🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Lars Kepler
The Hypnotist is the first novel the Ahndorils wrote under the pen name of Lars Kepler, and they published it in 2009. The title character, Erik Maria Bark, is called in by the police to assist with investigating the brutal murder of a family. The only survivor is a severely injured teen-age boy, Joseph Ek, who has no memory of the attack. The police hope that Bark can use his skills to unearth any repressed memories. The novel introduced Joona Linna, the Chief Inspector from the Swedish Police Force who would become the protagonist of the Lars Kepler series. He is of Swedish and Finnish ancestry and is known for his sometime unconventional methods. In The Hypnotist, for example, recruiting Erik Bark to help with the case is his idea.
All Book Series by Lars Kepler
I Will Find the Key
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2026 Anthology · Alex Ahndoril
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Lars Kepler?
The Hypnotist is the first novel the Ahndorils wrote under the pen name of Lars Kepler, and they published it in 2009. The title character, Erik Maria Bark, is called in by the police to assist with investigating the brutal murder of a family. The only survivor is a severely injured teen-age boy, Joseph Ek, who has no memory of the attack.
Which Lars Kepler series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Detective Inspector Joona Linna series, the earliest of Lars Kepler's multi-book series: it opens with The Hypnotist (2009) and runs to 10 books across 2009–2025, ending with The Sleepwalker (2025).
How many books has Lars Kepler written?
Lars Kepler has 13 books catalogued in this guide, published between 2009 and 2026. 10 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Detective Inspector Joona Linna series with 10 books — and 3 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Lars Kepler's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Lars Kepler's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Detective Inspector Joona Linna (2009–2025, 10 books).
How are Lars Kepler's books organised into series?
This guide splits Lars Kepler's 13 books into 1 named series and 3 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Detective Inspector Joona Linna (10 books, 2009–2025).