Fifteen-year-old Josef Ek lies in a hospital bed, his body covered in countless knife wounds. He has survived a gruesome triple murder that took the lives of his parents and his little sister. In deep shock, he is the sole living witness to the crime. Desperate for information and sure that the killer is out for more blood, Detective Inspector Joona Linna opts for a risky route of interrogation: hypnotism. It’s the only way to discover what the young victim saw.

Joona lures Dr. Erik Maria Bark to the case, despite the doctor’s controversial reputation. It’s the sort of work Erik has sworn he would never do again. At the pinnacle of his career as a psychotherapist, Eric made breakthrough progress with severely traumatized patients --- until one patient’s revelations went too far. Breaking his vow to abandon hypnosis, he now begins to probe Josef’s memories, unleashing a terrifying chain of events that makes his own family the target of lethal vengeance.

Unfolding against the backdrop of Sweden’s haunting landscapes, The Hypnotist marks the American debut of a mesmerizing thriller that has topped bestseller lists throughout Europe. Taking the genre to new heights, each chapter delivers a heart-stopping turn in a world where the mind may be the deadliest weapon.

The questions and discussion topics that follow are designed to enhance your reading of Lars Kepler’s The Hypnotist. We hope they will enrich your experience as you explore this provocative novel.