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Psych #2
Mind Over Magic
Based on the hit usa network series. Shawn Spencer has convinced everyone he's psychic. Now, he's either going to clean up- or be found out.
Murder and Magic are all in the mind...
When a case takes Shawn and Gus into an exclusive club for professional magicians, they're treated to a private show by the hottest act on the Vegas Strip, "Martian Magician" P'tol P'kah. But when the wizard seemingly dissolves in a tank of water, he never rematerializes. And in his place there's a corpse in a three piece suit and a bowler hat.
Eager to keep his golden boy untarnished, the magician's manager hires Shawn and Gus to uncover the identity of the dead man and find out what happened to P'tol P'kah. But to do so, the pair will have to pose as a new mentalist act, and go undercover in a world populated by magicians, mystics, Martians-and one murderer...
Murder and Magic are all in the mind...
When a case takes Shawn and Gus into an exclusive club for professional magicians, they're treated to a private show by the hottest act on the Vegas Strip, "Martian Magician" P'tol P'kah. But when the wizard seemingly dissolves in a tank of water, he never rematerializes. And in his place there's a corpse in a three piece suit and a bowler hat.
Eager to keep his golden boy untarnished, the magician's manager hires Shawn and Gus to uncover the identity of the dead man and find out what happened to P'tol P'kah. But to do so, the pair will have to pose as a new mentalist act, and go undercover in a world populated by magicians, mystics, Martians-and one murderer...
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
65 people are currently reading
1141 people want to read
About the author
William Rabkin
42 books77 followersWilliam Rabkin is a two-time Edgar Award nominee who writes the Psych series of novels and is the author of Writing the Pilot. He has consulted for studios in Canada, Germany, and Spain on television series production and teaches screenwriting at UCLA Extension and as an adjunct professor in UC Riverside's low-residency masters program.
William Rabkin has written and/or produced more than 300 hours of dramatic television. He served as showrunner on the long-running Dick Van Dyke mystery series “Diagnosis Murder” and on the action-adventure spectacle “Martial Law.” His many writing and producing credits include “The Glades,” “Monk,” “Psych, “Nero Wolfe,” “Missing,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “seaQuest 2032,” “Hunter” and “The Cosby Mysteries”. He has also written a dozen network TV pilots. His work has been nominated twice for the Edgar Award for best television episode by the Mystery Writers of America.
He has published two books on writing for television, Successful Television Writing (2003), with Lee Goldberg and Writing The Pilot (2011) and five novels. He is the co-creator and co-editor of “The Dead Man,” a monthly series of supernatural action thrillers published by Amazon’s 47North imprint.
Rabkin, adjunct assistant professor of screen and television writing at the University of California, Riverside-Palm Desert’s Low Residency MFA In Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts, has lectured on television writing and production to writers, producers, and executives in Spain, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands and Brazil. He also currently teaches “Beginning Television Writing” and “Advanced Television Rewriting Workshop” for Screenwriters University.
William Rabkin has written and/or produced more than 300 hours of dramatic television. He served as showrunner on the long-running Dick Van Dyke mystery series “Diagnosis Murder” and on the action-adventure spectacle “Martial Law.” His many writing and producing credits include “The Glades,” “Monk,” “Psych, “Nero Wolfe,” “Missing,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “seaQuest 2032,” “Hunter” and “The Cosby Mysteries”. He has also written a dozen network TV pilots. His work has been nominated twice for the Edgar Award for best television episode by the Mystery Writers of America.
He has published two books on writing for television, Successful Television Writing (2003), with Lee Goldberg and Writing The Pilot (2011) and five novels. He is the co-creator and co-editor of “The Dead Man,” a monthly series of supernatural action thrillers published by Amazon’s 47North imprint.
Rabkin, adjunct assistant professor of screen and television writing at the University of California, Riverside-Palm Desert’s Low Residency MFA In Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts, has lectured on television writing and production to writers, producers, and executives in Spain, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands and Brazil. He also currently teaches “Beginning Television Writing” and “Advanced Television Rewriting Workshop” for Screenwriters University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
August 31, 2010
For all the love people give Lee Goldberg's "Monk" series of tie-in novels, people tend to come down hard on William Rabkin's line of "Psych" books. But considering the high quality of the Psych books, I think the reason for this comes down to one factor: Psych doesn't translate into novel format with the same simplicity that Monk does.
The humor, tone, style, and themes of "Psych" all rely heavily on the medium of a television show. Shawn's non sequiturs, for instance, work in large part due to James Roday's quiet, almost casual delivery of them. (Roday often half-murmurs them; and even when he's speaking in normal conversational tones, the overall effect is to suggest that Shawn is more intent on keeping himself amused than anything else. And it's precisely the fact that Shawn is getting the spotlight to turn onto him by acting as though he's not _worried_ about the spotlight turning onto him that makes the humor work.) Shawn and Gus's half-heard, muttered battles; the duo's facial expressions and slapstick humor; the beat of the banter between the actors; the visual gags -- none of these things can be directly translated to the written word.
To be fair, "Monk" has its own share of visual and delivery humor; the actors (and writers) are too talented to not take full advantage of their medium. But the humor of "Monk" comes primarily from character, whereas something else is going on in "Psych." Psych is a different sort of show than Monk, and it certainly isn't telling the same type of Story. Because of that, Psych can get away with more non sequiturs and outright gags than Monk -- and none of the examples I listed above in regards to Psych translate to the printed page.
So what Rabkin has done is find a different way to capture the tone and style and, well, _spirit_ of Psych. Instead of trying to write a play-by-play of the sort of zany visual gags that happen on screen (which would be terrible), Rabkin gives us an internal humor. The majority of this book was from Gus's point of view (albeit still in third person), and the laughs comes from Gus's internal reactions to the situations around him. Instead of slapstick and crazy facial expressions, much of the humor of the novels comes from Gus's memories and flashbacks, or his internal narrator-commentary on the situation at hand. There's still a lot of laugh-out-loud dialogue, as well, so that aspect of the show is retained ... but for the rest, Rabkin writes his "Psych" novels _as_ novels, playing to the strengths of the novel format. (His other choice was to write the books as very-detailed scripts, and that would have been a mistake.)
So I like these books. And this one was quite good, probably on par with "The Call of the Mild" -- perhaps even a skosh better, as the plot is tighter. (It didn't make me laugh quite as hard, however. Not that I didn't still laugh!) I liked the idea of pitting a fake psychic against a magician, and the twists and turns that the plot took were a lot of fun. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of this series!
The humor, tone, style, and themes of "Psych" all rely heavily on the medium of a television show. Shawn's non sequiturs, for instance, work in large part due to James Roday's quiet, almost casual delivery of them. (Roday often half-murmurs them; and even when he's speaking in normal conversational tones, the overall effect is to suggest that Shawn is more intent on keeping himself amused than anything else. And it's precisely the fact that Shawn is getting the spotlight to turn onto him by acting as though he's not _worried_ about the spotlight turning onto him that makes the humor work.) Shawn and Gus's half-heard, muttered battles; the duo's facial expressions and slapstick humor; the beat of the banter between the actors; the visual gags -- none of these things can be directly translated to the written word.
To be fair, "Monk" has its own share of visual and delivery humor; the actors (and writers) are too talented to not take full advantage of their medium. But the humor of "Monk" comes primarily from character, whereas something else is going on in "Psych." Psych is a different sort of show than Monk, and it certainly isn't telling the same type of Story. Because of that, Psych can get away with more non sequiturs and outright gags than Monk -- and none of the examples I listed above in regards to Psych translate to the printed page.
So what Rabkin has done is find a different way to capture the tone and style and, well, _spirit_ of Psych. Instead of trying to write a play-by-play of the sort of zany visual gags that happen on screen (which would be terrible), Rabkin gives us an internal humor. The majority of this book was from Gus's point of view (albeit still in third person), and the laughs comes from Gus's internal reactions to the situations around him. Instead of slapstick and crazy facial expressions, much of the humor of the novels comes from Gus's memories and flashbacks, or his internal narrator-commentary on the situation at hand. There's still a lot of laugh-out-loud dialogue, as well, so that aspect of the show is retained ... but for the rest, Rabkin writes his "Psych" novels _as_ novels, playing to the strengths of the novel format. (His other choice was to write the books as very-detailed scripts, and that would have been a mistake.)
So I like these books. And this one was quite good, probably on par with "The Call of the Mild" -- perhaps even a skosh better, as the plot is tighter. (It didn't make me laugh quite as hard, however. Not that I didn't still laugh!) I liked the idea of pitting a fake psychic against a magician, and the twists and turns that the plot took were a lot of fun. I'll definitely be picking up the rest of this series!
October 18, 2014
This book is an Amazing read if you've watched the series . Even 2 episodes are enough for you to figure out the characters well . And as a fan of the show and Shawn and Gus 's friendship I found this book Extremely fun and I actually 'lol'ed at times really loud that my mom thought I was watching a comedymime .
March 2, 2023
Fun read. Any fan of the show would enjoy this book. The second one of the series I’ve read. Looking forward to the others.
May 31, 2011
I can't imagine anyone picking up this book unless they were already familiar with the television show, Psych. Therefore, it would be pointless to write about the characters. If you are familiar with the show, you will be able to read this and hear the characters' voices in your head. If you are not familiar with the show, the dialog in this book might strike you as odd, pithy, and generally annoying.
That said, even knowing the show, the dialog was somewhat forced and the situation even more mediocre than the sort you would find in a typical tv episode.
I'm a tremendous fan of the show, own and loan the DVDs regularly to get others interested in this fun series, and I've been known to enjoy reading the tv-tie-in novel now and again, but this one really failed to hold my interest. Not only did it seem rooted in an unrealistic premise (nearly sci-fi in nature), the traditional camaraderie between Shawn and Gus the supporting cast (the police detectives and Shawn's father) is nearly non-existent.
Sadly, this is not a recommended book.
That said, even knowing the show, the dialog was somewhat forced and the situation even more mediocre than the sort you would find in a typical tv episode.
I'm a tremendous fan of the show, own and loan the DVDs regularly to get others interested in this fun series, and I've been known to enjoy reading the tv-tie-in novel now and again, but this one really failed to hold my interest. Not only did it seem rooted in an unrealistic premise (nearly sci-fi in nature), the traditional camaraderie between Shawn and Gus the supporting cast (the police detectives and Shawn's father) is nearly non-existent.
Sadly, this is not a recommended book.
October 7, 2025
Penn and Spencer: Fool Gus
There was a point, roughly 200 pages into this one, where I seriously thought I might give it the highest accolade a novel based on a USA Network comedy-mystery program could possibly achieve: a THREE-STAR REVIEW. Between the moderately intriguing premise, a decently complex mystery, and the intermittently amusing banter, I was genuinely enjoying myself! Somewhat! And then, like "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read" before it, the whole thing fell apart right at the end. I suppose that's still preferable to the dull, thudding mediocrity I feel from page one of Lee Goldberg's Monk books, and yet this feels so much more frustrating. We could've had it all, William Rabkin, but then you threw it all away for ... whatever the heck this was!
This book-isode revolves around P'tol P'kah, the so-called "Martian Magician". We're told he's the hottest act in Las Vegas, despite apparently having only one trick to his name, the Dissolving Man. After immersing himself in a tank of water, he dissolves into nothingness right before the audience's eyes, only to re-materialize elsewhere in the crowd. Fairly standard stuff, but it blows everyone's minds in the Psych-iverse! As luck would have it, Shawn and Gus happen to be present at the Fortress of Magic (a very exclusive club for magicians) on the night where the trick goes horribly wrong. P'tok P'kah never reappears, seemingly vanishing into the aether. And in his place? You'd better believe there's a Chubby Dead Guy bobbing around in that tank!
On paper, this seems hyper-targeted toward my personal sensibilities. A quasi-locked room mystery themed around the intricacies of stage magic? Yes please! But Jonathan Creek this is not. (Is there any overlap between these two fandoms? Just me? Okay then!) Instead of an unexpectedly mundane solution that neatly explains the apparent impossibilities of the illusion, we're given an explanation that's somehow even less plausible than a man literally dissolving and re-materializing in an instant. I suppose that's also impressive, in its own way! However, I can't help feeling let down after overthinking the puzzle and coming up with several ways to do it using practical effects, without having to resort to the fantastical. (Hint: there are many common substances that readily dissolve in water!)
P'tol P'kah's physical appearance is another mini-mystery whose solution is even less sensible than what I automatically assumed. Surely, when confronted with a giant green-skinned alien dude, who works as a professional entertainer no less, you'd chalk it up to reasonably advanced prosthetic makeup, right? Maybe a Scooby-Doo-esque rubber mask, if you're feeling frisky? I'm not sure why William Rabkin felt the need to come up with an alternate explanation, but the one he provides is a real doozy, one which couldn't possibly fool anyone who looks at him for more than five seconds. No, not even in this series whose very premise already hinges on people being routinely fooled by an unconvincing fake psychic!
Whereas the first book's multiple denouements felt like they went on just short of forever, this one wraps this up in a far more succinct fashion. By this, I mean Mr. Rabkin seemingly loses track of time and winds up with no more than 20 pages to address every single unanswered question. And there are a LOT of them; this is once again far more complex than anything on the television series. As Shawn zips from one unsatisfying explanation to the next, barely giving anything a moment to breathe, the effect is much like a kid who put off doing their homework all weekend, so now they have to scramble to do it all on the school bus. To be fair, this would be completely in character for Shawn ... but I'm still going to mark him down for it.
If it seems like I've spent an unusual amount of time solely focusing on the mystery, that's because there's basically nothing else going on here. This really is just 275 pages of Shawn and Gus investigating a case, with surprisingly little resistance to them doing so. No subplots with Henry or Lassiter, no wacky misadventures, nothing of the sort. Weirdly enough, the plot summary on the back cover claims that "the pair will have to pose as a new mentalist act and go undercover", which definitely does NOT happen. Was this perhaps something that was cut from an earlier, longer draft of the story? Were we denied a reprise of the Magic Head bit from "Shawn vs. the Red Phantom", except in text form, and obviously less funny or spontaneous?
Humor-wise, I do think this is a step up from "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read", if only because there's far less weird sexism this time around. William Rabkin still does an admirable job capturing Shawn and Gus' snappy banter in the confines of the medium, with my main complaint still being the underutilization of the rest of the ensemble. The two chapters from Lassiter's POV are easily the best part of the book, so it's disappointing that he's MIA the rest of the time. Jules is right there by his side, but she contributes so little to the story that I genuinely could not tell you a single thing she did. But it's even worse for fans of Chief Vick (I'm sure there are DOZENS of you). She shows up for a grand total of three pages, solely to prove it's possible to be a no-nonsense hardass and a complete pushover at the same time – truly the most baffling trick of all.
Speaking of mysteriously absent members of the Psych ensemble, there's not a single textual reference to a pineapple in this book either. I looked really really hard, I swear! I think there might be one in the ad for the TV series on one of the back pages (it's the same photo as the cover for "The Call of the Mild"), but it's basically impossible to make out in a sea of muddled grays, and I'm certainly not going to give William Rabkin credit for it regardless. DO BETTER.
There was a point, roughly 200 pages into this one, where I seriously thought I might give it the highest accolade a novel based on a USA Network comedy-mystery program could possibly achieve: a THREE-STAR REVIEW. Between the moderately intriguing premise, a decently complex mystery, and the intermittently amusing banter, I was genuinely enjoying myself! Somewhat! And then, like "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read" before it, the whole thing fell apart right at the end. I suppose that's still preferable to the dull, thudding mediocrity I feel from page one of Lee Goldberg's Monk books, and yet this feels so much more frustrating. We could've had it all, William Rabkin, but then you threw it all away for ... whatever the heck this was!
This book-isode revolves around P'tol P'kah, the so-called "Martian Magician". We're told he's the hottest act in Las Vegas, despite apparently having only one trick to his name, the Dissolving Man. After immersing himself in a tank of water, he dissolves into nothingness right before the audience's eyes, only to re-materialize elsewhere in the crowd. Fairly standard stuff, but it blows everyone's minds in the Psych-iverse! As luck would have it, Shawn and Gus happen to be present at the Fortress of Magic (a very exclusive club for magicians) on the night where the trick goes horribly wrong. P'tok P'kah never reappears, seemingly vanishing into the aether. And in his place? You'd better believe there's a Chubby Dead Guy bobbing around in that tank!
On paper, this seems hyper-targeted toward my personal sensibilities. A quasi-locked room mystery themed around the intricacies of stage magic? Yes please! But Jonathan Creek this is not. (Is there any overlap between these two fandoms? Just me? Okay then!) Instead of an unexpectedly mundane solution that neatly explains the apparent impossibilities of the illusion, we're given an explanation that's somehow even less plausible than a man literally dissolving and re-materializing in an instant. I suppose that's also impressive, in its own way! However, I can't help feeling let down after overthinking the puzzle and coming up with several ways to do it using practical effects, without having to resort to the fantastical. (Hint: there are many common substances that readily dissolve in water!)
P'tol P'kah's physical appearance is another mini-mystery whose solution is even less sensible than what I automatically assumed. Surely, when confronted with a giant green-skinned alien dude, who works as a professional entertainer no less, you'd chalk it up to reasonably advanced prosthetic makeup, right? Maybe a Scooby-Doo-esque rubber mask, if you're feeling frisky? I'm not sure why William Rabkin felt the need to come up with an alternate explanation, but the one he provides is a real doozy, one which couldn't possibly fool anyone who looks at him for more than five seconds. No, not even in this series whose very premise already hinges on people being routinely fooled by an unconvincing fake psychic!
Whereas the first book's multiple denouements felt like they went on just short of forever, this one wraps this up in a far more succinct fashion. By this, I mean Mr. Rabkin seemingly loses track of time and winds up with no more than 20 pages to address every single unanswered question. And there are a LOT of them; this is once again far more complex than anything on the television series. As Shawn zips from one unsatisfying explanation to the next, barely giving anything a moment to breathe, the effect is much like a kid who put off doing their homework all weekend, so now they have to scramble to do it all on the school bus. To be fair, this would be completely in character for Shawn ... but I'm still going to mark him down for it.
If it seems like I've spent an unusual amount of time solely focusing on the mystery, that's because there's basically nothing else going on here. This really is just 275 pages of Shawn and Gus investigating a case, with surprisingly little resistance to them doing so. No subplots with Henry or Lassiter, no wacky misadventures, nothing of the sort. Weirdly enough, the plot summary on the back cover claims that "the pair will have to pose as a new mentalist act and go undercover", which definitely does NOT happen. Was this perhaps something that was cut from an earlier, longer draft of the story? Were we denied a reprise of the Magic Head bit from "Shawn vs. the Red Phantom", except in text form, and obviously less funny or spontaneous?
Humor-wise, I do think this is a step up from "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read", if only because there's far less weird sexism this time around. William Rabkin still does an admirable job capturing Shawn and Gus' snappy banter in the confines of the medium, with my main complaint still being the underutilization of the rest of the ensemble. The two chapters from Lassiter's POV are easily the best part of the book, so it's disappointing that he's MIA the rest of the time. Jules is right there by his side, but she contributes so little to the story that I genuinely could not tell you a single thing she did. But it's even worse for fans of Chief Vick (I'm sure there are DOZENS of you). She shows up for a grand total of three pages, solely to prove it's possible to be a no-nonsense hardass and a complete pushover at the same time – truly the most baffling trick of all.
Speaking of mysteriously absent members of the Psych ensemble, there's not a single textual reference to a pineapple in this book either. I looked really really hard, I swear! I think there might be one in the ad for the TV series on one of the back pages (it's the same photo as the cover for "The Call of the Mild"), but it's basically impossible to make out in a sea of muddled grays, and I'm certainly not going to give William Rabkin credit for it regardless. DO BETTER.
June 30, 2018
This definitely a good book and it kept me entertained over the 2 day period it took me to read it. It captures the whole characterization of Shawn and Gus 100%. I understand why the book was mainly in Gus' point of view (3rd person) because he seemed to have a much more kind voice than his sometimes insensitive and self-centered friend, while still not be being a baby. Shawn always seems to be caught up in his delusions while it was Gus' job to keep him grounded. I think this kept the real spirit of the show.
October 26, 2018
If you love Psych and the snarkiness that is Shawn and Gus you will enjoy this book. If you never have heard of the show or seen it then it might not be for you.
August 12, 2023
It's just like watching an episode of Psych. What else could you want.
July 7, 2025
2.5 stars
October 30, 2025
These are just fun!!
January 23, 2023
If you put it in my little free library, I’ll probably read it
March 7, 2022
I love these mysteries, they haven’t aged great but overall a fun read
October 31, 2017
I'd first like to say, I did find this book entertaining enough to finish. There are some twists in there I hadn't expected. The whole premise leaned more on sci-Fi than reality. After the dead guy floating in the pool, the logical explanation for me would be that dead guy was the magician behind it all. It was odd that everyone kept referring to P'tol P'kah like an actual alien...even Lassiter seemed to wonder who the dead guy was and where the alien went. Shawn had the air in an air tank they found in the apartment tested to make sure it was Earth air and not Martian air. Level headed Gus couldn't figure out how a Martian dissolved....Some of the dialogue between Shawn and Gus felt forced and not what either would say. The books make their relationship seem one-sided with Shawn having the upper hand and often acting superior. In the tv show, I think their relationship is more balanced and Gus helps more with solving the crimes. The ending felt forced. Seems odd the SBPD would gather everyone there like that after they already threw Shawn and Gus in jail. It's a stretch to think the Martian was a bunch of balloons on top of a person? Like no one in a live audience could tell that? Or that one short fat person and one taller thinner person could look the same under balloons? Hmmmm...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2018
This is a novel based on the show "Psych."
This book was funny and entertaining!
I especially liked the Sherlock Holmes comment. And the Richard Kimble comment. And the...so...many...jokes.
There was a running joke throughout the book of a particularly strange name and I assumed I'd get super annoyed by it at some point - but I didn't! So that made for an even more delightful read.
I don't know why the description says, "...the pair will have to pose as a new mentalist act and go undercover in a world populated by magicians..."
Um...no they didn't.
Shawn and Gus never went undercover as a new mentalist act. That would have been cool.
This is an unexpectedly good side effect of not reading the description of a book before reading it. Had I read that, it would have made for an unfulfilled promise, and I'd have been ticked off. (Really, I would have.)
So don't be waiting for that bit because it never happens. Just enjoy the story as it unfolds.
This book was funny and entertaining!
I especially liked the Sherlock Holmes comment. And the Richard Kimble comment. And the...so...many...jokes.
There was a running joke throughout the book of a particularly strange name and I assumed I'd get super annoyed by it at some point - but I didn't! So that made for an even more delightful read.
I don't know why the description says, "...the pair will have to pose as a new mentalist act and go undercover in a world populated by magicians..."
Um...no they didn't.
Shawn and Gus never went undercover as a new mentalist act. That would have been cool.
This is an unexpectedly good side effect of not reading the description of a book before reading it. Had I read that, it would have made for an unfulfilled promise, and I'd have been ticked off. (Really, I would have.)
So don't be waiting for that bit because it never happens. Just enjoy the story as it unfolds.
November 1, 2011
2.5 actually.
Well, one can't win 'em all, I guess. I didn't like this as much as its predecessor. The voices of the characters seemed a bit off. I honestly couldn't picture either Shawn or Gus saying some of the things they did in the book. It was a little short on laughs, as well, as compared to the prequel and the ending was just bizarre! It didn't make any sense! I never really understood who P'tol P'kah was (Was it just one person or were there two people taking turns? No idea). Shawn adamantly refusing to pronounce P'tol P'kah's name right got a bit old after a while (though some of his variations were funny - "P’teter P’karker", "P’nut P’butter", "P’Torky P’kig")
Skip this one.
Well, one can't win 'em all, I guess. I didn't like this as much as its predecessor. The voices of the characters seemed a bit off. I honestly couldn't picture either Shawn or Gus saying some of the things they did in the book. It was a little short on laughs, as well, as compared to the prequel and the ending was just bizarre! It didn't make any sense! I never really understood who P'tol P'kah was (Was it just one person or were there two people taking turns? No idea). Shawn adamantly refusing to pronounce P'tol P'kah's name right got a bit old after a while (though some of his variations were funny - "P’teter P’karker", "P’nut P’butter", "P’Torky P’kig")
Skip this one.
March 30, 2014
I loved the first 7 seasons of Psych (they should have ended there though the finale was great) and I enjoyed the first book, but I could NOT get into this one. I've been reading this off and on for months now and I finally made myself finish it. I didn't hate it, as it's a typical Psych story, but it bored the crap outta me. I don't think I'll read any more of the series.
February 17, 2018
I liked it, fans of the TV show will probably in joy the story. Shawns character was a little off from the show, he wasn't as out there as he is in the shows. The mystery was confusing, to say the least. I still have no idea who did what. But it was still a fun read.
March 13, 2018
If one is a fan of the show, this is a great read. It's quick and is paced much like an episode is paced. The banter is witty. All of the major characters from the early seasons make an appearance in the book.
October 6, 2017
Definitely not the most complex mystery I have ever read, but it was still very entertaining. It also nice to think about characters that I haven't in a long time.
January 21, 2018
Cute, light hearted
June 1, 2023
I liked this one a bit more than the first book and was pleased to see that there were hardly any misogynistic or mental stigma comments this time around. Like the previous book, we get more insight from Gus’ POV, though the team are together for the majority of the book. The banter between the two, as well as their conversations with Lassiter and O’Hara, felt just like that from a Psych episode.
This one focuses on a murder that occurs during a magic show and delves into that entire world, which I found to be interesting. How Shawn and Gus get to that point thanks to Henry was unexpected and funny. The story itself was enjoyable, though some of the details were a little difficult to picture because of how zany the concept was. The ongoing joke about Shawn mixing up P’tol P’kah’s name and waiting for Gus to correct him was hysterical.
I especially liked the part where Lassiter has difficultly maneuvering out of his parking spot thanks to something Shawn did (of course), as well as Gus robot-walking to a crime scene. The opening scene where kid Shawn and Gus have managed to buy a wedding cake by swindling the neighbors was also brilliant. This would have made for a fun episode for sure.
Favorite Quotes:
“It’s our cake, Dad,” Shawn said.
“Which I’ll believe as soon as you show me the ring on Gus’ finger,” Henry said.
“Uh-oh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s a common expression of concern, generally uttered on the discovery of information that presages disaster.”
“I’m here.” Gus could feel Shawn’s breath in his ear.
“Are you . . . invisible?” Gus said hopefully.
Gus found his anger had been drowned in a sea of carbohydrates.
Gus admired the way Shawn could continue to hold his grudge when when he was stuffed with pizza, because he couldn’t fight against the warm feelings his digestive system was sending through his body.
“It’s the true story,” Shawn said. “It said so in the title.”
“That doesn’t make it real,” Gus said.
“Really?” Shawn said. “I thought there was a law.”
Lassiter had been called to a crime scene where almost everyone was a nut-job: the Fortress of Magic, or, as he liked to call it, the Kingdom of Clowns.
“That would have only led them to P’nut P’butter,” Shawn said.
“P’tol P’kah,” Gus said.
“Right, that guy,” Shawn said.
“Eternity is ticking away,” Lassiter snapped. “Every time I talk to you.”
Gus had always liked robo-miming, but he’d forgotten just how satisfying it could be to transform himself into a mechanical device, to feel the weight of two imagined C batteries nestled in the small of his back, to know only the sensations of the servo motor.
This one focuses on a murder that occurs during a magic show and delves into that entire world, which I found to be interesting. How Shawn and Gus get to that point thanks to Henry was unexpected and funny. The story itself was enjoyable, though some of the details were a little difficult to picture because of how zany the concept was. The ongoing joke about Shawn mixing up P’tol P’kah’s name and waiting for Gus to correct him was hysterical.
I especially liked the part where Lassiter has difficultly maneuvering out of his parking spot thanks to something Shawn did (of course), as well as Gus robot-walking to a crime scene. The opening scene where kid Shawn and Gus have managed to buy a wedding cake by swindling the neighbors was also brilliant. This would have made for a fun episode for sure.
Favorite Quotes:
“It’s our cake, Dad,” Shawn said.
“Which I’ll believe as soon as you show me the ring on Gus’ finger,” Henry said.
“Uh-oh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s a common expression of concern, generally uttered on the discovery of information that presages disaster.”
“I’m here.” Gus could feel Shawn’s breath in his ear.
“Are you . . . invisible?” Gus said hopefully.
Gus found his anger had been drowned in a sea of carbohydrates.
Gus admired the way Shawn could continue to hold his grudge when when he was stuffed with pizza, because he couldn’t fight against the warm feelings his digestive system was sending through his body.
“It’s the true story,” Shawn said. “It said so in the title.”
“That doesn’t make it real,” Gus said.
“Really?” Shawn said. “I thought there was a law.”
Lassiter had been called to a crime scene where almost everyone was a nut-job: the Fortress of Magic, or, as he liked to call it, the Kingdom of Clowns.
“That would have only led them to P’nut P’butter,” Shawn said.
“P’tol P’kah,” Gus said.
“Right, that guy,” Shawn said.
“Eternity is ticking away,” Lassiter snapped. “Every time I talk to you.”
Gus had always liked robo-miming, but he’d forgotten just how satisfying it could be to transform himself into a mechanical device, to feel the weight of two imagined C batteries nestled in the small of his back, to know only the sensations of the servo motor.
January 20, 2024
Why I'm interested in this book at the first place
My first foray into Psych in prints.. starting with this second book in the series.
What do I think of this book... now that I've done reading it
I enjoyed it! The case they're investigating were up their alley - quirky (not the usual theme you'd seen in CSI, Criminal Minds, Stalker, Bones, and the likes) and combined with the tendency of comedic timing from Shawn and .
In short, the investigation revolves around a magician/illusionist, a sudden death, a disappearance, with a possible conspiracy.
+
There's one-liner joke that Shawn came up while he and Gus were looking for a missing Unidentified Extraterrestrial Person.
-
I believe the ending/resolution ever justify the mystery. It doesn't seem logical to me, that's all I can say.
Get this
For the die-hard fan of Psych, the tv series.
My first foray into Psych in prints.. starting with this second book in the series.
What do I think of this book... now that I've done reading it
I enjoyed it! The case they're investigating were up their alley - quirky (not the usual theme you'd seen in CSI, Criminal Minds, Stalker, Bones, and the likes) and combined with the tendency of comedic timing from Shawn and .
In short, the investigation revolves around a magician/illusionist, a sudden death, a disappearance, with a possible conspiracy.
+
There's one-liner joke that Shawn came up while he and Gus were looking for a missing Unidentified Extraterrestrial Person.
-
I believe the ending/resolution ever justify the mystery. It doesn't seem logical to me, that's all I can say.
Get this
For the die-hard fan of Psych, the tv series.
May 6, 2021
3.5/5 stars
This book definitely gave me all the feels of watching one of my favorite shows of all time, Psych which this book is of course based off of. It was really nice to get some different content since I've seen all of the episodes and movies multiple times but I do think that I prefer watching versus reading when it comes to Psych. I think the books lose a little bit of the snarky and just fun friendly banter that I love so much. Now that's not to say that it's not in here it's just delivered in a different way. The storyline itself was fun and I kept trying to solve this mystery along with our wonderful cast of characters but alas Shawn out did me here and I was wrong but it was still really fun and I loved seeing the pieces come together. All in all, a fun read and if you're a fan of the show and want more these books are a good time.
This book definitely gave me all the feels of watching one of my favorite shows of all time, Psych which this book is of course based off of. It was really nice to get some different content since I've seen all of the episodes and movies multiple times but I do think that I prefer watching versus reading when it comes to Psych. I think the books lose a little bit of the snarky and just fun friendly banter that I love so much. Now that's not to say that it's not in here it's just delivered in a different way. The storyline itself was fun and I kept trying to solve this mystery along with our wonderful cast of characters but alas Shawn out did me here and I was wrong but it was still really fun and I loved seeing the pieces come together. All in all, a fun read and if you're a fan of the show and want more these books are a good time.
May 30, 2024
I am obsessed with Psych the TV show and also an avid reader so reading the books was the next natural step!
I loved this book. It was so strange and I had no idea where it was going.
I felt like Gus was more of the main character in this one (which I didn't mind, love him and seeing how he looks at Shawn/his antics). I do wish there was more of Shawn "seeing" I always enjoyed his deductions/sleuthing skills in the TV show so I do wish the books had more of them.
This story was very cool and I wish they had made an episode of it because I would love to see James Roday and Dule Hill and the rest of the gang working through this case. Although, I could see their characters while reading but some of the magic that happened in the story, I wish I could have seen visualized on screen!
I loved this book. It was so strange and I had no idea where it was going.
I felt like Gus was more of the main character in this one (which I didn't mind, love him and seeing how he looks at Shawn/his antics). I do wish there was more of Shawn "seeing" I always enjoyed his deductions/sleuthing skills in the TV show so I do wish the books had more of them.
This story was very cool and I wish they had made an episode of it because I would love to see James Roday and Dule Hill and the rest of the gang working through this case. Although, I could see their characters while reading but some of the magic that happened in the story, I wish I could have seen visualized on screen!
January 6, 2021
This book suffers from too much of a good thing. The basis of any TV novelization is that it benefits from having pre-existing characters that readers will recognize and they don't have to do any character building. However this book includes too many possible mysteries (which are wrapped up in the end of course) and too many new characters are introduced that are crucial to the plot in some way that it takes away from the novelization part. There are two chapters from the POV of characters exclusive to the book. The plot itself is pretty interesting, but detracts from the humor due to the amount of detail. There also isn't as much joking banter as the first novel but the banter itself is better written. Not a bad followup to the first novel.
July 2, 2023
Better than the first one, the writer has started to incorporate more of the character traits from the actors on the show. But they’re still missing core aspects, like the O’Hara/Shawn romance, Lassie is barely a minor character, and I think the author chooses to have Shawn and Gus bicker 95% of the time in dialogue, but what makes the show fun is that they’re clearly best friends and just as often (in later seasons) agree on things and build the jokes off of one another. I do think the author nailed the idea of having a magician episode, I’m surprised the show never had one.
April 5, 2020
I enjoy the show. If you didn’t know the characters, you’d probably hate Shawn from how he’s depicted in this book. He comes across as too much of an ass.
While it was an easy and fast read, I didn’t love the story line. Hard to keep up with all the magicians and I’m still not sure I entirely understand what happened. I’ll probably reread the last chapter again.
While it was an easy and fast read, I didn’t love the story line. Hard to keep up with all the magicians and I’m still not sure I entirely understand what happened. I’ll probably reread the last chapter again.
November 26, 2020
Rating: 3 stars.
While I enjoyed certain aspects of the story I felt that it dragged on unnecessarily. It could have ended 50 to even 100 pages before it actually did. The writing isn't the greatest thing I've ever read, there were a lot of mistakes and poorly chosen words choices but overall it was an okay read.
While I enjoyed certain aspects of the story I felt that it dragged on unnecessarily. It could have ended 50 to even 100 pages before it actually did. The writing isn't the greatest thing I've ever read, there were a lot of mistakes and poorly chosen words choices but overall it was an okay read.
September 16, 2021
If you like the series you will like the book. The writing is light-hearted and the characters match well with their tv counterparts.
Look for a fun Monk in-joke. It made me laugh. Warning the back cover description is not completely accurate. I failed to find a pineapple reference in the book. Maybe I missed it.
Look for a fun Monk in-joke. It made me laugh. Warning the back cover description is not completely accurate. I failed to find a pineapple reference in the book. Maybe I missed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2022
Magic isn’t real and neither are psychics, but that doesn’t stop Shawn Spencer from convincing others he is the latter. When a magician vanishes during his act and a dead body left in his place, Shawn and Gus are hired to find the magician. Can the eyes deceive you? Shawn thinks so, and is proving it in this hilariously outstanding novel.
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