The Hypnotist

Review by Nancy

Lucian Glass has had a hard life. A talented artist, he is rocked by the death of his lover, Solange Jacobs in her father’s gallery. Mr. Jacob restored art and, after closing one evening; someone breaks in and steals a priceless Matisse, killing the girl in the process. Nearly killing Glass as well which might have been a blessing since he obsesses with Solange and cannot find a way to let her go.

He is with the FBI Art Crimes Team and researches art theft, fraud, etc. Someone wants a statue that is in the care of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A very, very old statue of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Nothing sleepy going on here, though. A group of folks called Resurrectionists, thinks the statue contains certain gems to help people recall their past lives. They will stop at nothing to get their hands on it, and some folks right in New York also want it for the same reason – it contains what they refer to as Memory Tools.

The best way for Lucien to investigate the New York contingent is to pose as someone in need of help. The hypnotist he sees isn’t involved in the plot but is determined to help Lucian find his past lives. And find them he does.

In a very interesting tale which is part of a series beginning with The Reincarnationist followed by The Memorist, we learn quite a bit about memory regression and if you are immersed in this it’s a great way to gain some knowledge. Rose has violence, murder, history and art all married into this novel and it works perfectly. I could not put this down until the final page and am now looking for parts one and two to satisfy my curiosity. Excellent work!