Talia’s Pick: The Hypnotist

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If you've attended a book buzz, panel, or webinar featuring Talia this year, you were undoubtedly recommended THE HYPNOTIST by the pseudonymous couple, Lars Kepler. Booklist warned us of Talia's penchant for gore, so we all should have known this book would be right up her alley. I mean, come on, the cover is a pair of bloody scissors suspended over what looks like a pool of more blood. And just listen to this description:

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.

Publishers Weekly gave THE HYPNOTIST a starred review that reads, "The brutal slaying of gambling addict Anders Ek, his wife, and his younger daughter propels this outstanding thriller debut. [...] Readers will look forward to seeing more of Linna in what one hopes will be a long series."

Shelf Awareness calls it "extraordinary—a heart-pounding, enthralling story of madness and malevolence." And "a riveting story of obsession and revenge."

Booklist says THE HYPNOTIST has "a cracking pace" and that it "belongs on every international crime fan’s reading list."

If you're looking for a pulse-raising, blood spattered, fast-paced thriller, then THE HYPNOTIST is for you.

THE HYPNOTIST will be available 6/21/2011 from Sarah Crichton Books.