The Muse

by Jeffery Deaver, Dan Bittner (Narrator)

The inspiration for evil may hold the key to murder in this edge-of-your-seat story from Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Jeffery Deaver.

Life appears to imitate art when a series of sadistic murders grips the city. Investigating the carefully orchestrated killings, Detective Gene Tripp and his partner discover that the perp might have been inspired by the best-selling novels and stories of popular thriller author Brody Pierce. Or has the demon of writer’s block driven Brody himself to step over the line between fiction and reality and exploit the dark side of his imagination?

As the detectives race to uncover the truth before more people die, they learn that perhaps yet another boundary has been crossed:

That between real life and the supernatural.

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Detective

Audiobook

Published February 2, 2023

About the author

#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of people burn to death in a van & the police discover that the doors had been locked so that nobody could escape. Unfortunately for successful thriller writer Brody Pierce the crime is exactly the same as the plot for one of his early short stories.
Jeffery Deaver's novella is full of interesrting characters & numerous suspects . The plot works really well right up until the final twist. It's an amusing ending with some nice dialogue, but it just doesn't work for me.

[Ashes 🦇 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing ending.

[Dave Lockyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say I was gobsmacked with this book would be an understatement.
The book opens with a bus catching fire and only one of the passengers surviving, eerily similar to a story line in a book from crime author Brodie Pierce.
From here the police get on the trail , working through a number of suspects but get foiled at every turn until a shock culprit is revealed.

[Tiff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Snot · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made absolutely no sense to me. I really enjoyed the beginning and was looking forward to how the story played out. My interest was kept throughout most of this book, and I feel this story had so much potential only for it to be basically dropped on it's face. The ending was terrible and made absolutely no sense. I didn't feel that anything in this book gave a hint of how the story would end and how "paranormal" (for lack of a better explanation) this book was supposed to be. I usually enjoy paranormal based suspense/thrillers but this was so left field it completely ruined the book for me.

[Fred Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird that some "audio only" titles show up like this one, others like "Birds of Prey" edited by Harlen Coben do not so I will review both here. The Muse by Deaver is pretty short and held my attention as a twisty interesting thriller until the end. Will not provide a spoiler since some folks enjoyed the twist, I'm just not one of them despite my liking Deaver as a writer.

"Birds of Prey" is a collection of short stories. If you are expecting much Harlen Coben you will be disappointed since he only does the introduction but supposedly it was his idea to invite these writers to contribute short stories on the topic. And, in the main, they do a great job, some great thriller writers here but as one might expect, a bit of a mixed bag in quality but the tape is a great driving companion.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, for a short story - better than the previous one anyway!

[Kyosti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with others: Great story telling, but disappointing ending. Sigh... it really had potential.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

June 2023
Audiobook edition
2h 22m (1.3x speed)

I was going between 3 and 4 stars until I reached the end when it almost got a 2. I settled on 3. For the most part I did enjoy the story. A murder mystery where you have an ambitious cop walking a thin line thanks to his colleagues and an author, whose book has been used for murder. I liked the characters, I liked the build up and then it went wtf. The twist made me feel like the story had been cancelled and a rushed ending of randomness used. A murder mystery with a supernatural spin. I brought that Anna was the culprit. I would've accepted assassin or serial killer. Demon possessed? Eh no. Yet somehow I enjoyed it and the cop getting his own HEA.

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually had me reeled in on the story and the details, kinda wish there was more though

[Lavins · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

The book's ending was pretty ridiculous. I didn't enjoy any of it.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really interesting story up until the end, which comes out of nowhere. So disappointing.

[beernotbabies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick audible free listen. Fine enough to pass the time with but wasn't in love with it at all. The end just felt like..it was thrown in to be almost too much of a plot twist?

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short read that left much to be desired. It’s not that it was terrible, but just felt lacking. I like the concept a lot and the twist ending would have been good with the correct set up, but alas it didn’t have it. I really think this would have been an amazing read if it just got flushed out a bit more. Write this like a real crime noir with spooky elements and this could have been and absolute blast, instead you get a short some what intriguing mystery with a twist at the end that could have been amazing.

[Anna Sinjin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was moving along well enough for the majority of the book, though I was severely annoyed with the podcaster character. She really rubbed me the wrong way. Props to the author for not making the murderer an easy guess. I was wrong the whole time, despite being dead sure I knew who it was. But then the ending! It went from a decent murder mystery, though a bit annoying at times, to absolutely ridiculous. It was so bad that it ruined the entire book for me so that I regret wasting my morning reading it.

[Nilesh Jasani · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Muse has too much for such a short book. It appears like the new murders are just becoming known to the investigators even as the book reaches the home stretch. The same goes for the new characters and their backstories. The wrapping up is extraordinarily quick, not just in light of the complexities of the crimes solved but also with the sudden inclusion of the extraordinary.

[Sherij · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this right up until the end. It would have made a perfect run of the mill serial killer book. It didn't need that twist at the end, and I felt it ruined the whole book for me.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Kindle Short, approximately 2+ hours. Stared out interesting enough, held my attention, and then just dropped me. I was slightly disappointed in the ending.

[Rachel Nicole Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

thoroughly enjoyed this story 😬 😊

~xo,
Rach

[Kristin Scearce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was a solid 4 stars until the twist. Where tf did that come from?

2.5 stars

[Shilo Parcel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeffery Deaver's "The Muse" is a riveting thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very last chapter. The intricate plot and well-developed personalities drew me in and kept me following the entire time. The writing style is superb, and the plot is both exciting and intriguing. However, I was eventually let down by the book's conclusion. The final chapter left me dissatisfied and even angry that I had spent any time consuming the novel. While the remainder of the book was enjoyable, the ending left me with a bitter aftertaste. Anyone who likes a fast-paced thriller with intricate plotting and well-developed characters should read it. The unsatisfactory conclusion, on the other hand, may leave some readers disappointed. If you decide to read this book, be prepared for a thrilling ride but don't anticipate a satisfying ending.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am normally a big fan of Deaver’s work, but this fell far short of his usual work. The first three quarters of this story set up what could have been a great book, although there were too many characters introduced too quickly. Then it feels like an ending is abruptly thrown on to wrap it up as a short story, and not even a logical ending as it takes an abrupt and completely unexpected twist into the supernatural. The only way this works for me is if it is used as a prequel to set up a series the author is writing, and as far as I know that is not the case here. Totally disappointing story.

[Becs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps we’re just well shielded from this in everyday News, but I’m surprised we don’t hear more about real life accounts of stories like this.

Deaver returns with a compelling concept - a series of murders appear to be copycat-ing deaths portrayed in a popular authors work. Like I said, I’m surprised there aren’t more weirdos out there doing just that!

Having said that, it was way too busy for a short audiobook. I struggle, I have now realised, with crime thriller novellas as audiobooks - it’s just too much to take in when the story is a) very short and b) has lots of extraneous characters and red herrings which aren’t well developed (by nature of the length). So, it felt really messy and hard to follow for me, despite getting that general idea.

I’d prefer to actually be able to work out for myself what the motives and methods were, but it seems with these novellas, particularly in this format, that it’s next to impossible to keep up enough to do so.

Regardless, perhaps this was a “me” issue - but this just wasn’t great.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceed expectations! Love when that happens. Horror novella to listen to while I did chores. Kept me guessing right up until the end. Characters are well-developed, pacing is good, plot unique. Well done. Recommend.

[Tom Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing with annoying narration.

Having read a few of Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme books I was very hopeful for this Original. Unfortunately, this one found him on an off day.

The story started out fast and moved along well until it decided it was time to finish and shut itself down with what I felt was a completely rushed and maybe silly conclusion.

Sorry, Jeffery, but I found it unreasonable and I was hurt even more by an even sillier raspy Gumshoe imitation narration. Three stars for the interesting beginning but that’s all! ***

[Anastasiya M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another short audiobook from Jeffery Deaver to keep you on the edge.

It had a slow build-up yet was still jam-packed with many elements to create a mystery. Entertaining writing and to the point, even with the short audiobook, I enjoyed the plot. Everything was going great until the ending was revealed which took a completely different turn to what I was expecting, which I get when it comes to plot twists and stunning the reader but it just wasn't to my liking.

Read more here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.wordpress...

[Shay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Idk what I thought this would be but this was NOT it sorry not sorry

[Heather R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this fast-paced and extremely creative horror novella by Jeffrey Deaver, and I’m surprised to find that apparently I was in the minority of GR reviewers. Maybe I am just thrilled that there wasn’t what I think of as the Stephen King-style “Grand Horror Finale” that in my view plagues horror stories. Rather, this ending was entirely unexpected and entirely lowkey, albeit a bit grim! I loved this story, the character development, and the wild ideas Deaver comes up with. Wonder who *his* muse is? 🤔

I listened to the Audible version — fantastic narrator, by the way! — as part of a book-binge to attempt to catch up on my Goodreads reading goal in time for the end of the year. Pro tip for anyone else trying to do this: you can sort your Audible downloads by shortest to longest length! Another pro tip: if you want to make your reading goals in a given year, you might have to limit the epic novels you read (apologies to the late Anne Rice, but The Witching Hour set me WAY back and I am still not done listening!). I think next year, I’ll just scale back my goal so I can read books of whatever length I want, without the pressure.

Thanks for reading this review. Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!

[Aron · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot itself was original and really great. There was a lot to like about the book; the conclusion, though, arguably one of the most critical parts of any mystery book, was just weird. You’d need to listen to the audiobook to get what I’m saying. From the listener’s point of view, there was only a limited number of characters, so of course it’s not hard to figure it out, but also, the reasoning and the motivation for doing so were not satisfactory. I know one of the genres is “Paranormal”; however, that aspect of the book was not revealed until the conclusion. Hence, without the conclusion, there would be no paranormal activity at all. I suppose, to me, it seemed as though the conclusion just came about for convenience and didn’t feel all that great. Perhaps if the book were longer and included more horror-type scenes, the flow and consequently the ending would have made for a more entertaining story. I’d still recommend it as it’s a short listen.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Я до этого успела прочитать только одну книгу Дивера - The Bone Collector - о детективе Линкольне Райме, который одним своим интеллектом разгадывает самые загадочные преступления. Исходя из этого, я думала, Дивер будет "играть по правилам" и в этой книге. Пыталась разгадать, кто же столь извращённый убийца, у которого нет никакого сочувствия к жертвам - они пешки в его мерзкой игре. Поэтому развязка оказалась просто шокирующей. В отзывах многие пишут, что недовольны, но мне понравилось. Эта очень короткая аудиокнига должна была меня просто развлечь - что у неё получилось великолепно. Очень захватывающая, неожиданная, жутковатая. Если не ожидать многого - она прекрасна.