The Hypnotist

The Hypnotist is a crime novel by the Swedish husband-wife writing team of Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, published under the name Lars Kepler. It was first published in Sweden in 2009 and translated into English in 2011 by Ann Long. In 2012, it was adapted into a film. Plot A man is discovered murdered in the bathroom of a locker room. Upon going to the man's residence, a policeman finds the man's wife and young daughter brutally murdered as well as his son, Josef Ek, who is also gravely injured but alive. Soon after investigation, led by Joona Linna, it is discovered that the murdered man also had an older daughter, Evelyn Ek, who was not found at the crime scene. Afraid the daughter may be alive but in danger of being tracked by the murderer, Joona is desperate to question Josef but the boy is in shock and in no condition to be interrogated. It is advised by the medical staff to call on Erik Maria Bark, an expert in trauma victims and hypnotism, to try to hypnotize Josef to try to get some information about the murders and location of his sister. Erik initially refuses to perform the hypnosis (he had promised to never hypnotize a person again) but eventually gives in at the possibility of saving the sister's life. However, under hypnosis, it becomes apparent that Josef was in fact the killer and that his injuries are self inflicted. Theoretically, no one can lie under hypnosis and he has confessed to murder; however, a statement under hypnosis cannot be used as evidence. News of the supposed confession leaks to the media, who then publicly attack Erik's use of hypnotism, questioning the legality of coercing a confession through hypnotism. Josef expresses anger toward Erik and expresses the urge to get revenge for being hypnotized. At home, Erik has marital issues with his wife Simone due to an act of infidelity 10 years ago and brought up again by a false suspicion that Erik is having a new affair with a female colleague, as well as arguments over Erik's dependent use of medication for sleep. Erik's teenage son Benjamin has a blood disease that necessitates he receive a shot one a week or risk bleeding to death from even a simple scratch because his blood does not coagulate. Benjamin's girlfriend is Aida, who is a tattooed older girl with a mother with health issues and a younger brother, Nicky, who is mentally challenged. One morning, Simone wakes to find their door, and refrigerator door, open.