When Detective Joona Linna calls him and wants him to hypnotize the one remaining witness in the bloody carnage that happened at the Ek home, his first response is to say no, not just no, but an emphatic no. Josef is suffering from more cuts than can be counted and is floating in a coma. Linna needs to know two things: where is the older sister Evelyn, and who was the perpetrator? Bark made a promise that he would never hypnotise anyone ever again after one of his patients went berserk, blamed him for everything, and turned public opinion against him.
Hypnotists are seen in the same light as charlatans, clowns, illusionists,and parlor tricksters, so when something goes wrong, people are just confirmed in their natural suspicions of them in the first place.
The circumstances are dire, and as Joona Linna always says, he is a stubborn man. He convinces Erik to use his gifts to find out the truth.
But the truth is so insidious that even these hardened professionals are shaken.
”Josef had a particular smell about him, a smell of burning rage, of burning chemicals.”
What the hell is going on?
To add to the already freakish circumstances Benjamin, Erik and Simone’s son, is taken from their home. Simone enlists the aid of her retired police officer father, Kennet Strang, to help try and find him. Is this connected to the Josef Ek case or does this have something to do with a crazy patient from Erik’s past? ”The past isn’t dead, it isn’t even past.”---William Faulkner
I’m not going to tell you anymore because this is such a plot based book, but I will say, when I was down to the last 100 pages, I didn’t stop until I turned the last page moments before the grandfather clock chimed twelve times.
I think the biggest issue that readers have with this book is that it was so overhyped before it was released. There were all the comparisons to Stieg Larsson and how Lars Kepler was going to be the next biggest thing since the invention of Swedish meatballs. For certain readers, this backfires big time. By the time they read the book, they almost resent having to read it, and their reactions to the book are colored by those resentments. The worst thing you can do is tell someone, emphatically, that they must read a book. The blitz of ads was doing just that. It is the equivalent of assigning a book to be read in school.
The second thing is all the subterfuge over who Lars Kepler is. People were first pointing the finger at Henning Mankell, which in itself is quite the flattering comparison, but Mankell denied that it was he. Lars is in fact these people.
Aren’t they just adorable?
Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of Swedish husband and wife team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. The two Alex’s. Some readers start to get Milli Vanilli vibes. Ah yes, we remember those two front men who were faker than Facebook News. The Alex’s were both writers before they decided to team up to write mysteries, so I think we can safely set that speculation aside.
You might be curious about the origins of the pseudonym. Wikipedia kindly gave me that information. ”Lars is a homage to the Swedish crime fiction author Stieg Larsson as he inspired the duo to start writing crime fiction. The name Kepler comes from the German scientist Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), who solved one of his time’s greatest mysteries: it was his calculations of the planets’ orbits that paved the way for Newton’s theses about gravity.”
Oh no, not Stieg Larsson again! Being compared to Larsson is almost as big a curse as having your book compared to Harry Potter or the The Hunger Games.
*Sigh!* Don’t be manipulated by your own manipulating mind.
The staccato short chapters drove me bonkers until I adjusted, though other reviewers have said how much they like that writing style. It probably does pick up the pace of the reading, but I’m more of a Victorian reader who doesn’t mind nestling down into a chapter for twenty or forty pages or so. I do adore Nordic Noir, and this plot ticks all the boxes for hardboiled and grit. Detective Joona Linna kind of takes a backseat in this one, but I’m looking forward to seeing him move up to the front seat for the next book. He is annoyingly good at his job, which to me is also a nice nod to Kurt Wallander.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
He was the only surviving witness.
Detective Joona Linna was certain that the boy would be able to provide valuable information, possibly even identify the killer
But if the other circumstances had not been so exceptional, it would never even have occurred to anyone to turn to a hypnotist.”
Erik Maria Bark has seen his career go up in flames. His relationship with his son is changing and not for the better. His relationship with his wife is on life support. To cope with all of this, he is taking too many “legally prescribed” drugs.
When Detective Joona Linna calls him and wants him to hypnotize the one remaining witness in the bloody carnage that happened at the Ek home, his first response is to say no, not just no, but an emphatic no. Josef is suffering from more cuts than can be counted and is floating in a coma. Linna needs to know two things: where is the older sister Evelyn, and who was the perpetrator? Bark made a promise that he would never hypnotise anyone ever again after one of his patients went berserk, blamed him for everything, and turned public opinion against him.
Hypnotists are seen in the same light as charlatans, clowns, illusionists,and parlor tricksters, so when something goes wrong, people are just confirmed in their natural suspicions of them in the first place.
The circumstances are dire, and as Joona Linna always says, he is a stubborn man. He convinces Erik to use his gifts to find out the truth.
But the truth is so insidious that even these hardened professionals are shaken.
”Josef had a particular smell about him, a smell of burning rage, of burning chemicals.”
What the hell is going on?
To add to the already freakish circumstances Benjamin, Erik and Simone’s son, is taken from their home. Simone enlists the aid of her retired police officer father, Kennet Strang, to help try and find him. Is this connected to the Josef Ek case or does this have something to do with a crazy patient from Erik’s past? ”The past isn’t dead, it isn’t even past.”---William Faulkner
I’m not going to tell you anymore because this is such a plot based book, but I will say, when I was down to the last 100 pages, I didn’t stop until I turned the last page moments before the grandfather clock chimed twelve times.
I think the biggest issue that readers have with this book is that it was so overhyped before it was released. There were all the comparisons to Stieg Larsson and how Lars Kepler was going to be the next biggest thing since the invention of Swedish meatballs. For certain readers, this backfires big time. By the time they read the book, they almost resent having to read it, and their reactions to the book are colored by those resentments. The worst thing you can do is tell someone, emphatically, that they must read a book. The blitz of ads was doing just that. It is the equivalent of assigning a book to be read in school.
The second thing is all the subterfuge over who Lars Kepler is. People were first pointing the finger at Henning Mankell, which in itself is quite the flattering comparison, but Mankell denied that it was he. Lars is in fact these people.
Aren’t they just adorable?
Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of Swedish husband and wife team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril. The two Alex’s. Some readers start to get Milli Vanilli vibes. Ah yes, we remember those two front men who were faker than Facebook News. The Alex’s were both writers before they decided to team up to write mysteries, so I think we can safely set that speculation aside.
You might be curious about the origins of the pseudonym. Wikipedia kindly gave me that information. ”Lars is a homage to the Swedish crime fiction author Stieg Larsson as he inspired the duo to start writing crime fiction. The name Kepler comes from the German scientist Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), who solved one of his time’s greatest mysteries: it was his calculations of the planets’ orbits that paved the way for Newton’s theses about gravity.”
Oh no, not Stieg Larsson again! Being compared to Larsson is almost as big a curse as having your book compared to Harry Potter or the The Hunger Games.
*Sigh!* Don’t be manipulated by your own manipulating mind.
The staccato short chapters drove me bonkers until I adjusted, though other reviewers have said how much they like that writing style. It probably does pick up the pace of the reading, but I’m more of a Victorian reader who doesn’t mind nestling down into a chapter for twenty or forty pages or so. I do adore Nordic Noir, and this plot ticks all the boxes for hardboiled and grit. Detective Joona Linna kind of takes a backseat in this one, but I’m looking forward to seeing him move up to the front seat for the next book. He is annoyingly good at his job, which to me is also a nice nod to Kurt Wallander.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at: https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
August 14, 2011
I suppose I should say this is a spoiler alert. Read on at your own risk. I continue to be amazed by people's reviews. Many ( most) always begin by giving a summation of the plot. This is stupid and totally unnecessary. People already know what the book is about. Personal Reviews should tell what the reader thought. This is an amazingly hyped book. I would suppose that every publishing company wants to discover the next Steig Larrsen. Obviously, Its not that easy. First you need to be able to write well. Next you need to be able to create believable characters and give them a substantial plot. These writers can't do any of that. For a hyped and well reviewed book, this is possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. What a scam calling this the next Larssen or anything close.
September 3, 2013
I really liked this novel, and would have given it four stars if not for three things that irked me about the way it was written.
1) The authors (this was written by a married couple) use the present tense in narration (e.g. Joona walks into the room and sits down). At first, I thought there was a compelling reason for this, but after finishing the book, I can't come up with anything, except perhaps that it was poorly translated into English -- do Swedish authors normally write in present tense? I really don't know. But it pulled me out of the story a number of times, as I was focusing on the tense instead.
2) There were over 100 chapters, which I'm totally okay with. However, there was a date/time stamp header at the beginning of each chapter. With an average chapter length of five pages, this was unnecessary, and also pulled me out of the story, as I kept thinking, "is it a different day? I think it's the same day, but I better flip back a chapter and double-check." This could have easily been avoided by only putting the header when the date and/or time was different than the previous chapter.
3) The flashback to the period ten years earlier was awkwardly inserted in the middle of a scene, went on continuously for over 100 pages, and then spit right back out into that same scene. A better author would have sprinkled that flashback better over the course of the novel, instead of in a giant information dump.
And as for the inevitable comparisons to Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy: No, this is not a continuation or homage to those works. It is likely not in the same class as them either (I'll withhold judgement until I see if there is more to follow with these characters). It is, however, a quality murder mystery with interesting characters written by a Swedish author and set in the same harsh, unforgiving Sweden as the Millennium trilogy.
1) The authors (this was written by a married couple) use the present tense in narration (e.g. Joona walks into the room and sits down). At first, I thought there was a compelling reason for this, but after finishing the book, I can't come up with anything, except perhaps that it was poorly translated into English -- do Swedish authors normally write in present tense? I really don't know. But it pulled me out of the story a number of times, as I was focusing on the tense instead.
2) There were over 100 chapters, which I'm totally okay with. However, there was a date/time stamp header at the beginning of each chapter. With an average chapter length of five pages, this was unnecessary, and also pulled me out of the story, as I kept thinking, "is it a different day? I think it's the same day, but I better flip back a chapter and double-check." This could have easily been avoided by only putting the header when the date and/or time was different than the previous chapter.
3) The flashback to the period ten years earlier was awkwardly inserted in the middle of a scene, went on continuously for over 100 pages, and then spit right back out into that same scene. A better author would have sprinkled that flashback better over the course of the novel, instead of in a giant information dump.
And as for the inevitable comparisons to Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy: No, this is not a continuation or homage to those works. It is likely not in the same class as them either (I'll withhold judgement until I see if there is more to follow with these characters). It is, however, a quality murder mystery with interesting characters written by a Swedish author and set in the same harsh, unforgiving Sweden as the Millennium trilogy.
October 27, 2023
Do you like your thrillers dark? I mean really dark? Here you go…
Detective Inspector Joona Linna is investigating the brutal murder of nearly an entire family in Sweden. The only survivor of the attack is the teenage son. Hospitalized and fighting for his life, Detective Linna requests the assistance of famous hypnotherapist, Erik Maria Bark.
One small problem though. Our hypnotherapist has sworn to never again hypnotize anyone after an 'incident' in his past. But because of the nature of this brutal murder and the desperate need for information he makes an exception and puts the boy under.
Should have listened to your instincts Erik! You just shook the hornet's nest. Now no one is safe!
I listened to the audio and the narration provided by Mark Bramhall was hypnotic! (Ha!). I loved how he brought all the characters to life and was absolutely chilling in his storytelling.
This is book one of a series I just stumbled across as I was looking for a Nordic thriller to listen to. And Wow! I was instantly hooked! I’m already library waiting for book two.
Detective Inspector Joona Linna is investigating the brutal murder of nearly an entire family in Sweden. The only survivor of the attack is the teenage son. Hospitalized and fighting for his life, Detective Linna requests the assistance of famous hypnotherapist, Erik Maria Bark.
One small problem though. Our hypnotherapist has sworn to never again hypnotize anyone after an 'incident' in his past. But because of the nature of this brutal murder and the desperate need for information he makes an exception and puts the boy under.
Should have listened to your instincts Erik! You just shook the hornet's nest. Now no one is safe!
I listened to the audio and the narration provided by Mark Bramhall was hypnotic! (Ha!). I loved how he brought all the characters to life and was absolutely chilling in his storytelling.
This is book one of a series I just stumbled across as I was looking for a Nordic thriller to listen to. And Wow! I was instantly hooked! I’m already library waiting for book two.
June 2, 2019
In this debut novel, Lars Kepler lays out the groundwork for a stunning and highly intense thriller. A boy is found clinging to life at home with his family slaughtered all around him. Detective Joona Linna is called upon to solve the case and becomes convinced that, with a little probing, all can be revealed and the killer caught, as long as the sole witness remembers what he saw. Joona turns to hypnosis in order to unlock those horrific memories of the event. Calling upon Eric Maria Bark, a psychiatrist with experience in hypnosis, Joona reaches out to reveal the missing links of this multiple murder. Bark agrees to help and coaxes out some interesting information. When someone tips off the media that Bark is back using hypnosis, old scandals emerge of which Joona was not previously aware. While Bark rides the wave of this bad press, his family life takes a significant hit, with a wife who is looking outside her marriage for solace and a son who is wrapped up in his teenage life. After a horrific break-in and kidnapping leaves Bark with more questions than answers, the hunt is now on for another criminal, with Joona handling both cases. Just when one case seems to tie itself off, another pops up with mor suspects and fewer leads. Can Bark and Joona work together, armed with the knowledge that the former may be directly responsible for his own family's deterioration? Kepler grabs the reader from the opening pages and cannot let go until the final pages. A truly captivating debut thriller well worth the time of anyone with a keen interest for the dark and sinister.
Kepler's novel, though not penned in English, flows much better than many of those in the same genre I have read in the past. With a number of key storylines emerging throughout, one never knows where they will take the story, or if it is simply tangential. Use of layered storytelling, allowing the same events to be seen through the eyes of multiple people, is highly effective and curiously more dramatic than a simple chronological telling of the facts. Short chapters keep the reader intrigued and while there is a massive 'throw back' chunk two-thirds into the novel, its importance does become apparent, even if it might better be placed throughout the novel, or even partially in the preface. I look forward to diving into more Kepler and realising just how twisted these stories can be.
Kudos Lars Kepler for such an interesting story, which has hooked me into wanting to read the rest of your collection.
Kepler's novel, though not penned in English, flows much better than many of those in the same genre I have read in the past. With a number of key storylines emerging throughout, one never knows where they will take the story, or if it is simply tangential. Use of layered storytelling, allowing the same events to be seen through the eyes of multiple people, is highly effective and curiously more dramatic than a simple chronological telling of the facts. Short chapters keep the reader intrigued and while there is a massive 'throw back' chunk two-thirds into the novel, its importance does become apparent, even if it might better be placed throughout the novel, or even partially in the preface. I look forward to diving into more Kepler and realising just how twisted these stories can be.
Kudos Lars Kepler for such an interesting story, which has hooked me into wanting to read the rest of your collection.
May 11, 2013
I read it so you don't have to. You are welcome. This book is laughably and infuriatingly terrible. I only finished it because I paid for it, dammit, and wanted to see how terrible it would actually get, God help me. Almost all the characters are unlikeable. It begins with the detective as seemingly the main character with a dark event in his past, which, unless I missed it, IS NEVER EXPLAINED. But never mind, because the book is really not about him, it is about the hypnotist. Fair enough, since that is the name of the book. It is the only serial killer book I've ever read in which the story of the serial killer is a SUBPLOT. The serial killer subplot and the main,abduction related plot are really only tangentially connected in that one is the impetus for the other. Then they have absolutely nothing to do with one another. I will avoid the newer Kepler novel like the plague, and I suggest to those who suffer from Steig Larsson withdrawal to check out the Harry Hole series of books by Norwegian Jo Nesbo. They get progressively more ridiculous as the series goes on, as these things do, but they have at their heart a really interesting and sympathetic (if flawed) main character and interesting supporting players.
November 1, 2016
This is a very dark, horrific story that ranks high in creepiness. Seriously it left me feeling like I needed to take a shower and wash the creep away. The cover would have you beleive that it is comparable to Silence of the Lambs or Stieg Larsson's Millenium series but I have to disagree with that. Now I love a good mystery, better still if it happens to be a thriller where life and death hang in the balance as they race to find and stop the villian. The Hypnotist certainly contains all of these elements and more, so you might wonder why only 3 stars. There are a number of reasons but chief among them:
The crimes are incredibly brutal and way too graphically detailed.....so much so that I felt as though the authors were trying real hard for the shock value. Some of these vicious, brutal acts really have nothing to do with the story, which brings me to....
There are too many unexplained little events, some of which are quite gruesome, that remain completely unexplained and unresolved and left this reader wondering what they were doing in the story in the first place.
Even what starts out as being the crime of focus in this story is left unattended and for me at least, unresolved part way through the book.
I could not relate in any way to the relationship between the hypnotist and his wife.
I figured out the mystery well before I should have.
The story felt choppy and events did not flow very well, especially between the past and the present
Despite all of the above the story was a good one and at least one of the characters was wrought well enough to remember. Unfortunately this was not the character that should have tied the whole tale together.
The crimes are incredibly brutal and way too graphically detailed.....so much so that I felt as though the authors were trying real hard for the shock value. Some of these vicious, brutal acts really have nothing to do with the story, which brings me to....
There are too many unexplained little events, some of which are quite gruesome, that remain completely unexplained and unresolved and left this reader wondering what they were doing in the story in the first place.
Even what starts out as being the crime of focus in this story is left unattended and for me at least, unresolved part way through the book.
I could not relate in any way to the relationship between the hypnotist and his wife.
I figured out the mystery well before I should have.
The story felt choppy and events did not flow very well, especially between the past and the present
Despite all of the above the story was a good one and at least one of the characters was wrought well enough to remember. Unfortunately this was not the character that should have tied the whole tale together.
October 3, 2019
Sweden, what is going on there? On one hand, this is a pretty good book. Joona Linna is everything you want in a police inspector - ruggedly good-looking, arrogant yet polite, and always right (my favorite line? "I'm not usually wrong and I believe we're going to find your son." Tell me, Joona, do you ever tell someone, "I'm not usually wrong & I think your son is long gone"?). The story is genuinely creepy - when Simone is awakened in the night by someone giving her an injection & she stumbles down the hall hearing someone cooing & laughing in her son's room? I had to get up & make sure the doors and windows were locked. The chapters are short & sweet & this makes it hard to put the book down; I stayed up late two nights in a row to finish it.
On the other hand, though, this book is total rubbish.
There are too many red herrings & too many characters who are kind of meaningless & too many plot lines - I forgot about the serial killer 15-year-old & when he showed up 100+ pages later getting all stabby, I was surprised we were still talking about him. Most importantly, since I read this with a one-year-old sleeping in the other room, parents of young children beware - there's an awful lot of kidnapping & child abuse & that all made me sort of sick to my stomach.
On the other hand, though, this book is total rubbish.
There are too many red herrings & too many characters who are kind of meaningless & too many plot lines - I forgot about the serial killer 15-year-old & when he showed up 100+ pages later getting all stabby, I was surprised we were still talking about him. Most importantly, since I read this with a one-year-old sleeping in the other room, parents of young children beware - there's an awful lot of kidnapping & child abuse & that all made me sort of sick to my stomach.
July 22, 2018
(PLOT SPOILERS in paragraph 1)
I have never read a book with such a strong start. From the very first page I was convinced the story had a carefully structured premise and then somewhere in the middle...KABOOM!!! I found myself wondering:who is the protagonist? What about the murder? What about detective Joona Linna???? I want to know more about Linna..And what about Evelyn??? She sank her teeth into the throat of an officer... Will you not say something about this??
Tthe first half of the book was much more intriguing than the second half. There were moments I was terrified and convinced someone was in my house... not many books can create this effect... However I found a few parts rather dull. The chapter entitled "10 years ago" was really unecessary. It was so long and boring that I had to skim through it. Also I found the "time stamps" technique annoyingly confusing. The character I liked the most was Josef Ek and I would like to have seen more about him. The gruesome scenes with Josef were the ones which gave me the creeps so I was disappointed to find that after a certain point in our story there is no more Josef... Finding a family brutally murdered and trying to solve the crime was the reason I bought the book in the first place. I can't see how Benjamin's kidnapping became (all of sudden) central in the story. Nevertheless, I have to admit the writing was superb and absorbing. I could almost see the scene with the hypnotism unfold before my eyes. This is the main reason I intend to read another book from the Joona Linna series.
All in all, being a supporter of story outlines I can say the plot was vague and the story lacked core structure . Don't get me wrong. I liked this book...After all, I gave it 3 stars. I think it is a worthy entry in the genre of Scandinavian thrillers and I would definitely recommend it to crime lovers!
I have never read a book with such a strong start. From the very first page I was convinced the story had a carefully structured premise and then somewhere in the middle...KABOOM!!! I found myself wondering:who is the protagonist? What about the murder? What about detective Joona Linna???? I want to know more about Linna..And what about Evelyn??? She sank her teeth into the throat of an officer... Will you not say something about this??
Tthe first half of the book was much more intriguing than the second half. There were moments I was terrified and convinced someone was in my house... not many books can create this effect... However I found a few parts rather dull. The chapter entitled "10 years ago" was really unecessary. It was so long and boring that I had to skim through it. Also I found the "time stamps" technique annoyingly confusing. The character I liked the most was Josef Ek and I would like to have seen more about him. The gruesome scenes with Josef were the ones which gave me the creeps so I was disappointed to find that after a certain point in our story there is no more Josef... Finding a family brutally murdered and trying to solve the crime was the reason I bought the book in the first place. I can't see how Benjamin's kidnapping became (all of sudden) central in the story. Nevertheless, I have to admit the writing was superb and absorbing. I could almost see the scene with the hypnotism unfold before my eyes. This is the main reason I intend to read another book from the Joona Linna series.
All in all, being a supporter of story outlines I can say the plot was vague and the story lacked core structure . Don't get me wrong. I liked this book...After all, I gave it 3 stars. I think it is a worthy entry in the genre of Scandinavian thrillers and I would definitely recommend it to crime lovers!
May 20, 2011
I have never read such an amazing twisting novel.There are not words to express how super this book was.I can only give praise to the authors.
Erik Maria Bark, talented doctor whose specialty is the treatment of seriously traumatized persons, formerly also with hypnotize, is called to Karolinska hospital, where a 15-year-old boy lies severely injured - the only survivor of a family massacre in the outskirts of Stockholm.
It turns out that the boy has an older sister who's disappeared, and there's reason to assume that the killer will go for her too. It's therefore imperative that they find her before the killer does, and since the boy isn't stable enough to be questioned, Erik is called in to hypnotize him in order to get a description of the killer.
However, Bark has promised himself never to practice hypnosis again.
The characters are twisted and bound together, and as the story develops, the linkages develop.The short chapters, make you turn the page, and continue reading.This is one book you can not put down.
I can only hope that there will be future novels by Lars Kepler. I will wait patiently to read the next novel by Lars Kepler
Erik Maria Bark, talented doctor whose specialty is the treatment of seriously traumatized persons, formerly also with hypnotize, is called to Karolinska hospital, where a 15-year-old boy lies severely injured - the only survivor of a family massacre in the outskirts of Stockholm.
It turns out that the boy has an older sister who's disappeared, and there's reason to assume that the killer will go for her too. It's therefore imperative that they find her before the killer does, and since the boy isn't stable enough to be questioned, Erik is called in to hypnotize him in order to get a description of the killer.
However, Bark has promised himself never to practice hypnosis again.
The characters are twisted and bound together, and as the story develops, the linkages develop.The short chapters, make you turn the page, and continue reading.This is one book you can not put down.
I can only hope that there will be future novels by Lars Kepler. I will wait patiently to read the next novel by Lars Kepler
October 15, 2023
Erik Maria Bark has been studying hypnosis for several years. After a wrong session, he gave up this technique for good. Ten years later, he called him for his knowledge in the field with a kid living in a sorry state with his family decimated by an assassin who is still running and risks attacking him—his older sister.
Two investigations will link throughout the book. Indeed, Erik's son will be kidnapped, and we must return to the psychiatrist's past to understand who kidnapped Benjamin. A race against time will begin to find the adolescent whose health requires regular injections against the disease from which he has hemophilia.
We are gradually entering the privacy of this family, consumed by past events and whose father cannot cope with daily life without his armada of pills. Therefore, it is necessary to go back several years to understand the turning point in his life ten years ago and the consequences of his activities on hypnosis.
A pleasant reading moment for me! I will continue to follow Inspector Joona Linna's investigations.
Two investigations will link throughout the book. Indeed, Erik's son will be kidnapped, and we must return to the psychiatrist's past to understand who kidnapped Benjamin. A race against time will begin to find the adolescent whose health requires regular injections against the disease from which he has hemophilia.
We are gradually entering the privacy of this family, consumed by past events and whose father cannot cope with daily life without his armada of pills. Therefore, it is necessary to go back several years to understand the turning point in his life ten years ago and the consequences of his activities on hypnosis.
A pleasant reading moment for me! I will continue to follow Inspector Joona Linna's investigations.
January 23, 2022
Lars Kepler son dos personas: Alexander Ahndoril y Alexandra Coelho, escritores suecos, dedicados a la literatura contemporánea e histórica respectivamente. Aquí tiro el dato nerd por el que nadie preguntaba: Los "Alex" homenajean con su seudónimo al escritor sueco Stieg Larsson y al científico alemán Johannes Kepler. Y también son una pareja, lo cual puede tener relación (o no) con cierta tendencia recurrente hacia las escenas de sexo. No, no, no me estoy quejando. De ninguna manera.
Un thriller pausado en sus inicios, plagado de detalles (relevantes y de los otros), flashbacks a granel y un "cierto desconcierto" en la resolución de una de las tramas. Es que hay dos tramas en continuo: la primera, el asesinato de una familia resuelto gracias al accionar de un hipnotista que ya no practica la hipnosis, pero hace una excepción justo en este caso. La segunda, es la desaparición del hijo de este último.
Resultan interesantes las alusiones al mundo no tan difundido de la hipnosis y algunos de sus posibles usos en medicina (como terapéutica para el dolor crónico o tratamiento de fobias y traumas psicológicos). Ciertamente llama la atención que el detective principal, Joona Linna, no tenga el protagonismo esperado. Tal vez porque es finlandés y tiene perfil bajo. Aún con sus disgresiones, la historia se consolida, lenta pero segura y redondea un thriller atrapante aunque con algunos cabos sueltos, lo cual es lógico cuando se lanzan tantas líneas argumentales. Para leer con paciencia y concentración.
Un thriller pausado en sus inicios, plagado de detalles (relevantes y de los otros), flashbacks a granel y un "cierto desconcierto" en la resolución de una de las tramas. Es que hay dos tramas en continuo: la primera, el asesinato de una familia resuelto gracias al accionar de un hipnotista que ya no practica la hipnosis, pero hace una excepción justo en este caso. La segunda, es la desaparición del hijo de este último.
Resultan interesantes las alusiones al mundo no tan difundido de la hipnosis y algunos de sus posibles usos en medicina (como terapéutica para el dolor crónico o tratamiento de fobias y traumas psicológicos). Ciertamente llama la atención que el detective principal, Joona Linna, no tenga el protagonismo esperado. Tal vez porque es finlandés y tiene perfil bajo. Aún con sus disgresiones, la historia se consolida, lenta pero segura y redondea un thriller atrapante aunque con algunos cabos sueltos, lo cual es lógico cuando se lanzan tantas líneas argumentales. Para leer con paciencia y concentración.
September 5, 2011
When I read the jacket of this book, I found it be quite intriguing and considering how many people seem to love this book, I thought I would too. Instead, I’m probably one of the few people who didn’t like this book and will never read another one written by Lars Kepler. There were too many fillers; needless people and information that made it seem like it was all thrown in to make the book longer than it needed to be; and the writing to be weak and choppy and all over the place.
The synopsis reads as follows: “The Hypnotist ranks alongside the works of Steig Larsson, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Shining as one of the most compelling thrillers ever written.” What unadulterated crap! This book is no thriller and nowhere near in the league of the books it is referred to. Except for the first 65 pages, the book is quite dull.
The discovery of the butchered family is very gripping and interesting; however, once the murderer is discovered early on, the rest of the book quickly starts to sink for me. There were so many instances that were not explained or answered at all: (a) Why was there blood coming down Dr. Lars Ohlson’s leg? (b) Why did Evelyn Ek bite the officer’s neck? (c) What happened to the lady who had two under-age boys under her bed? (d) Who was Eva Blau? She’s obviously mentally disturbed and needs help, yet there is no explanation as to who she is or what purpose she serves in the book. It’s as though the writer thought to just add another crazy person in the mix to fill in the pages and to confuse the reader. (e) Why does Erik not tell Simone the truth that he never had an affair with Dr. Daniella Richards and that it was Det. Linna who borrowed Daniella’s cell phone to call Erik? (f) Why did the doctors (on the hospital board) believe Lydia and not Erik? We’re to believe that the doctors on the board are complete idiots and took the word of a mentally unstable woman, never having done a proper background check on her, to be telling the truth and not believe Erik? It’s a ridiculous notion.
As for the characters, I didn’t find anyone likable. I found Simone to be very selfish, whiny and so indecisive; separate, not separate, separate. Give me a break. She is so child-like. She continually complains to Erik, “but you have your pills.” I guess we’re supposed to be believe that she’s jealous of her husband’s addiction to sleeping pills. She blames Erik for what’s happened to their family because he helped the police locate a missing girl who is being stalked by her brother who wants to kill her - such compassion. I also found her to be very needy; unable to be on her own. The second Erik leaves and thinking no one wants to help her find her missing son, she calls her father (a retired cop) to come down and help with the investigation. She also seeks comfort from another man by sleeping with him.
I found Erik to be weak and pathetic. He doesn’t prove to Simone that he’s not having an affair or even sticks up for himself, yet turns around and wonders what’s happening to his marriage. He knows he has a drug addiction yet he does nothing to fix it. Even with all his credentials and smarts, he thinks its Eva who has kidnapped his son, not Lydia who clearly is the culprit. He pouts like a child when Simone is busy with work and forgets his birthday; this coming from a doctor who comes and goes at all hours of the day for his job.
Despite describing Detective Linna as being very handsome, blond, likeable, smart and dedicated to his job, I didn’t feel as though he was an important person or have any real presence throughout the story. I did, however, find him to be an egomaniac. Whether he calls a superior, a colleague, a friend, and even Erik, the only thing he wants to hear from them is that he’s always right.
In the end, I believe the writer’s goal was to make the readers think that the book’s plot is solely about the gruesome slaughter of a family; when in fact it’s about a kidnapped teen. I personally did not appreciate this as I felt conned. I would have given it one star, but gave it two just because I found the sub-plot (the slain family) to be an interesting read.
The synopsis reads as follows: “The Hypnotist ranks alongside the works of Steig Larsson, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Shining as one of the most compelling thrillers ever written.” What unadulterated crap! This book is no thriller and nowhere near in the league of the books it is referred to. Except for the first 65 pages, the book is quite dull.
The discovery of the butchered family is very gripping and interesting; however, once the murderer is discovered early on, the rest of the book quickly starts to sink for me. There were so many instances that were not explained or answered at all: (a) Why was there blood coming down Dr. Lars Ohlson’s leg? (b) Why did Evelyn Ek bite the officer’s neck? (c) What happened to the lady who had two under-age boys under her bed? (d) Who was Eva Blau? She’s obviously mentally disturbed and needs help, yet there is no explanation as to who she is or what purpose she serves in the book. It’s as though the writer thought to just add another crazy person in the mix to fill in the pages and to confuse the reader. (e) Why does Erik not tell Simone the truth that he never had an affair with Dr. Daniella Richards and that it was Det. Linna who borrowed Daniella’s cell phone to call Erik? (f) Why did the doctors (on the hospital board) believe Lydia and not Erik? We’re to believe that the doctors on the board are complete idiots and took the word of a mentally unstable woman, never having done a proper background check on her, to be telling the truth and not believe Erik? It’s a ridiculous notion.
As for the characters, I didn’t find anyone likable. I found Simone to be very selfish, whiny and so indecisive; separate, not separate, separate. Give me a break. She is so child-like. She continually complains to Erik, “but you have your pills.” I guess we’re supposed to be believe that she’s jealous of her husband’s addiction to sleeping pills. She blames Erik for what’s happened to their family because he helped the police locate a missing girl who is being stalked by her brother who wants to kill her - such compassion. I also found her to be very needy; unable to be on her own. The second Erik leaves and thinking no one wants to help her find her missing son, she calls her father (a retired cop) to come down and help with the investigation. She also seeks comfort from another man by sleeping with him.
I found Erik to be weak and pathetic. He doesn’t prove to Simone that he’s not having an affair or even sticks up for himself, yet turns around and wonders what’s happening to his marriage. He knows he has a drug addiction yet he does nothing to fix it. Even with all his credentials and smarts, he thinks its Eva who has kidnapped his son, not Lydia who clearly is the culprit. He pouts like a child when Simone is busy with work and forgets his birthday; this coming from a doctor who comes and goes at all hours of the day for his job.
Despite describing Detective Linna as being very handsome, blond, likeable, smart and dedicated to his job, I didn’t feel as though he was an important person or have any real presence throughout the story. I did, however, find him to be an egomaniac. Whether he calls a superior, a colleague, a friend, and even Erik, the only thing he wants to hear from them is that he’s always right.
In the end, I believe the writer’s goal was to make the readers think that the book’s plot is solely about the gruesome slaughter of a family; when in fact it’s about a kidnapped teen. I personally did not appreciate this as I felt conned. I would have given it one star, but gave it two just because I found the sub-plot (the slain family) to be an interesting read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2015
Any review of this book should really just be a video of me giggling. My God this book was stupid.
Conflict was based on stupid sitcom style miss-communication, the horribly injured boy with the deflated lung runs around stabbing people with impunity, the police are ridiculously incompetent, there's a Pokemon side plot, everyone is irritating and unlikable, and the first plot sort of peters out midway only to be taken over by something else entirely. The whole thing was a mess. And it's too long.
This was clearly published to ride the Stieg Larsson train.
Read Burned by Thomas Enger instead. Read the Martin Beck series by Wahloo and Sjowall. Or, if you want low-key, read Detective Inspector Huss. Try The Butterfly Effect by Pernille Rygg. Faceless Killers by Mankell. Most definitely read Arnaldur Indridason. Moving to a different area entirely, read Batya Gur and James McClure.
Conflict was based on stupid sitcom style miss-communication, the horribly injured boy with the deflated lung runs around stabbing people with impunity, the police are ridiculously incompetent, there's a Pokemon side plot, everyone is irritating and unlikable, and the first plot sort of peters out midway only to be taken over by something else entirely. The whole thing was a mess. And it's too long.
This was clearly published to ride the Stieg Larsson train.
Read Burned by Thomas Enger instead. Read the Martin Beck series by Wahloo and Sjowall. Or, if you want low-key, read Detective Inspector Huss. Try The Butterfly Effect by Pernille Rygg. Faceless Killers by Mankell. Most definitely read Arnaldur Indridason. Moving to a different area entirely, read Batya Gur and James McClure.
January 31, 2016
Još jedna GSP avantura je završena :)
U poslednje vreme ponovo čitam trilere, i jako mi prijaju.
"Hipnotizer" nije remek-delo svog žanra, sam početak romana i nije tako obećavajući, a dijalozi su ovom švedskom autorskom paru slabija strana. Naime, Aleksandar i Aleksandra Andoril pišu pod pseudonimom Laš Kepler trilere u kojima je glavni lik policijski detektiv Jona Lina.
Neko bi rekao, pa šta onda valja?! Valja jedan od centralnih likova romana - doktor Erik Marija Bark, penzionisani hipnotizer, valja zarazna priča koja vas posle prvih 70-80 strana vuče u dovoljnoj meri da romanu date šansu i pored manjkavosti koje su evidentne. I konačno valja atmosfera hladnog severa, Švedska <3
Nema smisla da prepričavam radnju romana, uostalom sve već piše na korici, i ovde na goodreadsu, a i tako bih dosta toga pojednostavila.
Žao mi je što je Jona Lina, ekcentrični policijski detektiv, inače poreklom Finac, ostao pomalo u zapećku ove priče, imajući u vidu dominantnu ulogu koju je imao doktor Bark, ali se nadam da ću u narednom romanu iz serijala imati prilike da se malo više družim sa njim.
Ocena:3.5/5
November 30, 2015
I was interested, and at times, gripped by this book, especially in the beginning and at the end. However, there were times I was bored, not really reading intensely, anxious for progress. I think the book was just too long. I felt the dialogue was stilted and that's probably due to translation. There were things happening that didn't seem relevant to the story. I probably won't read anything more by these authors.
March 17, 2019
First, I didn't like the psychiatrist character specialized in hypnosis. He made so many stupid decisions about his patients' lives that I would never trust in this doctor. Second, this hypnotist's wife is unstable psychologically: her son was kidnapped from her family's home by someone who probably had a copy of her apartment's keys; then this woman decides to break up from her stupid psychiatrist husband and have sex in this apartment where her extremely sick son had been kidnapped, and he is still missing. Third, Detective Joona Linna is always forgetting his cell phone in the police car and seems to be a person who guesses the psychopaths' thoughts without the help of a partner. Finally, the authors wrote too many twists, which I was already tired of, while the story "forgets" the detective Joona Linna and deviates for other ways.
April 13, 2018
This book was nothing like I thought it would be. An avid crime reader and lover of the darker crime stuff out there I thought this would be chilling, terrifying and spectacular based on reviews by both well known and lesser known reviewers. Was I reading a different book? As this book did not throw up anything like that my way.
When a whole family is murdered in Stockholm, DI Joona Linna knows there is only one person who can find the perpetrator. Erik Maria Bark, retired hypnotist, is called in to work with Josef Ek, a 15-year-old boy who witnessed the brutal murder of his family.
The book flashes back and forth in time, some of that flows, some of it does not, some of the flashback moments get to be so full of waffle that you forget where you were in the present moment. It's not quite seamlessly done so that the reader is alert and aware of what is going on.
When I kept putting this down over a few days and not picking it up I knew that was a sign I was not that into it. I normally would devour a book of this length that I loved in 3 hours, in one sitting, with no toilet breaks, no food, nothing, just words. Now see, I liked the book but I did not love the book and according to reviews I should have really loved it.
The book holds it's mystery quite well as to who the bad guys are, and eventually the timeline of past and present collide and things start to really make sense. The last few chapters of the book are the best, that's where the pace really picks up and action and something meaty starts to happen, but it's a long book to take that long. But in saying that, it's readable, it's not like I wanted to chuck it at the wall or burn it or anything, I read every word. I was expecting it to have much more of a "dark" theme to it and whilst murder is shocking and serial killers exist, this book is nowhere near "dark". In my opinion it's fairly light on with the chilling, creepy, scary and/or gory stuff.
The book delves into Erik Bark's professional and personal life in the past and present, which interweaves with the plot. As a character I did not connect with The Hypnotist (Bark) but did a bit more with DI Joona Linna, but not by much, I think the characters are all a bit flat in this book, at times some speckles of connection shine through from them, but overall hard to really get a sense of any of them. Good guys and the bad guys.
I did like the concept and the plot, whilst much slower than I would have liked, the plot is interesting. I really liked the scenes where Bark is taking his patients down into a hypnotic state. The research done around the hypnosis elements in the book was good. The ending finally had some pace added to the book which I loved, and whilst I had twigged to who the bad guys were, it was good to not have got it all exactly worked out. A satisfying ending, I just wish the rest of the book had more punch to it.
So, a book I liked, but did not love and ultimately felt let down because it's a hyped up book and pumped with brilliant reviews. I know I am not alone in my rather average review of this book, and I won't be the last. If I had perhaps have read it without all the hype around it I may have been less disappointed.
Not dark enough for me, and it would have been so good if it was, so very, very good. 3 stars because I liked it overall despite it's faults. I love Scandinavian crime fiction too, but what I find with it is that it's either very mediocre or totally spectacular.
When a whole family is murdered in Stockholm, DI Joona Linna knows there is only one person who can find the perpetrator. Erik Maria Bark, retired hypnotist, is called in to work with Josef Ek, a 15-year-old boy who witnessed the brutal murder of his family.
The book flashes back and forth in time, some of that flows, some of it does not, some of the flashback moments get to be so full of waffle that you forget where you were in the present moment. It's not quite seamlessly done so that the reader is alert and aware of what is going on.
When I kept putting this down over a few days and not picking it up I knew that was a sign I was not that into it. I normally would devour a book of this length that I loved in 3 hours, in one sitting, with no toilet breaks, no food, nothing, just words. Now see, I liked the book but I did not love the book and according to reviews I should have really loved it.
The book holds it's mystery quite well as to who the bad guys are, and eventually the timeline of past and present collide and things start to really make sense. The last few chapters of the book are the best, that's where the pace really picks up and action and something meaty starts to happen, but it's a long book to take that long. But in saying that, it's readable, it's not like I wanted to chuck it at the wall or burn it or anything, I read every word. I was expecting it to have much more of a "dark" theme to it and whilst murder is shocking and serial killers exist, this book is nowhere near "dark". In my opinion it's fairly light on with the chilling, creepy, scary and/or gory stuff.
The book delves into Erik Bark's professional and personal life in the past and present, which interweaves with the plot. As a character I did not connect with The Hypnotist (Bark) but did a bit more with DI Joona Linna, but not by much, I think the characters are all a bit flat in this book, at times some speckles of connection shine through from them, but overall hard to really get a sense of any of them. Good guys and the bad guys.
I did like the concept and the plot, whilst much slower than I would have liked, the plot is interesting. I really liked the scenes where Bark is taking his patients down into a hypnotic state. The research done around the hypnosis elements in the book was good. The ending finally had some pace added to the book which I loved, and whilst I had twigged to who the bad guys were, it was good to not have got it all exactly worked out. A satisfying ending, I just wish the rest of the book had more punch to it.
So, a book I liked, but did not love and ultimately felt let down because it's a hyped up book and pumped with brilliant reviews. I know I am not alone in my rather average review of this book, and I won't be the last. If I had perhaps have read it without all the hype around it I may have been less disappointed.
Not dark enough for me, and it would have been so good if it was, so very, very good. 3 stars because I liked it overall despite it's faults. I love Scandinavian crime fiction too, but what I find with it is that it's either very mediocre or totally spectacular.
July 27, 2011
I can't say I didn't like this book. I just had some issues with it. I liked the story line. Very dark, but interesting - a definite thriller! But if there's one thing I can't stand, it's unresolved plot twists. So if anyone can help me with these, please feel free...
1. When Evelyn Ek is being consoled by a female police officer after hearing about her family's demise and disclosing some info about her disturbed and disturbing brother, she bites the officer in the neck and actually causes a bleeding wound. This is never mentioned again. What's up with that? She is later virtually cleared of all suspicion. Seriously??
2. When Erik's colleague gets him to take on Ava Blau's case, what happened? Why is the guy bleeding from under his shorts when they are playing handbll (racquetball?)? There is a whole lot of biting going on, but nothing gets resolved.
3. When Erik and Joona go looking for Blau, they come upon a woman who seems to be hiding something. They end up finding a naked boy hiding under a bed with a boy/man and camera's in the room. It's not what they're looking for, so they leave. Really??
Am I missing something? Were these things explained somewhere? I just can't get over the loose threads. It makes me feel as if the whole ending/resolution is a sham.
1. When Evelyn Ek is being consoled by a female police officer after hearing about her family's demise and disclosing some info about her disturbed and disturbing brother, she bites the officer in the neck and actually causes a bleeding wound. This is never mentioned again. What's up with that? She is later virtually cleared of all suspicion. Seriously??
2. When Erik's colleague gets him to take on Ava Blau's case, what happened? Why is the guy bleeding from under his shorts when they are playing handbll (racquetball?)? There is a whole lot of biting going on, but nothing gets resolved.
3. When Erik and Joona go looking for Blau, they come upon a woman who seems to be hiding something. They end up finding a naked boy hiding under a bed with a boy/man and camera's in the room. It's not what they're looking for, so they leave. Really??
Am I missing something? Were these things explained somewhere? I just can't get over the loose threads. It makes me feel as if the whole ending/resolution is a sham.
January 29, 2019
What a read
Tour de force
105 chapters .. one leading to the other
Murder
Gruesome
Hypnosis
Family
Blood
Tears and shock
Solid start of a series
Tour de force
105 chapters .. one leading to the other
Murder
Gruesome
Hypnosis
Family
Blood
Tears and shock
Solid start of a series
January 8, 2020
I read Stalker first (Book 5) and enjoyed it so much I decided to go back to the beginning.
The Hypnotist, there is a lot going on in this book and it did get a bit confusing at times. Once I got into it, I was hooked especially the last 80 pages of so.
The book starts with the discovery of an entire family brutally murdered in their house. As the police are checking for any survivors of this horrific massacre, they realise the young son is clinging to life… he is in a coma and taken to hospital. Detective Jonna Linna is called in to investigate, anxiously awaiting the boy to come out of the coma. He could hold the answers to who killed his family and where is his older sister?
The boy comes too but is unable to provide any information on what happen, Jonna is at his wits end. He turns to the unconventional method and commissions a hypnotist to help the boy remember what happened that fateful day…. Enter Erik Bark.
Eric promised he would never hypnotise anyone again after what happened, the accusations the public disgracing. His marriage is falling apart, his son is distant and Eric has become reliant on his prescription medication to get him through each day. When Jonna Linna asks for Eric’s help he is adamant in keeping his promise….. but Joona is very stubborn and talks him around.
What they uncover from the boy’s memories, what happened that night is unimaginable….
There are lots of twists and turns, we learn about Eric’s past, his research and promising career before it all comes to an abrupt halt.
It’s an engrossing read; I really enjoyed this one. It is very long over 500 pages, this could have been reduced there were some sub stories in the book I felt didn’t need to be there and became distracting and didn’t go anywhere.
I loved the character development throughout the book, I especially liked Eric he is so flawed and incredibly resilient. I’m super keen to read the next book.
I give this book a solid 4 stars.
The Hypnotist, there is a lot going on in this book and it did get a bit confusing at times. Once I got into it, I was hooked especially the last 80 pages of so.
The book starts with the discovery of an entire family brutally murdered in their house. As the police are checking for any survivors of this horrific massacre, they realise the young son is clinging to life… he is in a coma and taken to hospital. Detective Jonna Linna is called in to investigate, anxiously awaiting the boy to come out of the coma. He could hold the answers to who killed his family and where is his older sister?
The boy comes too but is unable to provide any information on what happen, Jonna is at his wits end. He turns to the unconventional method and commissions a hypnotist to help the boy remember what happened that fateful day…. Enter Erik Bark.
Eric promised he would never hypnotise anyone again after what happened, the accusations the public disgracing. His marriage is falling apart, his son is distant and Eric has become reliant on his prescription medication to get him through each day. When Jonna Linna asks for Eric’s help he is adamant in keeping his promise….. but Joona is very stubborn and talks him around.
What they uncover from the boy’s memories, what happened that night is unimaginable….
There are lots of twists and turns, we learn about Eric’s past, his research and promising career before it all comes to an abrupt halt.
It’s an engrossing read; I really enjoyed this one. It is very long over 500 pages, this could have been reduced there were some sub stories in the book I felt didn’t need to be there and became distracting and didn’t go anywhere.
I loved the character development throughout the book, I especially liked Eric he is so flawed and incredibly resilient. I’m super keen to read the next book.
I give this book a solid 4 stars.
August 1, 2019
Apercebi-me que afinal sentia mais saudades do que tinha consciência, de ler um thriller.
Por outro lado, a hipnose é também uma actividade que me fascina. Uma percentagem ínfima de pessoas estarão habilitadas para o fazer, é algo verdadeiramente enigmático e pouco usual. O nosso cérebro e os comportamentos são um mundo sem fim a ser continuamente explorado. De modo que toda esta temática despertou em mim muito interesse.
Contudo, confesso que hesitei entre um 3,5 e um 4.
Senti alguns pormenores, aqui e ali, menos credíveis ou menos prováveis digamos, mas abstenho-me de os comentar para não arruinar a surpresa de quem vai iniciar a leitura.
Nada é o que parece. O presente indicia determinados acontecimentos, entretanto o passado é-nos revelado e baralha-nos criando um leque muito maior de probabilidades. O suspense vai intensificando. A dada altura entramos numa espiral de ocorrências que nos agarram e queremos desatar com urgência todo o novelo. Cruzamos uma linha que vai do suspense até terror psicológico e sentimo-nos verdadeiramente desconfortáveis com tanta crueldade.
Cumpre-se o propósito do livro!
Por outro lado, a hipnose é também uma actividade que me fascina. Uma percentagem ínfima de pessoas estarão habilitadas para o fazer, é algo verdadeiramente enigmático e pouco usual. O nosso cérebro e os comportamentos são um mundo sem fim a ser continuamente explorado. De modo que toda esta temática despertou em mim muito interesse.
Contudo, confesso que hesitei entre um 3,5 e um 4.
Senti alguns pormenores, aqui e ali, menos credíveis ou menos prováveis digamos, mas abstenho-me de os comentar para não arruinar a surpresa de quem vai iniciar a leitura.
Nada é o que parece. O presente indicia determinados acontecimentos, entretanto o passado é-nos revelado e baralha-nos criando um leque muito maior de probabilidades. O suspense vai intensificando. A dada altura entramos numa espiral de ocorrências que nos agarram e queremos desatar com urgência todo o novelo. Cruzamos uma linha que vai do suspense até terror psicológico e sentimo-nos verdadeiramente desconfortáveis com tanta crueldade.
Cumpre-se o propósito do livro!
March 2, 2017
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySkEy...
O primeiro Kepler e que me deu um prazer enorme. A história está bem construída e não há dúvida que os policiais suecos são mesmo muito bons.
O primeiro Kepler e que me deu um prazer enorme. A história está bem construída e não há dúvida que os policiais suecos são mesmo muito bons.
November 21, 2022
the problem with reading the first book of a thriller series after having read one of the later books already is that it can only be worse
which, good for the authors as it means they have improved considerably, but honestly tragic for me
this was certainly a way to structure a story. i particularly have beef with that nearly 200 page long backstory chapter that came out of nowhere and attacked my defenceless brain which craves the dopamine rush of finishing a chapter every two minutes because said chapter is only four pages long. bring that back.
the beginning was also rather boring.
the ending kinda slapped though. and i teared up at that one Joona scene which is a plus cause i love when thrillers make me cry.
minus points for all the sex scenes though.
TL;DR (maybe you should get your attention span checked): we're settling on a comfortable 3 stars because i didn't hate it but it also didn't keep me up at night. i will also never think about it again which is classic three star read behaviour
which, good for the authors as it means they have improved considerably, but honestly tragic for me
this was certainly a way to structure a story. i particularly have beef with that nearly 200 page long backstory chapter that came out of nowhere and attacked my defenceless brain which craves the dopamine rush of finishing a chapter every two minutes because said chapter is only four pages long. bring that back.
the beginning was also rather boring.
the ending kinda slapped though. and i teared up at that one Joona scene which is a plus cause i love when thrillers make me cry.
minus points for all the sex scenes though.
TL;DR (maybe you should get your attention span checked): we're settling on a comfortable 3 stars because i didn't hate it but it also didn't keep me up at night. i will also never think about it again which is classic three star read behaviour
September 20, 2022
I’ll start off by admitting that I love the Nordic noir genre. They’re dark, cold and creepy with well-defined characters, winter settings and police mysteries that usually involve a crime unlike anything you’ve ever read before with a touch of politics. Not sure why it took me so long to check out Lars Kepler (I bought the Hypnotist 5 maybe 6 years ago), but I’m so happy that I finally did. It’s the perfect October read leading up to Halloween. And I have a new series that I’m excited about.
The novel starts off before Christmas with a gruesome crime. A family has been butchered in their home. Only 15-year-old Josef, who has been stabbed hundreds of times, manages to survive and is in a coma. Detective Joona Linna quickly bids to handle the case and identifies another surviving family member (away at university) and he fears that her life may be in danger. Joona decides that interviewing Josef immediately despite his health is crucial to get information about the killer and he asks trauma expert Dr. Erik Maria Bark, to hypnotize Josef and get details regarding the night of the murder. Dr. Bark, who has sworn never to use hypnosis again, reluctantly agrees despite his reservations. While under hypnosis Josef’s revelations set a series of shocking events in motion.
This book is definitely not a simple whodunit. The action starts in the first paragraph and continues to escalate steadily throughout. It’s a true psychological thriller with lots of insight into the killer’s frame of mind as well as Eric’s patients. The authors descriptive writing is perfect in allowing the reader to deep-dive into the subconscious of Erik’s former patients in vibrant detail and colour, and feel the horror locked in their minds. The author creates such beautiful scenes that you feel like you’re standing shivering in the cold and looking up to the grey sky as falling snowflakes surround you.
The book is from multiple points of view, which gives the reader a thorough understanding of what exactly happened and builds stronger understanding of the characters state of mind and inner conflicts. Joona Linna plays the strong and flawed police detective and although the author hints at various traumas from his past, this book doesn’t reveal too much about him. It seems to focus more Dr. Erik Maria Bark, whose life is in the process of unraveling once again. He’s addicted to painkillers, his marriage to Simone is falling apart and his 14-year-old son has a disease that leaves him vulnerable to everyday life.
I was honestly surprised by the ending and twists, and I was completed hooked right up until the last page. Although the book wrapped up quite well, there were a couple of plot holes that I wish had been addressed further (or hopefully in the second book).
The novel starts off before Christmas with a gruesome crime. A family has been butchered in their home. Only 15-year-old Josef, who has been stabbed hundreds of times, manages to survive and is in a coma. Detective Joona Linna quickly bids to handle the case and identifies another surviving family member (away at university) and he fears that her life may be in danger. Joona decides that interviewing Josef immediately despite his health is crucial to get information about the killer and he asks trauma expert Dr. Erik Maria Bark, to hypnotize Josef and get details regarding the night of the murder. Dr. Bark, who has sworn never to use hypnosis again, reluctantly agrees despite his reservations. While under hypnosis Josef’s revelations set a series of shocking events in motion.
This book is definitely not a simple whodunit. The action starts in the first paragraph and continues to escalate steadily throughout. It’s a true psychological thriller with lots of insight into the killer’s frame of mind as well as Eric’s patients. The authors descriptive writing is perfect in allowing the reader to deep-dive into the subconscious of Erik’s former patients in vibrant detail and colour, and feel the horror locked in their minds. The author creates such beautiful scenes that you feel like you’re standing shivering in the cold and looking up to the grey sky as falling snowflakes surround you.
The book is from multiple points of view, which gives the reader a thorough understanding of what exactly happened and builds stronger understanding of the characters state of mind and inner conflicts. Joona Linna plays the strong and flawed police detective and although the author hints at various traumas from his past, this book doesn’t reveal too much about him. It seems to focus more Dr. Erik Maria Bark, whose life is in the process of unraveling once again. He’s addicted to painkillers, his marriage to Simone is falling apart and his 14-year-old son has a disease that leaves him vulnerable to everyday life.
I was honestly surprised by the ending and twists, and I was completed hooked right up until the last page. Although the book wrapped up quite well, there were a couple of plot holes that I wish had been addressed further (or hopefully in the second book).
September 30, 2011
This could have been so good, but there are way too many unresolved and unexplained tangents to this tale. The narrative jumps from one murder case to the next with no real explanation, I was expecting the connection to be explained nearer the end, but there just isn't one! It's like the writers had two plot ideas they really liked and couldn't choose between the two, so just sort of smooshed them together, resulting in something not quite as good as either idea would have been on its own. The unnecessary time-titled chapters were confusing too, and the flashback scene in the middle could have been done better.
Overall, although the conclusion does get pretty tense, dramatic and exciting, it's a bit of a let-down, especially considering the misleading blurb on Goodreads and waiting for weeks to get it from the library!
Overall, although the conclusion does get pretty tense, dramatic and exciting, it's a bit of a let-down, especially considering the misleading blurb on Goodreads and waiting for weeks to get it from the library!
May 4, 2024
I promised myself when I began this book that I would not compare it to any other book--- that said I thought this was a very good read filled with interesting characters, lots of chapter cliffhangers and red herrings (plus loads of unpronounceable Swedish names and places... Next time I'm grabbing a country/city map). Sure there were a high number of "close calls," that called on a little suspension of disbelief, but I come to expect that in mysteries that cross the thriller genre!
Hoping some of these characters return in a follow up... I particularly adored Joona's character!
(Reviewed 8/19/12)
Hoping some of these characters return in a follow up... I particularly adored Joona's character!
(Reviewed 8/19/12)
August 16, 2018
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler is the 1st in the Detective Joona Linna series.
Series Background:
Homicide Detective Joona Linna works for the National Criminal Investigation Department in Sweden. His father was a policeman who was killed on the job when Joona was 12, so he was raised by his mother. After his military service as a paratrooper, he was recruited into Special Operations, and qualified for special training in the Netherlands in mixed close combat, innovative weaponry, and urban guerrilla warfare. He is respected by his peers, and somewhat envied, but considered stubborn, and somewhat aloof. His need to be “right” is a strange quirk. His crime solve rate is high, probably because of his empathy. He can understand, but not condone, the criminal mind, and anticipates the perpetrators moves. He is driven, driven by his guilt, to keep going until the crime is solved. He suffers from a rare form of migraine, but refuses to take the drug when he is working a case, since it makes him drowsy.
My Synopsis:
A man’s brutally ravaged body is found in the clubhouse at a soccer field, and when the officer goes to his home to inform his family, he finds the wife, daughter, and son in a similar condition. Then he realizes the son is still alive, and the oldest daughter is missing, and may be in danger. Joona Linna insists on being the lead investigator. Though almost comatose, Joona insists that he must interview the son so that they can perhaps save the remaining daughter. Joona calls Erik Maria Bark, a well-known psychiatrist trained in acute shock and trauma. He is also a hypnotist, but has refused to do hypnosis for the last 10 years. Erik is eventually convinced, and while under hypnosis, the young boy Joseph admits to killing his family. When the boy awakes, he is livid that he was hypnotised and threatens Erik.
Meanwhile, Erik is having problems at home. His wife Simone has never forgiven an affair he had many years ago. They seem to be heading in different directions. Their son, Benjamin, has a rare blood disorder which requires regular shots to help his blood to coagulate. Benjamin is not happy with the constant bickering between his parents, and has a new girlfriend who is older. He is also keeping another secret from his parents.
Simone awakes one night to find not only the fridge door open, but also the front door to their home, and she tries to convince Erik there was a prowler, but he takes a lot of medication, and ignored her. It happens again, only this time Simone was injected with something, and Benjamin kidnapped. Erik assumes it is Joseph, who has escaped custody. But there are other secrets in Erik’s past.
Joona takes on both the hunt for Joseph, and the kidnapping of Benjamin.
My Opinions:
I read this many years ago, and decided to start the series again. I am so glad. Thoroughly enjoyed this first book….again. The author(s) have a unique way of going over the same material from different viewpoints, alternating times, and storylines, all without confusing the reader. The short chapters kept you going, so it was a relatively fast read. As well, there are a lot of twists and red herrings that will keep you anxiously pursuing the conclusion.
Looking forward to the next in the series.
For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
Series Background:
Homicide Detective Joona Linna works for the National Criminal Investigation Department in Sweden. His father was a policeman who was killed on the job when Joona was 12, so he was raised by his mother. After his military service as a paratrooper, he was recruited into Special Operations, and qualified for special training in the Netherlands in mixed close combat, innovative weaponry, and urban guerrilla warfare. He is respected by his peers, and somewhat envied, but considered stubborn, and somewhat aloof. His need to be “right” is a strange quirk. His crime solve rate is high, probably because of his empathy. He can understand, but not condone, the criminal mind, and anticipates the perpetrators moves. He is driven, driven by his guilt, to keep going until the crime is solved. He suffers from a rare form of migraine, but refuses to take the drug when he is working a case, since it makes him drowsy.
My Synopsis:
A man’s brutally ravaged body is found in the clubhouse at a soccer field, and when the officer goes to his home to inform his family, he finds the wife, daughter, and son in a similar condition. Then he realizes the son is still alive, and the oldest daughter is missing, and may be in danger. Joona Linna insists on being the lead investigator. Though almost comatose, Joona insists that he must interview the son so that they can perhaps save the remaining daughter. Joona calls Erik Maria Bark, a well-known psychiatrist trained in acute shock and trauma. He is also a hypnotist, but has refused to do hypnosis for the last 10 years. Erik is eventually convinced, and while under hypnosis, the young boy Joseph admits to killing his family. When the boy awakes, he is livid that he was hypnotised and threatens Erik.
Meanwhile, Erik is having problems at home. His wife Simone has never forgiven an affair he had many years ago. They seem to be heading in different directions. Their son, Benjamin, has a rare blood disorder which requires regular shots to help his blood to coagulate. Benjamin is not happy with the constant bickering between his parents, and has a new girlfriend who is older. He is also keeping another secret from his parents.
Simone awakes one night to find not only the fridge door open, but also the front door to their home, and she tries to convince Erik there was a prowler, but he takes a lot of medication, and ignored her. It happens again, only this time Simone was injected with something, and Benjamin kidnapped. Erik assumes it is Joseph, who has escaped custody. But there are other secrets in Erik’s past.
Joona takes on both the hunt for Joseph, and the kidnapping of Benjamin.
My Opinions:
I read this many years ago, and decided to start the series again. I am so glad. Thoroughly enjoyed this first book….again. The author(s) have a unique way of going over the same material from different viewpoints, alternating times, and storylines, all without confusing the reader. The short chapters kept you going, so it was a relatively fast read. As well, there are a lot of twists and red herrings that will keep you anxiously pursuing the conclusion.
Looking forward to the next in the series.
For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
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