2 Book Lovers Reviews

Please feel free to comment or share.

See more of Greg's

Contemporary Adventure

​​​Over the past few years, I’ve developed a bit of an affinity for Nordic noir, dark crime stories set in Scandinavia.  There is an engaging darkness that I find myself drawn to in these stories, I don’t know if it’s the long dark winters that they have there, but many of these authors just connect with me.

The Hypnotist is set in Sweden from December 8th until the 24th.  It is an intense story on many levels:  the dark antagonists, the depth of the crimes committed, even the betrayals of many of the characters.  This story should have ticked all of my boxes.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a good story in The Hypnotist, and I can see it working well for many people.  I just felt a bit of a disconnect with the characters.  There was no one that I really liked, and at the same time, there was no one that I really hated.  I like my characters like I like my coffee, full-bodied and robust; I just couldn’t find any.  The good guys were lacking and the bad guys were not fully developed.  

There is a lot going on in The Hypnotist.  I almost had the impression that certain elements were added in just to keep me guessing.  I don’t want to know “who done it” early on, but at least keep it consistent and don’t send me on any wild goose chases.

In the end, The Hypnotist was a good story, not a great one.  Will I read Lars Kepler again?  Perhaps, but it will have to grab me early and it might not be anytime soon.

*3 Stars + *0.5 for the ending= *3.5 Stars

The Hypnotist 

By Lars Kepler