Books and ME.

My Experience with The Hypnotist

There are many books written about serial killers, mentally unstable murderers, killers sent to create havoc in the society, and many more. But not all books create that impact on its readers which would compel him to term the book as 'Unputdownable.'

Nowadays, many writers are turning towards crime fiction thriller. They create the same impact as Agatha Christie or Dan Brown or John Grisham, but in the process of copying their style, the writer fails to create his or her own identity in the writing. So, one has to be careful while picking up a book under the thriller genre.

This week, I would write about a book which has garnered rare reviews in the literary circle and has started a series of books. The first book in the series is 'The Hypnotist', which has been written by a Swedish writer couple, Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril under the pseudonym 'Lars Kepler'. The book's success inspired the couple to write more books in this series.

The couple chose the name 'Lars Kepler' as a tribute to the famous Swedish crime fiction writer, Stieg Larsson, and the German scientist Johannes Kepler. The name had created a lot of stir in the media and they were many speculations regarding it. They put all to rest when the real mystery behind the name was revealed.

Joona Linna is a detective at the police's National Operations Department who has a track record of not leaving a case without solving it. His relentless nature has earned him a name in the department, and no one argues with him when he decides to take on a case. His reason behind such stubbornness is he understands the crime and knows how to solve it. The Hypnotist is the first novel in the 'Joona Linna series.'

Erik Maria Bark, a hypnotist and psychiatrist get involved in the case as Joona Linna needed his help. Erik had vowed never to practise hypnosis on any patient after a horrifying incident in the past. But the situation becomes inevitable, and he helps Joona, leading to opening up an unchartered territory which pulled Joona and Erik along with his family into it.

A young boy, Josef Ek, was found in his house severely injured. His father was found murdered in a gruesome manner in the football field and his other family members were also found violently murdered in the house. Only he had survived and was admitted to the hospital in a critical state. Joona Linna gets to know about the case and takes over the case from the local police to solve it. He involves Erik Bark in it to dive deeper into the mind of the young boy to know what had happened.

But that hypnosis situation created havoc as many old chapters started coming out and everybody got involved in it. This is not just a single story, there are many parallel stories which finally converge in the climax. The tragic past of Erik comes back to haunt him again. The mysterious disappearance of his son, the mystery behind the young boy who has been admitted in the hospital, and a girl who is a key character. This story is an amalgamation of the perfect thrill and mystery delivered in a single book.

The wounded past of Erik Bark comes hopping into the present lives of his family when he breaks his vow. The horrifying past of Erik creates a mystery of being connected to the current case. Will Joona and Erik rectify the mistakes and set everything right or innocent lives would still be lost in this war of hatred?

For the first book in the series, the book had to be the best so that the readers can have a lifetime of memories imbibed in their brains. The writer couple delivers the content in the perfect manner where you would keep on guessing till the end how all the stories are connected with each other.

The key ingredient of a thriller novel is the connection to the pasts and the present. The Hypnotist is a perfect example to it. It creates an unfamiliar world of crime which we even cannot imagine. The intensity of the violence shown in the book would give you the chills, but the climax would make you feel more relaxed.

It is a fast-paced story where you won't feel the need to relax and read after some time. Page after page, unknown things gets unrevealed making it a compulsive read. The characters are well developed, which helps the reader to understand the characters. The writer couple makes it a point that the reader not only understands the characters but also understand their thinking process. The book is more like a psychological drive wherein every page you would be compelled to think about something new information which would be fed to you.

Even though the book has been declared as an International bestseller and a Swedish movie under the same name was released in 2012 which was even sent to the for the Oscars under the foreign-language category, the book is still an alien to many readers. This series has created a Joona Lina universe just like the Hammarby series (another Swedish bestseller series). If you are looking out for a good thriller read, you should check out 'The Hypnotist.'

At 518 pages (English version), this book is one of the best thriller stories I have read till date. The story has been very well researched as the author couple had decided to dive into something which many could not even think of. They created a character who is a hypnotist, which is a challenging thing as they could write nothing out of thin air. The procedures, laws on the use of hypnosis on patients has been researched and described perfectly.

Till date, the author duo has released seven books in this series and all the books have been highly appreciated. If you like this book, you should check out the other books.

Until I upload my experience with another book, till then take care, be safe and keep on reading. Cheers.