Joona Linna Crime Series Books 1 and 2: The Hypnotist, The Nightmare

Chapter 75 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 76 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 77 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 78 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 79 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 80 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 81 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 82 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 83 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 84 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 85 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 86 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 87 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 88 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 89 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 90 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 91 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 92 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 93 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 94 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 95 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 96 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 97 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 98 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 99 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 100 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 101 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 102 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 103 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 104 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 105 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 106 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 107 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 108 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 109 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 110 (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

In Greek mythology, the god Hypnos is a winged boy with poppy seeds in his hand. His name means sleep. He is the twin brother of Thanatos, death, and the son of night and darkness.

The term hypnosis was first used in its modern sense in 1843 by the Scottish surgeon James Braid. He used this term to describe a sleeplike state of both acute awareness and great receptiveness.

Even today, opinions vary with regard to the usefulness, reliability, and dangers of hypnosis. This lingering ambivalence is presumably owing to the fact that the techniques of hypnosis have been exploited by con men, stage performers, and secret services all over the world.

From a purely technical point of view, it is easy to place a person in a hypnotic state. The difficulty lies in controlling the course of events, guiding the patient, and interpreting and making use of the results. Only through considerable experience and skill is it possible to master deep hypnosis fully. There are only a handful of recognised doctors in the world who have mastered hypnosis.

Like fire, just like fire. Those were the first words the boy uttered under hypnosis. Despite life-threatening injuries—innumerable knife wounds to his face, legs, torso, back, the soles of his feet, the back of his neck, and his head—the boy had been put into a state of deep hypnosis in an attempt to see what had happened with his own eyes.

“I’m trying to blink,” he mumbled. “I go into the kitchen, but it isn’t right; there’s a crackling noise between the chairs and a bright red fire is spreading across the floor.”

They’d thought he was dead when they found him among the other bodies in the terraced house. He’d lost a great deal of blood, gone into a state of shock, and hadn’t regained consciousness until seven hours later. He was the only surviving witness.

Detective Joona Linna was certain that the boy would be able to provide valuable information, possibly even identify the killer.

But if the other circumstances had not been so exceptional, it would never even have occurred to anyone to turn to a hypnotist.

1

tuesday, december 8: early morning

Erik Maria Bark is yanked reluctantly from his dream when the telephone rings. Before he is fully awake, he hears himself say with a smile, “Balloons and streamers.”

His heart is pounding from the sudden awakening. Erik has no idea what he meant by these words. The dream is completely gone, as if he had never had it.