by Lars Kepler
First published 2011
Detective Inspector Joona Linna arrives at a brutal crime scene in Tumba, Sweden. Three family members lie dead, and one boy clings to life despite over a hundred knife wounds. The teenager has retreated into shock, leaving Linna without his only witness to the killings. The detective turns to Dr. Erik Maria Bark with an urgent request: use hypnosis to unlock the boy's memories of that night. Bark refuses at first. He swore off hypnotism years ago after witnessing its dangerous psychological effects. But Linna's persistence and the urgency of catching the killer before he strikes again wear down Bark's resistance. When the doctor finally agrees to hypnotize the traumatized boy, he triggers consequences that spiral far beyond the original investigation. The session reveals information that puts more lives at risk and forces Bark to confront the very reasons he abandoned hypnosis. What began as an attempt to solve one family's murder becomes a race against time that threatens everyone involved.
Genres: mystery, crime, detective, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: race-against-time, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Tumba, Sweden
503 pages · Hardcover · Sarah Crichton Books
Content warnings: murder, violence