Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Perfect characters and great plots
Cons: Shawn seems a
bit slow at times
The Bottom Line:
An inventive plot
And characters true to form
Make this a winner
The End of psych?
I’ll admit the last couple of tie in novels to the TV show psych have been a little disappointing. They tried to take on too much and it wasn’t fleshed out. Fortunately, the newest is a return to form. In fact, I found Mind-Altering Murder to be lots of fun.
While not based on any episodes from the USA Network’s hit
show, it does follow the characters. It revolves around Shawn Spencer, a man
trained to be hyper observant and notice every clue. But, since he can’t take
anything seriously, he pretends to be a psychic and turns those observations
into his visions. Working alongside him is his best friend since childhood,
Gus. Also in this book from the show are Santa
Barbara homicide detectives Juliette O’Hara and
Carleton Lassiter. The other members of the cast, Shawn’s dad Henry and the
chief of police, are mentioned but don’t actually appear in this novel.
Detective O’Hara knows that Mandy Jansen didn’t commit
suicide. Oh sure, the former cheerleader was found hanging from the pipes in
her basement apartment. But O’Hara knows the evidence is wrong. She just can’t
find anything to prove her theory right.
Normally, she might turn to Shawn, but Shawn is occupied
with a case of his own. Macklin Tanner, CEO of a virtual gaming company, has
vanished and Shawn is convinced that the key to his disappearance is in the new
virtual reality game that his company was about to release.
And Gus? Well, Gus has decided it is time to grow up and get
a grown up job at a pharmaceutical company in San Francisco . Will his attempts to leave
Psych behind work? Or will one of these cases wind up involving his new
company?
Since the show runs so much on the chemistry between Shawn
and Gus, author William Rabkin took a big risk dividing them up for much of
this book. I think it paid off well because it allowed us a chance to see the
characters develop a bit by themselves. Both of them are still true to their
personalities from the show – at least most of the time. Shawn can be a bit
dense at times when talking to Gus, but their exchanges were still pretty
funny.
Another highlight of the show is Shawn’s battle of words
with Detective Lassiter. This book nails that; these were my favorite scenes in
the book. Did I miss the main characters who weren’t in this book? Yes,
although they will sometimes be absent for an episode or two of the TV show as
well. And I felt it allowed more time for the story to develop.
Speaking of which, there are definitely two mysteries
between the covers of this book, but the way they weave in and out of each
other and the characters work on both of them, it works for the book. Both are
strong plots in their own right. I figured one of the solutions out about the
time Shawn did, but the other stumped me until the end.
The book is written third person and spends quite a bit of
time in the heads of Gus, Shawn, and Juliette. This split is part of what keeps
all the elements of the book working so well.
Honestly, I think Mind-Altering Murder just might be the
strongest tie in novel for psych. Fans of the TV show will not be disappointed.
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