The Hypnotist by MJ Rose

This book was a bit of a surprise.  I did not honestly think that I would like it as much as I did.  The main character has many levels.  He is consumed with the death of his childhood girlfriend.  The book involves past lives and how they relate to the present.  The statue that is a main part of the story is called Hypnos.  It was created in Persia long ago.  The Iranian government has claimed ownership even though it is currently in the possession of the Met.  It was left to the Met by a donor who claimed that he received the statue through legal means.  The Iranian government concocts a plan to get the statue back, legally or no. Another group learns that the statue is connected to some things called Memory Tools.  One of the interesting things in the story is that we learn so little about the tools.  They are something on the edge and somehow in the middle of the book.  The story is slow in places but it is definitely something that I would recommend to anyone who likes mysteries or any story out of the ordinary.