Friday, November 18, 2011

Book Review: The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose



Book Synopsis:

Haunted by his inability to stop the murder of a beautiful young painter twenty years ago, Lucian Glass keeps his demons at bay through his fascinating work with the FBI's Art Crime Team.  Investigating a crazed collector who's begun destroying prized masterworks, Glass is thrust into a bizarre hostage negotiation that takes him undercover at the Phoenix Foundation - dedicated to the science of past-life study.  There, to maintain his cover, he submits to the treatment of a hypnotist.

Under hypnosis, Glass travels from ancient Greece to nineteenth-century Persia, while the case takes him from New York to Paris and the movie capital of the world.  These journeys will change his very understanding of reality, lead him to question his own sanity and land him at the center of perhaps the most audacious art heist in history: a fifteen-hundred-year-old sculpture the nation of Iran will do anything to recover.

My Review

4 Stars

The Hypnotist, the third novel in author M.J. Rose's Reincarnationist series, is a fast-paced and engaging thriller that will keep readers enthralled right until the end.

While the main focus of the novel is on FBI agent Lucian Glass' attempts to solve a case involving the destruction of a priceless work of stolen art, several other secondary story lines are skillfully woven into the fabric of the narrative.  While at first these story lines, which include a fight between Iran and the Metropolitan Museum of Art over an ancient sculpture, seem to be unrelated, it soon becomes apparent that they are in fact connected in some way to Lucian Glass' case.  M.J. Rose effectively balances these multiple story lines, leaving the reader yearning to discover how they connect rather than leaving them wondering where each story line is headed.  By the close of the novel the various story lines are successfully brought together in an ending that is sure not to disappoint.

Being the third novel in a series, I was initially concerned that I would be missing important background information as I've not yet read the first two books in the series.  This concern proved unfounded.  The Hypnotist can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.  Given my enjoyment of The Hypnotist, however, I will now go back and read the first two novels in the series. 

This novel is recommended for enthusiasts of the thriller genre, especially those who enjoy thrillers with an historical aspect to them.

Note: I received a copy of this novel for review as one of the hosts of The Hypnotist Virtual Book Tour.

You can learn more about the tour, including the tour schedule, by clicking on the following link: