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The Pickup Artist: The New and Improved Art of Seduction
The world’s greatest pickup artist is back! After the bestselling exposé The Game pulled back the curtain on Mystery and his culture of professional pickup artists, he became an international phenomenon. Unfortunately, while it’s no secret that Mystery’s ideas are wildly effective, women have started to catch on. They’ve seen the show and heard the routines—so now it’s time for the next level of game! With techniques honed over fifteen years of trial, error, and ultimate triumph, and following his hit VH1 reality series, the celebrated sensei is back with his latest living-large exploits and a new and improved playbook for the twenty-first-century playboy.
As the book begins, Mystery and his crew have withdrawn to their swank Miami mansion to plot their next move. When a new student comes to stay at the house, Mystery draws him deep into the pickup-artist lifestyle and shows him an intimate portrait of the master of seduction. Mystery lays out a complete system of game, and unveils his latest (and fully field-tested) strategies and techniques. The Pickup Artist includes
• a list of all the triggers that create—and destroy—attraction
• a new way to approach strangers and start a microcalibrated openers
• Mystery’s most powerful humor technique, the Absurd—so you’ll never run out of things to say again
• a full chapter on physical escalation (touching, kissing, “making a move”)
• the solution to inner-game issues, for when you’re not confident enough
• and much, much more
Whether he’s holding court with eager disciples in South Beach, hanging out with his crew of fellow super-seducers in Las Vegas, or partying it up in the Hollywood Hills, Mystery is never far from where the action is—and never fails to get a piece of it. Now it’s your turn. Read The Pickup Artist and get into the game.
As the book begins, Mystery and his crew have withdrawn to their swank Miami mansion to plot their next move. When a new student comes to stay at the house, Mystery draws him deep into the pickup-artist lifestyle and shows him an intimate portrait of the master of seduction. Mystery lays out a complete system of game, and unveils his latest (and fully field-tested) strategies and techniques. The Pickup Artist includes
• a list of all the triggers that create—and destroy—attraction
• a new way to approach strangers and start a microcalibrated openers
• Mystery’s most powerful humor technique, the Absurd—so you’ll never run out of things to say again
• a full chapter on physical escalation (touching, kissing, “making a move”)
• the solution to inner-game issues, for when you’re not confident enough
• and much, much more
Whether he’s holding court with eager disciples in South Beach, hanging out with his crew of fellow super-seducers in Las Vegas, or partying it up in the Hollywood Hills, Mystery is never far from where the action is—and never fails to get a piece of it. Now it’s your turn. Read The Pickup Artist and get into the game.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
93 people are currently reading
757 people want to read
About the author
Mystery
38 books55 followersMystery is the alter-ego of magician Erik von Markovik, the former star of The Pickup Artist, a reality game show on VH1 that aired for two seasons in 2007 & 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 29, 2021
Now I know how to apply the DENNIS system. Truly awful for any purpose other than comedy. I enjoyed telling my husband what I "learned" while reading this book. Very proud of the audiobook narrator for being able to actually finish this book.
September 19, 2022
I remember that Mystery's first book The Mystery Method: How to Get Beautiful Women Into Bed, was the first real book I read about the PUA community and basically the "art of seduction."
Even though the name could be much less cheesy-sounding, I took a chance because I was at a point where I kept losing interesting from girls that would even approach me sometimes. I didn't know where else to turn until I stumbled onto Mystery's first book when the whole "PUA" scene was just starting to become exposed.
It blew my mind and started practicing "out in the field" with girls I knew and would meet and for the main part, the first book served as a good general guideline to meeting women that you want and successfully getting them interested in you, and then taking it from there. As the book says, you can learn all the stuff there is in the book, but in order to understand how to work as well as getting good at game, you have to go out there and do it.
All the good PUAs out there right now got good because they weren't afraid to fail, and I had to stomach my pride before I started getting consistent results. I wouldn't change a thing now because it's such an awesome feeling choosing which girl you want to meet.
I got the second book with so much excitement and expectation because I feel like his first book improved my game and social life so much. Man, was I disappointed! He opens up the book talking about his entourage and his super-mansion and basically any other material things he can mention in order to show off that he "made it."
It was badly written, ideas were all over the place without any real purpose, and boring to boot at well. Then, finally he starts mentioning a student who comes for a private one-on-one instruction (but not before putting in a shameless commercial plug for his services), and then starts to just touch upon the things that made his first book so great.
When he finally starts talking about "the Mystery Method" and the guidelines to seduce a girl, it's very badly worded and scattered all over the book, making it very hard to understand. It's thrown in between how much stuff he owns and what women he banged last week, making his teachings seem cheap and disparaging. What you can piece together are basically regurgitations of his first book, aside from some different names and updates, but basically nothing new.
After a few chapters, it's pretty clear as the same style of writing is prevalent throughout the whole book. It make him seem like a sellout. It's unfortunate because I got good at game because of him. Now, he seems like just another guy that let fame get to him.
If you're gonna read one of his books, read the first one. However, there are WAY much better guides to picking up girls nowadays and without so much fluff. If you really want to learn advanced game, try Magic Bullets: 2nd Edition. That explain things so much better, is more up to date, and is worth the money in my opinion.
Magic Bullets explains pick-up so much better, so you get more of a feeling of how it works and how you need to "calibrate" your game since there's no "one size fits all" method for all women, which is something I think most pick-up artists fail to mention (and something I found out through experience).
Even though the name could be much less cheesy-sounding, I took a chance because I was at a point where I kept losing interesting from girls that would even approach me sometimes. I didn't know where else to turn until I stumbled onto Mystery's first book when the whole "PUA" scene was just starting to become exposed.
It blew my mind and started practicing "out in the field" with girls I knew and would meet and for the main part, the first book served as a good general guideline to meeting women that you want and successfully getting them interested in you, and then taking it from there. As the book says, you can learn all the stuff there is in the book, but in order to understand how to work as well as getting good at game, you have to go out there and do it.
All the good PUAs out there right now got good because they weren't afraid to fail, and I had to stomach my pride before I started getting consistent results. I wouldn't change a thing now because it's such an awesome feeling choosing which girl you want to meet.
I got the second book with so much excitement and expectation because I feel like his first book improved my game and social life so much. Man, was I disappointed! He opens up the book talking about his entourage and his super-mansion and basically any other material things he can mention in order to show off that he "made it."
It was badly written, ideas were all over the place without any real purpose, and boring to boot at well. Then, finally he starts mentioning a student who comes for a private one-on-one instruction (but not before putting in a shameless commercial plug for his services), and then starts to just touch upon the things that made his first book so great.
When he finally starts talking about "the Mystery Method" and the guidelines to seduce a girl, it's very badly worded and scattered all over the book, making it very hard to understand. It's thrown in between how much stuff he owns and what women he banged last week, making his teachings seem cheap and disparaging. What you can piece together are basically regurgitations of his first book, aside from some different names and updates, but basically nothing new.
After a few chapters, it's pretty clear as the same style of writing is prevalent throughout the whole book. It make him seem like a sellout. It's unfortunate because I got good at game because of him. Now, he seems like just another guy that let fame get to him.
If you're gonna read one of his books, read the first one. However, there are WAY much better guides to picking up girls nowadays and without so much fluff. If you really want to learn advanced game, try Magic Bullets: 2nd Edition. That explain things so much better, is more up to date, and is worth the money in my opinion.
Magic Bullets explains pick-up so much better, so you get more of a feeling of how it works and how you need to "calibrate" your game since there's no "one size fits all" method for all women, which is something I think most pick-up artists fail to mention (and something I found out through experience).
December 12, 2017
Thought I would try reading something way off from my usual historical fiction genre. While I don’t believe this book was written for humor, it struck me as very funny. It is hard to imagine any half evolved man would think the “considerations” given by the author would work on a 21st century woman beyond one with no brain or self-respect. The anecdotal accounts are of “success” are creepy and pathetic. The author appears to believe a succession of sexual conquests is an ultimate achievement. More is clearly regarded as better in his world, quality probably is not. For a mature approach to seduction, I highly recommend “The Art of Seduction” by Greene.
August 26, 2025
This needs a rating bump as people are punishing it for being sexist haha. Well the concepts in the book are nothing new if you are familiar with the topic, but I just don't see myself using the techniques presently. It's hella entertaining tho. The true 5-star book was the Mystery Method, and ever since, the ideas from it are mostly just rehashed. I know what he is about to say (the quick lines and negs), too much of it is canned/old, I'm just too familiar with what they do - yet I don't practice, too much work xD And I'd need to awkwardly translate the material from English, and girls around here are more bookworm-y and might not need this much firepower (this is aimed at bars and clubs in the USA, not necessarily day game in eastern europe rofl). Other than that, for someone who is not well-read in PUA things, this can be a good start. Certainly better than The Game which has a weird POV and focused too much on the negative aspects.
November 17, 2010
A very interesting "how to" book that is also a story into the general emotion of men. As a woman, I feel like I was witnessing the somewhat unpleasant libido that drives all men, or all human beings for that matter. It was a textbook, a novel, and a hilarious look at the human psyche. You honestly can't get offended without shining a spotlight at your own hangups.
June 6, 2018
Different view on dating game
August 3, 2019
Really gpod book! Took tons of notes. Very useful.
August 24, 2025
📌 Solid book for beginners—but if you are NOT a native English speaker, don't read it. (it can be harmful). All books, YouTube videos on dating in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia were designed by and for native speakers. Immigrants before applying them, need something that adapts these techniques to the unique challenges immigrant men face like 🚫 Racism. Many immigrants who try local dating techniques get rejected.
This can damage your self-esteem and your view of dating. It hurts the ego, and some men start blaming local women—thinking they’re racist or biased. Yes, some negative stereotypes exist. But we can flip them into an advantage and deal with racism. I explain how it in Magnetic Accent: How to Use Your Accent to Attract Women Naturally
💬 Confidence & Self-Esteem
If you're an immigrant and follow advice from local dating experts but fail, it’s not your fault. It is good advice, but not for immigrants. For years, I tried to make these techniques and methods work. I failed miserably, and it led to depression and frustration with local women.
Before anything else, you need to address *immigrant-specific self-esteem issues*:
- Feeling inferior to locals
- Low social status
- Fear of speaking English
- Shame about being a foreigner
- Intimidation by confident local women
Everyone says “you have to be confident,” but no one explains *how*. I cover all these issues—and practical solutions—in my book .Ultimate Confidence Booster for Immigrants: Boost Your Confidence in 7 Days
🌍 Cultural Aspect
You need to understand subtle dating etiquette in your new country—whether it’s the USA, Canada, UK, or Australia. The do’s and don’ts matter. You also need to learn about the secret immigrant advantage in dating— the Charisma of a Foreigner.
🗣️ English
If you're not a native speaker, it’s hard to memorize and apply the routines and techniques taught by English-speaking dating coaches. We immigrants need something **simple**, **easy to pronounce**, and **natural to use**.
⏳ Time & 💰 Money
Immigrants often have less time than local guys. Many of us work multiple jobs while learning English. We need a more efficient approach to dating. We can’t spend hours in bars or clubs. We need to be able to start conversations with attractive women in various public places, such as grocery stores, subways, buses, and gyms—in a natural, masculine, non-threatening way.
📚 I cover the entire dating process for immigrant men—from A to Z—in four books:
1. Magnetic Accent: How to Use Your Accent to Attract Women Naturally
2. Ultimate Confidence Booster for Immigrants: Boost Your Confidence in 7 Days
3. Secrets of Dating for Immigrants: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide for Getting Numbers and Dates
4. Date Ideas for Immigrants: Where to Go, What to Do, What to Talk About—Create an Unforgettable Date with Zero Money Investment**
(Yes, the Neil Strauss“Ass Squeeze” routine gave the best results.)
All the books I mention are available FOR FREE.
This is not a business—it’s a hobby. DM me for a copy. No upsell, no coaching pitch, no product funnel—just real help from one fellow immigrant man to another.
Warm wishes from cold Canada 🍁
Good luck in all your endeavours
Max
This can damage your self-esteem and your view of dating. It hurts the ego, and some men start blaming local women—thinking they’re racist or biased. Yes, some negative stereotypes exist. But we can flip them into an advantage and deal with racism. I explain how it in Magnetic Accent: How to Use Your Accent to Attract Women Naturally
💬 Confidence & Self-Esteem
If you're an immigrant and follow advice from local dating experts but fail, it’s not your fault. It is good advice, but not for immigrants. For years, I tried to make these techniques and methods work. I failed miserably, and it led to depression and frustration with local women.
Before anything else, you need to address *immigrant-specific self-esteem issues*:
- Feeling inferior to locals
- Low social status
- Fear of speaking English
- Shame about being a foreigner
- Intimidation by confident local women
Everyone says “you have to be confident,” but no one explains *how*. I cover all these issues—and practical solutions—in my book .Ultimate Confidence Booster for Immigrants: Boost Your Confidence in 7 Days
🌍 Cultural Aspect
You need to understand subtle dating etiquette in your new country—whether it’s the USA, Canada, UK, or Australia. The do’s and don’ts matter. You also need to learn about the secret immigrant advantage in dating— the Charisma of a Foreigner.
🗣️ English
If you're not a native speaker, it’s hard to memorize and apply the routines and techniques taught by English-speaking dating coaches. We immigrants need something **simple**, **easy to pronounce**, and **natural to use**.
⏳ Time & 💰 Money
Immigrants often have less time than local guys. Many of us work multiple jobs while learning English. We need a more efficient approach to dating. We can’t spend hours in bars or clubs. We need to be able to start conversations with attractive women in various public places, such as grocery stores, subways, buses, and gyms—in a natural, masculine, non-threatening way.
📚 I cover the entire dating process for immigrant men—from A to Z—in four books:
1. Magnetic Accent: How to Use Your Accent to Attract Women Naturally
2. Ultimate Confidence Booster for Immigrants: Boost Your Confidence in 7 Days
3. Secrets of Dating for Immigrants: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide for Getting Numbers and Dates
4. Date Ideas for Immigrants: Where to Go, What to Do, What to Talk About—Create an Unforgettable Date with Zero Money Investment**
(Yes, the Neil Strauss“Ass Squeeze” routine gave the best results.)
All the books I mention are available FOR FREE.
This is not a business—it’s a hobby. DM me for a copy. No upsell, no coaching pitch, no product funnel—just real help from one fellow immigrant man to another.
Warm wishes from cold Canada 🍁
Good luck in all your endeavours
Max
July 13, 2017
Every woman especially every single woman should read this book. It's a disgusting book to listen to or to read due to the nature and content. However every female will be better equipped to spot the pick up artists along their life journey.
September 23, 2019
An interesting book now does this mean I'm going to go out and start being a pick up artist. No. Sorry to the people who I know who might think this book would be some hope in their minds. I listened this book because I was curious and comparing notes with other books I've read.
March 2, 2022
The book was actually pretty good. I have a hard time telling it was fact or fiction, it was worth the read. I might even try some of the stuff.
The audible reader was really good. He kept me entertained and wanting to continue listening.
The audible reader was really good. He kept me entertained and wanting to continue listening.
October 12, 2019
It's light read book for evenings. Quite funny and entertaining and I enjoyed it. The book tells us story of pick up artist Mystery and his protege Adam and their adventures.
September 10, 2016
This book is relatively well-written, but hardly worth spending much time on, save if you're a complete moron who needs "fool-proof" techniques for picking up women (or if you're reading it to reassure yourself that you're not a negative bastard, but people actually DO suck). Granted, the women you'll manage to actually get with this will either be stupid or suffer from crumbling low self-esteem. The techniques of this book prey on women, trying to make them feel worse about themselves so losers who have no personal charms (not to mention morals) will have an actual chance with them.
The morals of people actually using this book are lacking at best (monstrous at worst) and the techniques are downright ridiculous. Most of them will seem rude and insulting to a woman so instead of making her want you, you'll make her resent you. Good luck if you actually believe that this book will make your life richer in any way. May I suggest that you work on your own morals, get an actual personality worth getting to know, and then you can maybe, just maybe, get a woman to like you. Provided that you work on your self-esteem instead of expecting that sleeping with multiple women in quick suggestion will fix you.
The morals of people actually using this book are lacking at best (monstrous at worst) and the techniques are downright ridiculous. Most of them will seem rude and insulting to a woman so instead of making her want you, you'll make her resent you. Good luck if you actually believe that this book will make your life richer in any way. May I suggest that you work on your own morals, get an actual personality worth getting to know, and then you can maybe, just maybe, get a woman to like you. Provided that you work on your self-esteem instead of expecting that sleeping with multiple women in quick suggestion will fix you.
March 21, 2015
The storyline wasn't necessarily the best, but this book actually changed the way I see pickup probably more than any other book i've read. It changed how I picture male and female HAS to be. usually you think that the guy should have to "impress" the woman, but why? Why does the woman have all the power in the interaction?
Personally what i'm trying to say is that for me, it made me re-think some of my old standing (maybe even sunconscious) beliefs about women. There was one part where he was saying that everybody has sex, yes the girl that you feel like you would never be able to get with, is probably having sex or wanting to get in a relationship and why can't that be you. That by thinking that she is unattainable autimatically puts you out of the game before you even try with her. Who's to say you two won't click and date?
The reason I give it 3 stars is because I kind of felt like it dragged on a little bit. Kind of like I was sitting through a lecture at school. Ifanybody is reading this, you need to read "a thousand tiny failures" by: Tony D. Its a pickup book, but that's not at all what makes it good, his writing style and humor make it an awesome book.
Personally what i'm trying to say is that for me, it made me re-think some of my old standing (maybe even sunconscious) beliefs about women. There was one part where he was saying that everybody has sex, yes the girl that you feel like you would never be able to get with, is probably having sex or wanting to get in a relationship and why can't that be you. That by thinking that she is unattainable autimatically puts you out of the game before you even try with her. Who's to say you two won't click and date?
The reason I give it 3 stars is because I kind of felt like it dragged on a little bit. Kind of like I was sitting through a lecture at school. Ifanybody is reading this, you need to read "a thousand tiny failures" by: Tony D. Its a pickup book, but that's not at all what makes it good, his writing style and humor make it an awesome book.
October 14, 2012
I listened to this book (audiobook version) to help me build more realistic meetings and encounters when writing my romance novel heroes.
At first I was really turned off by the teenaged type antics in the first chapter. What? Where these guys 14 years-olds living in twenty-something bodies? But the more I listened the more I came to like Mystery, Love-Drop and Matador.
These guys are giving real, calculated advice on how to actually interact with women. I feel like the next time I'm out and am asked by some guy, holding his beer at his chest if he can buy me a drink, I should just hand him Mystery's card and this book blurb and ask him to come back and try again after he's gotten his game down.
At first I was really turned off by the teenaged type antics in the first chapter. What? Where these guys 14 years-olds living in twenty-something bodies? But the more I listened the more I came to like Mystery, Love-Drop and Matador.
These guys are giving real, calculated advice on how to actually interact with women. I feel like the next time I'm out and am asked by some guy, holding his beer at his chest if he can buy me a drink, I should just hand him Mystery's card and this book blurb and ask him to come back and try again after he's gotten his game down.
April 21, 2011
This is okay. I've read, listened and watched everything from Mystery to Neil Strauss to David DeAngelo to Stephane Hemon, etc........
I guess if I had to nail one down - in terms of totally legit and respecting woman - I would go for Zan. To me, he is the real deal and offers "Enlightened Seduction", which can be found at: http://www.zanperrion.com/experience.php
It's a bit pricy, so if you can get it from a friend - that would be actually better. However, the information is definitely worth the investment.
Enjoy.
I guess if I had to nail one down - in terms of totally legit and respecting woman - I would go for Zan. To me, he is the real deal and offers "Enlightened Seduction", which can be found at: http://www.zanperrion.com/experience.php
It's a bit pricy, so if you can get it from a friend - that would be actually better. However, the information is definitely worth the investment.
Enjoy.
March 9, 2012
I'm interested in the subject matter and the author which carried me through the book, but ultimately I didn't think it was very well-written. The guy seems knowledgeable, but the materials is pretty disorganized, overly anecdotal and one of his primary messages seems to be that he is completely awesome.
November 14, 2013
This book should have been titled "The Game: Part II." You know there's something wrong if the foreword is the best-written part of the book. But if you enjoyed Neil Strauss's book, you'll be mildly entertained in following Mystery and his band of PUAs through their journeys in Miami. Are you going to learn how to pick up women by reading this book? Probably not.
March 29, 2011
Not as compelling as The Game, but still it is an interesting book. The how-to is told via narrative and it explains what it is trying to get across. The anecdotes of the lives of these guys are interesting but a bit too full of themselves.
Still an entertaining read.
Still an entertaining read.
October 16, 2014
The Game was way better written than this and it offered more useful information. Out of the whole book there were probably maybe 5-10 interesting pages. Full of fluff stories with the goal to impress the reader and written arrogantly by someone who has no real reason to be.
July 18, 2014
This book is partially written in the Style (pun intended) of a Platonic dialogue between a master (Mystery & Lovedrop) and the student (Adam). This style of writing makes for a more lively book than I expected.
June 2, 2012
It was funny but the author is all about him instead of making it a well rounded book. Too full of ego and can get very very repetitive. Meh at best.
August 3, 2012
LEGEN wait for it....DARY
Read
September 1, 2014General concepts of meeting and being friendly. Suitable for short term relations building. Good insights on sets behavior.
Read
August 31, 2017currently-reading
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews