The Method

by James Patterson, Zachary Quinto (Narrator), Stephanie Beatriz (Narrator)

Please note: This audio drama is for mature audiences only. It contains strong language, violence, and sexual content. Discretion is advised.

“Once this journey takes hold, I find I’m able to think as my character thinks, act as he acts, and feel what my character is feeling...”

James Patterson leads you into the darkest recesses of the mind with this chilling, immersive audio thriller. We meet Brent Quill, a frustrated actor trying to take his game to the next level. When he learns about the intensive Method acting process, he dives in deep—and immediately lands the lead role in a TV series about a brutal serial killer.

But when the Method’s controversial techniques start to take over Brent’s psyche, the lines between real life and acting begin to blur dangerously. How far will Brent go to “become” the character?

Starring Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Heroes), Stephanie Beatriz (Encanto, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), and a full cast, The Method is pure James Patterson—a roller-coaster ride of lies, coverups, and dark deeds.
Duration: 3 hours 42 minutes.

Genres: Audiobook, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Short Stories

4 pages, Audible Audio

First published October 13, 2022

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, Michael Crichton, and Viola Davis, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Barbara]

These Audible Originals, with “3-D Sound” are so much fun! I listened to “The Method” which is written by James Patterson and Michael Silver. The cast of performers makes this story fun. The sound effects though, that’s what brings the ultimate enjoyment.

Zachary Quinto is the lead performer as Brent Quill. Brent is a has-been child actor who wants to come back as an adult. He immerses himself in an intensive “method action” process, in which, as you can imagine, the actor “becomes” the character. Brent is trying to get a lead role as a serial killer. What could go wrong?

As Brent fully engages in the method process, and he “practices” his killings, it gets silly in a clever way.

What I love about these Originals is that they are pure entertainment. You can visualize what you are hearing aided by the studio generated sound effects. Reading this wouldn’t be the same as listening to the performance. Bravo to the performers and stage hands.

[Kay]

To each their own, I LOVED IT!🤩🎭

The Method is movie to my ears. 🥰🎧This is an audio drama with a huge voice talent cast. Zachary Quinto is the lead character, Brent Quill.

Brent was a child actor, but as an adult, he's not hitting it big. Introducing "Method" acting process that trains him to be in character. Brent is landing bigger roles, things are on the up and up.

This book is very engaging, suspenseful, and entertaining. The Method is more cat and mouse than mystery. You know what you know. Will the law finally catches up?

Looking at the overall rating, I guess it's not for everyone. I can see that too much background noise can be a distraction. I happen to enjoy this immersive audio experience.

🎧 Audible Original 3H 42M
Story 4⭐
Narration 5⭐

[Nina (ninjasbooks)]

If you need a book where there will be a lot of eye-rolling, this might just be the book for you. The idea in itself; An actor so into method acting that he becomes the characters in every way. It could have been really interesting, but when the actor starts spiraling out of control everyone just tries to cover it up!

[Sabi]

Liked the ending, even though there isn't a twist or such in the novel.

The plot and audible production made it an enjoyable one-time listening experience. 3.5 stars

[Tiff]

That was such a fun audio play! Zachary Quinto is always the shiz so no surprise there. Really fun and interesting, would actually have liked for it to be longer and more in depth dive into the characters.

[Mark Colaci]

Great story, great pacing, and acting. The voice performances really brought everything to life and made it feel more like listening to a movie than a traditional audiobook. Really enjoyed this one from start to finish. Highly recommend!

[Catherine (catisbookedup)]

A brilliant and fully immersive short (3.5hrs) audio with a full cast and sound effects. Like a movie for your ears.
A struggling actor follows an acting course about method acting and takes it too far. When he is cast in a role of a lifetime as a serial killer he takes method acting too far and actually kills people. A lot of them. A cat and mouse game ensues which is highly thrilling.
Totally recommend.

[Soo]

Notes:

5 Stars for Full Cast Narration
3 Stars for Story & Pacing

The first half of this Audible Original is great! I really enjoyed the setup. However, I'm used to getting a nice premise from the author & a let down for the rest. The ending wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great.

Solid popcorn read!

[Matt]

Having recently found some of these great ‘direct to audio’ James Patterson stories, I am highly excited to listen to yet another piece, with Michael B. Silver collaborating. Patterson has had some success with collaborative efforts and this is another winner. A great premise that pulls the reader in from the opening salvo, Patterson and Silver deliver a strong listening experience.

Brent Quill has suffered many setbacks as an actor, with only one claim to fame as a child. He seeks assistance and is referred to a method acting recording that he can only hope will help him excel. After starting to listen, Quill finds himself discovering parts of his acting persona he could not have thought possible. He soon lands a lead role that could change his life!

As he gets deeper into the method, Quill finds a new and much darker side to himself, which leads to murderous tendencies, parallelling the character he’s been cast to portray. Soon, Quinn blurs the lines between his reality and the man he is supposed to encapsulate.

As Quill finds himself in more trouble, he disappears down a rabbit hole that leaves many unable to recognize him, from family to friends. Will someone be able to help sever the method from reality, or has madness taken over, leaving Quill as a killer and madman? Brilliant listening experience in a short piece for the reader to enjoy.

A story of this length needs something to grab the reader. This audiobook opens with a well-paced narrative, presenting various characters who shape the story in each chapter. Never one to mince words, Patterson and Silver leave the reader trying to catch up with the speedy nature of this story, whose darkness and swift movement balance one another out. I loved the premise and how the story was presented, with Zachary Quinto sealing the deal with his stellar efforts performing the protagonist.

A new-age radio drama, the story used audio to add a sense of depth with twists and turns throughout. Much concentration was needed to balance the various plot twists and story arcs, all of which came together well in the final moments of the piece. I have read a few of these ‘direct to audio’ stories lately and this was, by far, the darkest of the lot. I hope to find more to enjoy soon!

Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Silver, for a great addition to the Audible gems out there.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[~Vixhen~]

I really enjoyed this. Zachary Quinto really hit it out of the park. His interpretation of Brent was so good that I could picture him in my head. This was a fast moving story that held my attention the entire - no lagging in the story with this one. All of the performances were A+ - highly recommend!

[Cori]

Short and fast-paced. Original story. The Method tells the story of an actor who throws himself too deeply into his serial killer character.

I really enjoyed Stephanie Beatriz voice acting as an ex-cop/screen writer. She's a favorite from Brooklyn 99 and does an excellent job here as well.

I would rate this an R for swearing, violence, and other adult themes.

Original review written: 3/11/2023.

[Joycee]

Compelling and thought-provoking. Makes you wonder how thin is the line you’d have to cross over to “snap”.

How timely, too, as there were recent “discussions” over social media about whether “method acting” is too dangerous for actors’ psyches (and general well-being, especially if they have to gain or lose excessive weight).

Brilliant acting by the cast! Thank you, Audible, for suggesting this title to me!

[Dawn F]

Fun, but often unintentionally so. You really have to overlook plotholes and suspend your disbelief to enjoy this one, but hey, it was entertaining enough for the short thriller it was.

[Suhasa]

Crazy ride!
A method actor becomes a serial killer!
Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) and Stephanie Beatriz's (B99) voices were well suited and instantly familiar!

[Reading is my Escape]

Another Audible Original podcast - this time with Zachary Quinto. I love his performance and the twist at the end (which I'm sure most of you will see coming). The story is about an actor who uses The Method to get deep into character for the serial killer he plays in a TV series. It was fascinating to watch him devolve as the story progresses.

[Elizabeth ❀]

I really enjoyed this ❤️ an actor who is so consumed by method acting that he becomes the character was interesting, especially when he starts to spiral and everyone is finding excuses for his behaviour. The entire book was crazy and totally recommend ❤️

[Mettesknit]

Not for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Shannon]

3.5

[Nicole]

Episode 6, 27:16 bumped my rating up a whole star. Bravo, Zachary Quinto.

[Linda]

Look, I know famous people get away with more but really???? This was a strange story. I wonder if all psychotic killers think of themselves as "method" actors. Everything was just a bit over the top for my tastes. Story had a good foundation but wasn't built on very well. I enjoyed the full production audio aspect of this story more than the actual story.

[Martti]

A well produced radio theater with a full cast. Zachary Quinto is a born stereotype of a serial killer from the first time the world saw him in Heroes, excellent visually and also audio-only. Sadly the story itself is not exactly interesting. An actor going too deeply into the role using "the method".

[Erin Yasmeen]

The sound design on this was amazing it felt like I was in a movie. The plot itself? Very predictable but still really enjoyable to listen to.

[Olga Yolgina]

Story seemed a bit too dark for my liking, but really enjoyed the performance.

[Perm Clark]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is my personal 5 star rating system because I’m too lazy to write a review for every book.

5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.

4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.

3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.

2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.

1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.

[Talaya Francois]

This book is a solid 3.5. Do I recommend it? Not strongly. Would I read it again? No. Did I hate it though? No.

There were some things I had a problem with. For example, all of the women in the story were weak, even when they were in positions of authority. That’s how I know a man wrote the book without even having to look up the author.

Secondly, the Jamaican man gets framed for murder and was an ex-gang member. The stereotype of the black thug is so racist. And why did he have to get punished for doing nothing wrong? I mean, in real life that’s how the justice system works for Black people, but I would’ve preferred to see something different and more empowering in a fictional world.

Other things I didn’t care for: Corny music, bratty child, extremely annoying main character.

Things I liked about this book:

Short, fast paced, realistic sociopathic narcissist character with anger issues (I know I just said he was annoying, but I do like that he was realistic and flawed), mentally disturbing scenes rooted in misogyny/stalking/and other creepy behavior, painfully awkward scenes. All of this brings the story to life for me. The writing style is fine too, pretty well written. Audible did a great job with the sound effects and voice actors. I also really liked the stunt coordinator character, he was cool.

Better than other books I’ve read *shrug*

[Willow]

*Audiobook* This was a very entertaining, immersive acting style audiobook. It was pretty fast paced, but easy to get into. I will say as far as mysteries go, the ending did surprise me even though I felt like they were making certain parts obvious along the way to get there. I used to love James Patterson as a kid, but honestly there were just so many unrealistic/cringy aspects in this that it made it a little hard for it to be immersive in the sense that it was believable. I don't know if I would necessarily read it again, but considering I'm pretty behind on my goal this month, it was helpful.

[Ally | abookishcoffeeholic]

Not many thoughts on this one. I picked it up because it was included in my Audible membership. It was a quick but dark thriller/suspense novel. I thought the audio production was done very well and had a great cast. Overall, it was alright. I may not recommend it to everyone because some of the content may be triggering.

CW: murder, death of a parent, death of a sibling, violence, some language.

[Veronica Geyer]

I was expecting an audio book, but this was an audio performance. It was like watching television with your eyes closed. The action picked up at the very beginning and it kept the pace through the entire story. The ending was a bit predictable, but you'll have that when you're a crime junkie. 100% would recommend.

[Bree Lyle]

This audio book was quite the experience! It was like a movie for your ears. Detailed sound effects and short musical clips made this book exciting. However, the actual story was predictable. Overall it was a fun, mild, thriller. I would recommend it if you enjoy audiobooks.

[Kendy Richards]

A great quick listen. I really enjoy these dramatized audio books. It's like listening to a movie. Zachary Quinto did such a great job as Brent. Listening to him slowly lose touch with reality and embrace his P.J. character was chilling.