Monday, August 16, 2010

Review & Blog Tour: The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose


FBI agent Lucian Glass has been investigating the co-director of the Phoenix Foundation, Malachi Samuels, for well over a year. The man is suspected in the death of at least one person in his quest to obtain the ancient memory tools that he thinks will allow him to remember his previous lives. Nothing is more important to him, he is single minded but very, very careful. Thus far, Lucian has been unable to find anything more than circumstantial evidence of Malachi's guilt.

Meanwhile, Lucian is battling his own demons. Twenty years ago, when he was an art student in college, his girlfriend Solange was brutally murdered in her father's art framing shop. Lucian arrived in time to find her body and become the second victim. He actually died for a minute and a half in the back of the ambulance. He physically recovered but put all his artistic abilities behind him and devoted himself solely to his job in the Art Crime Team unit of the FBI, tracking down the theft and fraud of priceless antiquities.

He had been able to perform his job very well, until a recent event in Vienna (covered in the author's previous book, The Memorist). Lucian heard a ancient melody played on a specific instrument, as many others did. Since then he has been plagued by nightmares and visions of the faces of people he's never met. He is compelled to draw the people that he sees nightly in his dreams.

When the Metropolitan Museum of Art receives a destroyed Matisse painting that had been stolen years before, Lucian is called in. The painting was delivered with a note, the sender wants a recently rediscovered ancient statue of the Greek god Hypnos that the Met owns. And he's not the only one that wants it. Iran and Greece want it too, both claiming that it originated in their countries and should be returned.

At first the case against Malachi Samuels and the one involving the Matisse and Hypnos don't seem to be related, though gut instinct tells Lucian that they must be. And then he realizes that the Matisse was one of the paintings stolen the day he was attacked, that long ago day when Solange died. As the pieces of his life circle in upon themselves, Lucian struggles to solve both cases as well as his own history, both in this life and beyond.

I really enjoyed this entire trilogy: The Reincarnationist, The Memorist and The Hypnotist. It is a bit hard to summarize this one, there are many interwoven characters who are all integral to the outcome. Each book is an intriguing thriller with satisfying ancient mysteries and intricately woven plots...they do keep you guessing and are a fast paced, wild ride! I think each one could be easily understood on their own but there are overlapping characters, so my recommendation is to read them in order if you can.

This book was sent to me as part of the TLC Book Tour. For a complete list of participating blogs, click here. For more information about M.J. Rose and her books, please visit her website.

The Hypnotist is published by Mira, ISBN 978-0-7783-2675-5.

7 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I'm really looking forward to this series, because I love thrillers. Great review!

brizmus said...

Fab review - this trilogy sounds cool!

Mystica said...

The trilogy sounds good though it is this particular one which is getting quite a bit of good reviews.

Marg said...

I read the Hypnotist first, and liked it a lot. I then read The Reincarnationist, and whilst I agree that they can be read out of order, the fact that there is one major recurring character makes it seem as though the books should be read in order. I have The Memorist out to read soon from the library.

Have you read other books by M J Rose?

Zibilee said...

I just won a copy of this book in a giveaway and am really excited to get to it, and the others in the series. I am so glad you liked it! I have been reading a lot of positive things about it, so I am expecting a good read!

Unknown said...

I had no idea The Hypnotist was part of a trilogy! I love really good mystery/suspense/thrillers with complex plots, strong characters that are quick-moving. I've become fussier about the thrillers I'll read as I've become older. This book and the others in the trilogy sound like they're just my kind of book.

Thanks Carey!
~ Amy

LisaMM said...

I'm so sorry for the long delay in getting over here, but I'm really glad you enjoyed the book. Great review- Thanks so much for being on the tour!


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New Hampshire, United States
Bibliophile, Anglophile, Traveller... I have been an avid reader all of my life, since I took the Dr. Seuss Dictionary away from my Mom when I was less than a year old because I wanted to read it myself. In college, where I earned my degree in English Literature, I was often asked "What are you going to do with it?" Now I finally have the answer to that question!!! Being employed as a Flight Attendant for twenty years has given me a lot of life experience and, better still, a lot of time to read. I love to travel for fun, too.