“The Hypnotist” is probably the most prevalent name for any fictional book dealing with hypnosis: I know of at least 8 or 9 of them, not including this most recent release. There seems to be a cycle, as there are times I think that a book with this title comes out regularly, with two regular publications already this year: it could a regular feature of the blog to read and comment on them alone. But its rare that the critics take notice of such books, so its worth noting when one does.
“The Hypnotist” by Lars Kepler is the most recent book of the name, a Swedish mystery novel (translated into English) where the hypnotist is not the suspect or the detective, but in this case an investigator (the third most logical choice) called in to help the young survivor of a series of murders recall information about the crime. It was a best sellar in Europe, called the biggest sale of the 2009 London Book Fair and since received excellent reviews in such venues as Entertainment Weekly, the Independant (UK), and others. Some are even calling Lars Kepler the next Stieg Larsson (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”.)
Except that author Lars Kelper is only a pseudonym for Swedish authors Alexander and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. They were interviewed in the US National Public Radio Morning Edition program, which can be heard here. They can also be seen in a video interview: