Hypnotic By Sherry Hostler

‘Hypnotic’ is the latest book by Sherry Hostler.

Trying to outrun his past and save his marriage, Tom is unwittingly drawn into a university experiment which has a hidden objective. Can you hypnotise someone to commit murder? The experiment is led by the obsessive Bethany, who harbours a secret she will do anything to keep safe. The more involved Tom becomes in the experiment, the more he risks everything he holds dear. But is it too late to turn back?

‘Hypnotic’ is seen from the narrative of university student Bethany and an older man called Tom. They are both at a turning point in their lives, both recovering from terrible circumstances and are dealing with their problems in their own ways. Tom finds solace in drink much to the upset of his wife Gemma and even though, he knows it’s tearing the couple apart, he can’t stop. Bethany attends counselling sessions with a woman called Leigh, who’s helping her channel her emotions in a positive way and even helps with a university assignment that leads Bethany to meet Tom. Along with her student friend Jordan, they are going to hypnotise someone to see if under hypnotism could cause someone to commit a murder. When Tom sees an advert for a group to help with sleeping disruption, Gemma urges him to attend as this might help them. As Tom works with Bethany and Jordan and the hypnotism, they all have ulterior motives for attending the group.

I really enjoyed this story, the dual narratives gave an interesting insight into the complicated characters and I found myself racing through the pages, solely so I could find out the source of their issues. The hypnotism parts made for fascinating reading and it’s obvious that the author has a genuine interest in the topic due to the sheer amount of detail and research that has been put into the story.

Of the two characters, I have to say Tom was my favourite, it was hard not to feel sympathy for him as he continuously pushed the self destruct button on his life and relationship and it made for hard reading at times, as he struggled.

A cleverly written novel about obsession, deceit and recovery, ‘Hypnotic’ is an intense and addictive story.

You can buy ‘Hypnotic’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.