The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

‘The Hypnotist’ has a very alluring synopsis at the back, which makes you want to grab it off a shelf and read it right there. That feeling is exactly what nudged me towards buying the book. The book has been translated to English from Swedish. The story revolves around a family being brutally murdered and only one remaining witness being found to tell the tale. The witness happens to be the son in the family, badly injured and stunned to a point of absolute shock. Our protagonist here happens to be Mr. Joona, the detective taking up the case much against the will of his superiors.

The story tailors into how Joona cannot get anything out of the boy, leading him to turn to the disgraced Eric Maria Bark, who as the title suggests, is a hypnotist. Now this is the part that had me on the edge of my seat. Using hypnosis to solve an eerie murder is definitely a nail-biter. However, as the plot further progresses and a series of events unfold, the focus shifts from the family murder to a completely new and unwanted story. To be really honest, the story loses its charm the moment it loses its focus. It doesn’t keep you reading as it tells you how Bark’s son is kidnapped and the tale of how everyone goes in search of him. This is the part where I lost complete interest in reading the book and went through a few pages twice a week just for the sake of completing it. The family murder case, though still running in the background, is bought up and thrown away subtly, which is what kills the book.

Over-all, a pretty ok-ish read, the main reason being a sudden shift in the plot and a very disappointing climax. I must say, Mr Kepler’s writing style is pretty decent (third person point of view). But if you’re looking for a good psychological thriller and come across this book, tempted to buy it because of its synopsis, I must warn you – it is not worth it.