Ever since I first became hooked on the utterly unputdownable The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I've become a huge fan of Scandinavian literature. Really, who knew it was just so good?
From Stieg Larsson to Jo Nesbo, there is a ridiculous array of talented crime writers coming through the ranks, and with Scandinavian TV shows like The Bridge making such big waves, it seems the bandwagon is truly here to stay.
Anyway, my latest discovery can hold a candle to each and every one of those hits. In fact, if you like your thrillers, then you're in for a real treat...
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler is quite simply one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Fast-paced, compulsive and more than just a little gruesome, this is one of those rare books which will keep you guessing from start to finish.
Within the very first chapter, you learn that an entire family has been brutally attacked. In fact, there is just one surviving witness - a young boy who has been left so traumatised by the event that he cannot be questioned.
The Detective in charge of the case, Joona Linna, is obviously desperate for information, and so he calls in Dr Erik Maria Bark to delve into the boy's mind through hypnosis. But it soon becomes apparent that the boy was more involved in the case than they realised...
Anyway, enough of me waffling, just read the synopsis...
"Detective Inspector Joona Linna is faced with a boy who witnessed the gruesome murder of his family. He’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and is comatose with shock.
"Linna’s running out of time. The killer’s on the run and, seemingly, there are no clues. Desperate for information, Linna enlists disgraced specialist Dr Erik Maria Bark, a hypnotist who vowed never to practice again.
"As the hypnosis begins, a long and terrifying chain of events unfurls with reverberations far beyond Linna’s case."
The Hypnotist is full of twists and turns and only proves that Kepler (actually not an individual, but a husband and wife team would you believe?) can genuinely cut the mustard as "the next Stieg Larsson".
For anyone who is searching for that perfect, gripping, summer read - this is The One.
Sam x
