A bloodcurdling thriller rife with grit, gore and the complexities of the human condition, The Hypnotist is sure to keep readers spellbound in its clutches. In the cold climate of Tumba, Sweden, a family is found murdered in their home in a brutal triple homicide. The only survivor and witness is a teenage boy, Josef Ek, who is badly wounded from being stabbed over one hundered times and has gone into shock. The other intended victim, the boy's elder sister, was able to escape the carnage, but it may only be a matter of time before the killer hunts her down. Against the wishes of the National Police, DI Joona Linna decides to investigate the case, but with scarce leads, he seeks the help of an unorthodox source – disgraced psychiatrist and hypnotist Erik Maria Bark – in the hopes of getting more information from Josef. Having sworn never to indulge in such practices again, Bark at first refuses the request on grounds of ethics and the risk of deep psychological damage. But when Erik relents and begins his sessions with Josef, what he discovers makes him want to stay silent. Filled with a visceral darkness that distinguishes Kepler's writing from his crime fiction peers, The Hypnotist offers a skillful, if highly disturbing, meditation on the nature of evil.
A bloodcurdling thriller rife with grit, gore and the complexities of the human condition, The Hypnotist is sure to keep readers spellbound in its clutches. In the cold climate of Tumba, Sweden, a family is found murdered in their home in a brutal triple homicide. The only survivor and witness is a teenage boy, Josef Ek, who is badly wounded from being stabbed over one hundered times and has gone into shock. The other intended victim, the boy's elder sister, was able to escape the carnage, but it may only be a matter of time before the killer hunts her down. Against the wishes of the National Police, DI Joona Linna decides to investigate the case, but with scarce leads, he seeks the help of an unorthodox source – disgraced psychiatrist and hypnotist Erik Maria Bark – in the hopes of getting more information from Josef. Having sworn never to indulge in such practices again, Bark at first refuses the request on grounds of ethics and the risk of deep psychological damage. But when Erik relents and begins his sessions with Josef, what he discovers makes him want to stay silent. Filled with a visceral darkness that distinguishes Kepler's writing from his crime fiction peers, The Hypnotist offers a skillful, if highly disturbing, meditation on the nature of evil.