The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

Following the overwhelming success of The Millennium Trilogy (The Girl....series) by Stieg Larsson and the recent success of The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, it's no wonder American publishers are clamoring to get new Scandinavian authors out on the crime fiction shelves.  Sometimes, this leads to less than stellar works...published just for the sake of being published.  That is NOT the case with this book by Kepler, a Swedish husband and wife writing team.  The Hypnotist is one of the strongest thrillers I've read in ages...since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...and even gives that first book of Larsson's trilogy a run for its money.  Most of the way through (up until the very end -- maybe the last 50 pages) was some of the best suspense ever!  Kepler knows just how to reel the audience in and how much or how little to give away...letting the chills mount until they just HAVE to be released.  The ending was a bit of a disappointment, which is why it was not able to surpass The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as my favorite crime story in a decade.  Unlike Girl, which has a very strong ending, The Hypnotist's story and writing seems to drag on unnecessarily at the end, which is a shame since most of the book was so taut and fine-tuned.  But, the ending should not keep you from reading this one.  The first 450 pages are superb and need to be savored and remembered as you read to the end.  I'm sure you will not be disappointed with this one!  A MUST for all crime readers!