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Master of Murder
A pen name protects a high school senior and the most popular writer of teenage fiction in the country from his fans' questions about his creations, until a stranger pierces his disguise and threatens to erase his future. Reissue.
198 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1992
17 people are currently reading
973 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Pike
261 books5,468 followersChristopher Pike is the pseudonym of Kevin McFadden. He is a bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction who specializes in the thriller genre.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
McFadden was born in New York but grew up in California where he stills lives in today. A college drop-out, he did factory work, painted houses and programmed computers before becoming a recognized author. Initially unsuccessful when he set out to write science fiction and adult mystery, it was not until his work caught the attention of an editor who suggested he write a teen thriller that he became a hit. The result was Slumber Party (1985), a book about a group of teenagers who run into bizarre and violent events during a ski weekend. After that he wrote Weekend and Chain Letter. All three books went on to become bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
October 11, 2020
"He was one of the most popular writer's in the country. His books sold millions of copies. He was only seventeen, still in high school, but already rich".
Master Of Murder by Christopher Pike
Did a reread of this one a few months back. While not bad at all, it was not as interesting as I remembered. Of coarse one's tastes change as they get older.
I , for the most part, enjoy all my revisiting of Pike's books because he is a great writer and most of his YA mysteries can be enjoyed by adults too as long as one is a fan of mysteries.
This one though fell a bit flat for me. It is about a High school student who is also a best selling author..only nobody at school knows he is.
The "writer" is a best seller but people do not know this kid from school is actually THE best selling Mystery writer himself.
At least they don 't know until someone does know. Marvin..the writer and student..starts to receive menacing messages anonymously from someone who makes it clear they DO KNOW..And they are not happy about it.
I found this book, as an adult, a bit dull honestly , something that rarely happens to me with Pike who is usually anything but dull! Maybe this just was not the right book to read again. I remember liking it a heck of alot more the first time.
Even so, it isn't bad. I 'd still give it a solid three stars. But if you are new to Pike, start with one of his best like "Weekend", "Last Act" or "The Chain Letter".
Master Of Murder by Christopher Pike
Did a reread of this one a few months back. While not bad at all, it was not as interesting as I remembered. Of coarse one's tastes change as they get older.
I , for the most part, enjoy all my revisiting of Pike's books because he is a great writer and most of his YA mysteries can be enjoyed by adults too as long as one is a fan of mysteries.
This one though fell a bit flat for me. It is about a High school student who is also a best selling author..only nobody at school knows he is.
The "writer" is a best seller but people do not know this kid from school is actually THE best selling Mystery writer himself.
At least they don 't know until someone does know. Marvin..the writer and student..starts to receive menacing messages anonymously from someone who makes it clear they DO KNOW..And they are not happy about it.
I found this book, as an adult, a bit dull honestly , something that rarely happens to me with Pike who is usually anything but dull! Maybe this just was not the right book to read again. I remember liking it a heck of alot more the first time.
Even so, it isn't bad. I 'd still give it a solid three stars. But if you are new to Pike, start with one of his best like "Weekend", "Last Act" or "The Chain Letter".
June 5, 2016
No matter my age, I shall forever regard Pike as an expert at writing books that are as relatable to adults as they are to older teenagers. As young adults near that milestone themselves, novels such as this that treated them fairly on an intellectual level were appreciated.
Master of Murder focuses on a young mystery author who ends up – at first without interest – in the middle of a mystery of his own. He is a famous writer, but uses a pseudonym so no one in town knows who he is. It never ceases to amaze me how Pike can take what seems to be the simplest kind of story and weave so many layers and surprises into them.
Marvin is, besides the writing thing, a typical enough teenage male. His home life reeks of serious issues but he has the support and responsibility of a younger sister to fall back on. He’s not really noticed at school, a wallflower that watches and waits as most pass him by without the blink of an eye, usually in the middle of conversations about HIS books. Enter “the girl,” who of course would make the teen’s heart a-flutter. He starts receiving fan letters that hint at knowing who he is, a chilling disturbance he at first tries to shake off as coincidence. I refuse to ruin the story with spoilers, so let’s just say it slowly simmers to a full boil of a suspenseful surprise.
There’s no gore and very little evidence. The ending wasn't a complete surprise but I didn't see everything that ended up unraveling as obvious. The mystery is not quite guessable since the players themselves know little. The strength is in the second half but the first half holds intrigue of its own, even if it takes a little time getting off its feet.
I'm disappointed with the very end and think he shouldn't be so forgiving, but I guess the male heart is sometimes ruled by the wrong head.
Master of Murder focuses on a young mystery author who ends up – at first without interest – in the middle of a mystery of his own. He is a famous writer, but uses a pseudonym so no one in town knows who he is. It never ceases to amaze me how Pike can take what seems to be the simplest kind of story and weave so many layers and surprises into them.
Marvin is, besides the writing thing, a typical enough teenage male. His home life reeks of serious issues but he has the support and responsibility of a younger sister to fall back on. He’s not really noticed at school, a wallflower that watches and waits as most pass him by without the blink of an eye, usually in the middle of conversations about HIS books. Enter “the girl,” who of course would make the teen’s heart a-flutter. He starts receiving fan letters that hint at knowing who he is, a chilling disturbance he at first tries to shake off as coincidence. I refuse to ruin the story with spoilers, so let’s just say it slowly simmers to a full boil of a suspenseful surprise.
There’s no gore and very little evidence. The ending wasn't a complete surprise but I didn't see everything that ended up unraveling as obvious. The mystery is not quite guessable since the players themselves know little. The strength is in the second half but the first half holds intrigue of its own, even if it takes a little time getting off its feet.
I'm disappointed with the very end and think he shouldn't be so forgiving, but I guess the male heart is sometimes ruled by the wrong head.
October 1, 2019
The book is full of valuable insights and good, elaborate explanations. Well worth the read.
June 13, 2007
I hope they don't reissue all these books with slick new covers, because the cheesy embossed ones are so totally awesome. This story had nothing to do with magic or weird or paranormal stuff, so it's unusual that I went for it. Not a top favorite but one I still remember fondly.
October 11, 2025
3.5 stars. This definitely reads like a wish fulfillment fantasy of a teen boy but i dont think there is anything wrong with that specifically. It’d be nice if the girl characters were a little more fleshed out but this book is a reflection of the time.
The big difference between Stine and Pike for me is that Pike’s books always have a bunch of sexual references. I wouldn’t really care about either but I’m reading them with my kid so it’s kinda awkward. Would love it if they’d just focus on the mystery/horror.
Otherwise, this wasn’t terrible. I didn’t necessarily see the ending coming which is always a plus for me. I was kind of hoping we were leading up to something different, which wouldnt have been a surprise but maybe had a bigger wow moment/pay off.
I thought the secret identity/rich kid masquerading as a poor kid aspect was kind of fun. The relationship Marvin had with Ann was real sweet. The story about the frog in the beginning made us laugh.
I do wish the chapters were shorter and the storytelling overall a little tighter but otherwise a cheesy, corny, fun teen thriller.
The big difference between Stine and Pike for me is that Pike’s books always have a bunch of sexual references. I wouldn’t really care about either but I’m reading them with my kid so it’s kinda awkward. Would love it if they’d just focus on the mystery/horror.
Otherwise, this wasn’t terrible. I didn’t necessarily see the ending coming which is always a plus for me. I was kind of hoping we were leading up to something different, which wouldnt have been a surprise but maybe had a bigger wow moment/pay off.
I thought the secret identity/rich kid masquerading as a poor kid aspect was kind of fun. The relationship Marvin had with Ann was real sweet. The story about the frog in the beginning made us laugh.
I do wish the chapters were shorter and the storytelling overall a little tighter but otherwise a cheesy, corny, fun teen thriller.
March 2, 2022
A book that manages to navigate different genres and becomes an unexpected experience.
Marvin is a regular teenager. But Marvin is also using a pen name to write a really popular book thriller series. His books have been bestsellers and his identity remains a secret.
Marvin is struggling with his family and accepting that his crush might not be as much into him as he thought.
On top of that he will have to find inspiration to write the end of his thriller series and he doesn't even know where to start.
Perfect for: Fans of YA psychological thrillers with a twist. A murder mystery with a different approach that will keep you engaged
Marvin is a regular teenager. But Marvin is also using a pen name to write a really popular book thriller series. His books have been bestsellers and his identity remains a secret.
Marvin is struggling with his family and accepting that his crush might not be as much into him as he thought.
On top of that he will have to find inspiration to write the end of his thriller series and he doesn't even know where to start.
Perfect for: Fans of YA psychological thrillers with a twist. A murder mystery with a different approach that will keep you engaged
June 18, 2017
High school student by day, secretly a famous writer by night, a young man becomes embroiled in a the mysterious death of one of his classmates .
Kind of remembered the basics of this one. I flipped through it and it looked worth a re-read.
Kind of remembered the basics of this one. I flipped through it and it looked worth a re-read.
December 30, 2014
My brother bought this for me in a used book store because he remembered I was obsessed with these books in middle school. Some things should not be re-read as an adult...
April 30, 2016
Even though this book was aimed at young adults, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and think that Christopher Pike has an amazing way of keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole novel, can't wait to read more of his novels :)
January 1, 2025
Sex, hot wheels, violence, misogyny, absentee/alkie parents. Yep, this was high school in the ’90s.
September 29, 2025
Christopher Pike’s Master of Murder turned out to be a fascinating read for me. What really stood out was how realistic the characters felt, Marvin in particular grabbed my attention because Pike gives us a glimpse into the private life of a writer, which I found unique and engaging. None of the characters came across as flat or unnecessary.
The atmosphere was strong, even though the book took a little time to find its footing. I didn’t mind that slower start because it felt like a natural build-up to the later tension. By the time the story hit its stride, I was fully invested.
Pike’s writing is smooth and very readable. The only moments where I got a bit lost were in the transitions between Marvin’s real-life story and the fictional story he was writing. Still, by the end it all came together in a way that made sense.
The plot itself kept me asking questions, even if there were some gaps clearly inserted just to push the events forward. That said, it definitely kept me intrigued, and I was eager to know how everything would resolve.
Logic is where I struggled the most. Certain character shifts, especially Marvin’s acceptance of Shelly at the end, didn’t sit right with me. I don’t think it ruined the book, but it did leave me questioning whether I personally could have reacted the same way. On the flip side, I really appreciated how Pike tied Marvin’s personal life with his writing ,that was a very clever element.
Overall, I really enjoyed Master of Murder. It’s definitely something I’d recommend to fans of mystery and suspense. And in typical Pike fashion, the ending leaves you with more questions than answers, which is exactly why I keep coming back to his books.
*******************************************
VERDICT
(7.6/10)
The atmosphere was strong, even though the book took a little time to find its footing. I didn’t mind that slower start because it felt like a natural build-up to the later tension. By the time the story hit its stride, I was fully invested.
Pike’s writing is smooth and very readable. The only moments where I got a bit lost were in the transitions between Marvin’s real-life story and the fictional story he was writing. Still, by the end it all came together in a way that made sense.
The plot itself kept me asking questions, even if there were some gaps clearly inserted just to push the events forward. That said, it definitely kept me intrigued, and I was eager to know how everything would resolve.
Logic is where I struggled the most. Certain character shifts, especially Marvin’s acceptance of Shelly at the end, didn’t sit right with me. I don’t think it ruined the book, but it did leave me questioning whether I personally could have reacted the same way. On the flip side, I really appreciated how Pike tied Marvin’s personal life with his writing ,that was a very clever element.
Overall, I really enjoyed Master of Murder. It’s definitely something I’d recommend to fans of mystery and suspense. And in typical Pike fashion, the ending leaves you with more questions than answers, which is exactly why I keep coming back to his books.
*******************************************
VERDICT
(7.6/10)
July 19, 2020
The four stars are mostly reflective of how much I enjoyed this book as a tween; I have no real way to judge this, as it's another book that I read enough times when I was younger that I can't be objective about it in any way.
I always enjoyed this one, mostly because it's about an author of young adult thrillers, so it seemed more like Pike writing about himself. I have no doubt that the fan letters he has are reflective of the many he received himself, and the scene where Marvin sees people reading his books in the library, looking engrossed enough that he doesn't get annoyed at their not buying the books, has stayed with me as one that rings true.
My biggest complaint as an adult reading this is the timeline--the death that sets the plot in motion happened about a year previous. And in that time, Marvin had time to write and publish five books that became a huge national sensation?! Marvin's editor talks about not having a manuscript three months before the pub date being a problem. I just want a calendar, here. (Although looking at a list of when Pike's books came out, having that many out within a calendar year does seem plausible.)
But still--rereading this was a fun afternoon.
I always enjoyed this one, mostly because it's about an author of young adult thrillers, so it seemed more like Pike writing about himself. I have no doubt that the fan letters he has are reflective of the many he received himself, and the scene where Marvin sees people reading his books in the library, looking engrossed enough that he doesn't get annoyed at their not buying the books, has stayed with me as one that rings true.
My biggest complaint as an adult reading this is the timeline--the death that sets the plot in motion happened about a year previous. And in that time, Marvin had time to write and publish five books that became a huge national sensation?! Marvin's editor talks about not having a manuscript three months before the pub date being a problem. I just want a calendar, here. (Although looking at a list of when Pike's books came out, having that many out within a calendar year does seem plausible.)
But still--rereading this was a fun afternoon.
May 22, 2017
Genius.
Most complexity packed into an absorbable narrative I could imagine: I read this in three hours but you could spend a semester in a college course with a group of thirty talking about this book.
There are certainly things that are utterly improbable about this book that Pike has to sell on his writing alone and he makes some great maneuvers to dignify otherwise absurd human acts. As in, Marvin deciding to recreate the murder that he has uncovered in order to pay back Shelly (who, trying to set Marvin up via a series of notes and faked sex with Triad in a hot tub (how the hell would she had have known that Marvin would have shown up to see that? is that even close to plausible? she thought that if she told him she was busy on that day then he would choose that day to spy on her? and what about the exact timing of him catching her in the hot tub?) has inspired Marvin himself to attempt to murder Triad in the same way that Triad murdered Harry.).
Of course what Triad and Harry and Marvin---every man that Shelly has dated in the past year has either seriously came close to attempting to murder someone or has actually, actually murdered someone---all have in common is perhaps overreacting tremendously to being jilted by Shelly. NOTE TO YOUNG READERS If you have the ability to be dumped or ignored by a person that you adore and to come out of the situation without emotionally harming yourself or others you have total absolute superhuman strength--most adults cannot even do this.
Who thinks it's a good idea to murder someone and then who thinks it's a good idea to murder someone by suspending a rope across a rickety bridge in order to trip a fucking motorcycle(while hanging your own body off the bridge to anchor the fucking rope) is beyond me, way out there, way far away, utterly beyond me.
That Marvin is an eighteen year old author and has already published 6, fucking 6 mystery novels including five it seems in the time span of one year, which may be is possible--I mean if anyone would know it would be Christopher Pike--and it seems crazy but I loved it! I like Marvin. Of course his voice is awful and contradictory i.e. dude's a virgin but regularly makes these little knowing remarks about sex or wanting sex, see: much more adult dialogue regarding sex versus an eighteen year old who would probably come to sex with more of I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing kind of attitude. But that's perhaps because you've got an adult writing a novel for teenager kind of problem.
There is a serious meta level problem with this book. In a book where an author is writing about an author who receives nudes and has phone sex conversations with his fans, would it not be viewed as implicitly enticing the actual author's i.e. Pike's actual fans to send nudes or have phone sex conversations with him, (it seems at least that he would be admitting to these things happening) which may not seem like so, so much of big deal if these were not fucking YOUNG ADULT novels. And Pike does keep a low profile.
But I loved this book when I was twelve and I love it now that I'm thirty-one. I loved it for making me think about all these things, because it's super complex and totally digestible. I love having a character named Triad, which isn't a name or anything close to a name at all.
Much like Shelly (who murders Triad) and Marvin (who attempted to murder Triad) falling in love together while identifying with each other's murderous tendencies in the end of this novel--I loved this utterly-compromised-by-any-kind-of-rational-standards YA novel. For anyone who wanted ever to be a writer when they were young, this book would certainly tease out the psychological filaments of that act as a personal endeavor and public occupation.
Most complexity packed into an absorbable narrative I could imagine: I read this in three hours but you could spend a semester in a college course with a group of thirty talking about this book.
There are certainly things that are utterly improbable about this book that Pike has to sell on his writing alone and he makes some great maneuvers to dignify otherwise absurd human acts. As in, Marvin deciding to recreate the murder that he has uncovered in order to pay back Shelly (who, trying to set Marvin up via a series of notes and faked sex with Triad in a hot tub (how the hell would she had have known that Marvin would have shown up to see that? is that even close to plausible? she thought that if she told him she was busy on that day then he would choose that day to spy on her? and what about the exact timing of him catching her in the hot tub?) has inspired Marvin himself to attempt to murder Triad in the same way that Triad murdered Harry.).
Of course what Triad and Harry and Marvin---every man that Shelly has dated in the past year has either seriously came close to attempting to murder someone or has actually, actually murdered someone---all have in common is perhaps overreacting tremendously to being jilted by Shelly. NOTE TO YOUNG READERS If you have the ability to be dumped or ignored by a person that you adore and to come out of the situation without emotionally harming yourself or others you have total absolute superhuman strength--most adults cannot even do this.
Who thinks it's a good idea to murder someone and then who thinks it's a good idea to murder someone by suspending a rope across a rickety bridge in order to trip a fucking motorcycle(while hanging your own body off the bridge to anchor the fucking rope) is beyond me, way out there, way far away, utterly beyond me.
That Marvin is an eighteen year old author and has already published 6, fucking 6 mystery novels including five it seems in the time span of one year, which may be is possible--I mean if anyone would know it would be Christopher Pike--and it seems crazy but I loved it! I like Marvin. Of course his voice is awful and contradictory i.e. dude's a virgin but regularly makes these little knowing remarks about sex or wanting sex, see: much more adult dialogue regarding sex versus an eighteen year old who would probably come to sex with more of I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing kind of attitude. But that's perhaps because you've got an adult writing a novel for teenager kind of problem.
There is a serious meta level problem with this book. In a book where an author is writing about an author who receives nudes and has phone sex conversations with his fans, would it not be viewed as implicitly enticing the actual author's i.e. Pike's actual fans to send nudes or have phone sex conversations with him, (it seems at least that he would be admitting to these things happening) which may not seem like so, so much of big deal if these were not fucking YOUNG ADULT novels. And Pike does keep a low profile.
But I loved this book when I was twelve and I love it now that I'm thirty-one. I loved it for making me think about all these things, because it's super complex and totally digestible. I love having a character named Triad, which isn't a name or anything close to a name at all.
Much like Shelly (who murders Triad) and Marvin (who attempted to murder Triad) falling in love together while identifying with each other's murderous tendencies in the end of this novel--I loved this utterly-compromised-by-any-kind-of-rational-standards YA novel. For anyone who wanted ever to be a writer when they were young, this book would certainly tease out the psychological filaments of that act as a personal endeavor and public occupation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2012
interesting premise... but a flat ending... and the characters were pretty non-YA... even though they were supposed to be high school students - what high school student is tinkering on a lawn mower? or staying out for all hours and the parents are non-existent?
July 8, 2021
Not terrible, but is a product of its time for sure. Super fast read that had me laughing on one page and then saying “oh that’s not appropriate” on the next. I’d probably read another Christopher Pike if I came across it.
January 21, 2022
Decided to reread this and man it’s over the top and ridiculous.
(Still love it though)
(Still love it though)
July 28, 2016
I really enjoyed this one :)
July 29, 2022
No beating around the bush on this one...
Writing under the pen name of Mack Slate, seventeen almost eighteen year old Marvin Summers is living a want to be author's dream. His books are big sellers and he gets fan letters from young women who aren't shy about giving him a good time if he's interested.
In his disguise, he can't even get an A on an English assignment. No one in his small town knows that Marvin is famous. He's just a kid with two alcoholic parents and a little sister wise beyond her years...as well as a young man carrying a fiercely lit torch.
Her name is Shelly Quade. They use to date even when Shelly was with her boyfriend Harry but that all changed...after Harry died.
The two of them hardly speak anymore even though Marvin has seen Shelly reading "his" books and they share English together. She's seeing a guy named Triad who use to be Harry's best friend but Marvin can't still hope for he and Shelly to get back together.
Professional life isn't that much better because Marvin has one last book in his current series due and he has major writer's block. His agent and publisher are on his back and all Marvin can think of is Shelly...until the fan letter comes.
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
That's all it says and it's from Marvin's home town. He doesn't pay it much mind, he's gotten some even more wild letters, until another one comes that is just a little too personal...too on the nose for what is going on in Marvin's current situation.
Soon it is pretty clear that Marvin's writing as Mack Steel is reflecting real life and starting to get even stranger than fiction. It seems this master of murder can't escape the real thing...
Marvin is a pretty decent guy despite some negative points. Relatable and a very good representation of a teenage boy. His sister is probably the only other character I like.
The twists are good and I wished it had ended before the epilogue. I usually like a nice wrapped up ending but I didn't much care for it which is why I can only give it four out of five stars. Other than that it is a good Christopher Pike book I could recommend.
Writing under the pen name of Mack Slate, seventeen almost eighteen year old Marvin Summers is living a want to be author's dream. His books are big sellers and he gets fan letters from young women who aren't shy about giving him a good time if he's interested.
In his disguise, he can't even get an A on an English assignment. No one in his small town knows that Marvin is famous. He's just a kid with two alcoholic parents and a little sister wise beyond her years...as well as a young man carrying a fiercely lit torch.
Her name is Shelly Quade. They use to date even when Shelly was with her boyfriend Harry but that all changed...after Harry died.
The two of them hardly speak anymore even though Marvin has seen Shelly reading "his" books and they share English together. She's seeing a guy named Triad who use to be Harry's best friend but Marvin can't still hope for he and Shelly to get back together.
Professional life isn't that much better because Marvin has one last book in his current series due and he has major writer's block. His agent and publisher are on his back and all Marvin can think of is Shelly...until the fan letter comes.
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
That's all it says and it's from Marvin's home town. He doesn't pay it much mind, he's gotten some even more wild letters, until another one comes that is just a little too personal...too on the nose for what is going on in Marvin's current situation.
Soon it is pretty clear that Marvin's writing as Mack Steel is reflecting real life and starting to get even stranger than fiction. It seems this master of murder can't escape the real thing...
Marvin is a pretty decent guy despite some negative points. Relatable and a very good representation of a teenage boy. His sister is probably the only other character I like.
The twists are good and I wished it had ended before the epilogue. I usually like a nice wrapped up ending but I didn't much care for it which is why I can only give it four out of five stars. Other than that it is a good Christopher Pike book I could recommend.
February 19, 2025
I love all things Christopher Pike, this wasn’t one of my favorites but glad to be able to add it to my collection.
April 4, 2025
This is definitely one of the weaker Christopher Pikes that I've read. It started off well and early on had plenty of intrigue relating to the two core mysteries of the story but it just kind of mesndered on and never went anywhere of any great interest. It was quite dull and that's something I've never said of a Pike book before but it just never hooked me in at any point.
July 22, 2015
I actually really liked this one. It was intelligently put together and excellently played out. Right on par with Pike’s books.
Marvin’s got it bad for a girl in his class but his lust for her ends up blinding him to some things and opening his eyes to others. The book he’s writing, it’s strangely similar to a real life death that occurred in his town and people are digging to see just what happened to a star sports player who died the year before.
I got annoyed when Marvin kept putting off his book to spend time with Shelly. In reality I was more concerned about him being so far behind his deadline to submit his latest novel than I was about anything else. But all of his procrastination worked out to his benefit as the details around him unfolded.
He ended up going places in his mind that he never thought himself capable of and doing things he wouldn’t possibly dream of doing if it weren’t for his lust for this one girl. She clouded his vision and at the same time opened his eyes up wide.
Pike’s characters do come off a bit callous sometimes, and a bit aged beyond their years. From that regard they can be a little unbelievable but not to the point where it’s taking me out of the story. It’s a little refreshing, though, and ends up being a stark contrast against RL Stine’s writing when it comes to character development. Where Stine just seems to skim the surface of his characters and creates really static dolls of what people really are, Pike fleshes his out and creates these multifaceted individuals that come off as real. Plus you’re getting a good story along with it.
I found the references to publishing awesomely funny. In a time before the internet where physical copies of manuscripts still had to be shipped between authors and publishers. It made me smile.
There wasn’t an excessive amount of depth in MASTER OF MURDER like there is in some of Pike’s other books but the plot is intricate and involved and makes depth instead of providing a pile of detail that can be found in some of his other books. I had to really pay attention when things were getting revealed because, at times, it was a little hard to follow but ultimately I absorbed it all. It made for a fairly rich story that I think would transcend well today with a little bit of updating.
It’s almost surprising how much I’m liking Pike’s books. I find myself liking them more the more I read them, even as an adult. MASTER OF MURDER did not disappoint and I wish some of the other old school YA stuff had storylines like this.
4
Marvin’s got it bad for a girl in his class but his lust for her ends up blinding him to some things and opening his eyes to others. The book he’s writing, it’s strangely similar to a real life death that occurred in his town and people are digging to see just what happened to a star sports player who died the year before.
I got annoyed when Marvin kept putting off his book to spend time with Shelly. In reality I was more concerned about him being so far behind his deadline to submit his latest novel than I was about anything else. But all of his procrastination worked out to his benefit as the details around him unfolded.
He ended up going places in his mind that he never thought himself capable of and doing things he wouldn’t possibly dream of doing if it weren’t for his lust for this one girl. She clouded his vision and at the same time opened his eyes up wide.
Pike’s characters do come off a bit callous sometimes, and a bit aged beyond their years. From that regard they can be a little unbelievable but not to the point where it’s taking me out of the story. It’s a little refreshing, though, and ends up being a stark contrast against RL Stine’s writing when it comes to character development. Where Stine just seems to skim the surface of his characters and creates really static dolls of what people really are, Pike fleshes his out and creates these multifaceted individuals that come off as real. Plus you’re getting a good story along with it.
I found the references to publishing awesomely funny. In a time before the internet where physical copies of manuscripts still had to be shipped between authors and publishers. It made me smile.
There wasn’t an excessive amount of depth in MASTER OF MURDER like there is in some of Pike’s other books but the plot is intricate and involved and makes depth instead of providing a pile of detail that can be found in some of his other books. I had to really pay attention when things were getting revealed because, at times, it was a little hard to follow but ultimately I absorbed it all. It made for a fairly rich story that I think would transcend well today with a little bit of updating.
It’s almost surprising how much I’m liking Pike’s books. I find myself liking them more the more I read them, even as an adult. MASTER OF MURDER did not disappoint and I wish some of the other old school YA stuff had storylines like this.
4
November 3, 2012
Oh man, I forgot how much I love Pike's books! So much cheese, I could make quesadillas with it lol...So, Marvin Summer is a high school student who also happens to be a hugely successful YA writer named Mack Slate. His identity is a secret from everyone but his 11 year old sister, Ann (an incredibly popular name in the Pike Universe, along with Mike if I recall correctly), so he gets a silent thrill when he sees the girl of his dreams, Shelly Quade, reading one of his books during English class. Marvin & Shelly went out a few times the previous year but stopped when Shelly's (other) boyfriend, Harry, killed himself. Shelly was naturally distraught after that and Marvin, being a nice guy, gave her some time to grieve. But it's been over a year now and he's determined to ask her out again. Full review here!
March 25, 2022
This is not a good book, its awkward and clumsy like one's own teenage years were. Its written from the perspective of a protagonist (Marvin) who is successful and noble only to become murderous.
His success as an author at such a young age comes across as preposterous and unrealistic with lures from Hollywood the stuff of teenage fantasies. The problems at home with his mother being an alcoholic and father being a drunk whilst good to explore, appear half-baked. The relationship he has with younger sister is bizarre too.
Overall, it wasn't intriguing, wasn't suspenseful and not particularly clever. Its neither so bad its good, nor so bad its unreadable.
His success as an author at such a young age comes across as preposterous and unrealistic with lures from Hollywood the stuff of teenage fantasies. The problems at home with his mother being an alcoholic and father being a drunk whilst good to explore, appear half-baked. The relationship he has with younger sister is bizarre too.
Overall, it wasn't intriguing, wasn't suspenseful and not particularly clever. Its neither so bad its good, nor so bad its unreadable.
August 24, 2015
Are you looking for a completely unbelievable story filled with underage drinking and lame premarital sex? This is it. Even with a ton of white-out, this book would still be something I'd never want my daughter to read, if for no other reason that it implies that random, unfeeling murder is completely acceptable, maybe even hot.
October 5, 2019
Predictable, flat characters, a little more R rated material than you’d expect in a YA novel, especially of the early 90s, but less R rated material than a YA tv show or movie of today. The timeline sure doesn’t pan out, it says he started his first novel in the series a year ago, and he’s already got 5 out on the bestseller list and is 4 months behind on book 6? Not remotely possible.
January 29, 2021
Marvin is creepy and all he cares about is how much money he gets from his books . I hate authors who only write for the money not because they enjoy writing ! Plus I don't like how Christopher Pike portrays women in his books . They have no substance!
March 3, 2017
I absolutely loved this and almost everything else by Pike that I read in middle school.
April 28, 2012
It's not like Christopher Pike's books make a lot of sense in general, but this book was so utterly nonsensical and thin that I got zero enjoyment out of it.
June 12, 2012
This was my favorite book ever when I was 10! I had such a weird crush on the teenage writer.
November 21, 2025
“But Marvin could see that Shelly was in another world. The world of Slate’s mysteries, where brave and beautiful young girls — like Shelly herself, Marvin thought — single handedly battled the forces of darkness.”
This is an excerpt from the first paragraph in Christopher Pike’s “Master of Murder” … while its intent is to set the scene for our coming story in its parallelistic duality, it also serves to highlight the true charm and undertone of Pike’s works, and probably a good reason why they enchanted so many teenage girls in the 90s. As an amateur writer, and even more so as an amateur writer writing and coding a Pike tribute work (totally unselfish plug here —> https://cogdemos.ink/play/zodac01/all... ), this book was a very happy find … while I don’t know if the main character, who is a horror writer, has the same methodology as Pike, I’d wager the chances at least a little likely.
In that vein, this little passage was interesting:
“Besides, it was when he was out of control that he wrote his best — when the power flowed.”
Fascinating — can’t say I’ve never felt that way when writing, when it just flows and the words and story appear, as though almost on their own … when it’s almost like if I think about things to much it’ll actually come out worse
Add in this passage:
“He honestly believed that he didn’t make up his plots, but that he uncovered them. It was as if they were there already somewhere in the astral ether, and God had given him a gift that allowed him to tune into them.”
This made me wonder — is Pike a pantser? But then some of his plots were so brilliant I doubt it could have been pure pantsing … in any event, it’s possible none of the observations on writing are true to pike, but are instead only for his protagonist in this work.
I mean:
“That was the mistake they made — they thought they knew him by what he wrote. It was true parts of him were in every one of his stories, but those parts were plugged into so many different characters they couldn’t be restructured into one whole person.”
So yeah. It’s right to be wrong … maybe. All in all I think this is as close as we’re going to come to a writing guide from Pike, which is a shame — that guy really was a master of murder.
Overall I really loved this book — it was a fast and horrific thrill ride with plenty of spin. Ah, I think I spent my whole review talking about the book but not saying a single word about it — but what can we say? This book is classic Pike in the best ways. Parallelism? Oh yes? Teens doing terrible and terrifying things? Check. Romance, angst, and everything - yup.
All in all tempted to give it 5 bodies in a lake, but despite how great this story is I don’t think it’s quite a 5 as there are probably a few “oh, really” moments when things just seemed a little to convienent and the cast of characters was so very small - but 4 bodies in a lake? For sure.
P.S. *spoiler* I really liked the dualistic quality to a certain character in the end — true of that character and probably everybody, really.
This is an excerpt from the first paragraph in Christopher Pike’s “Master of Murder” … while its intent is to set the scene for our coming story in its parallelistic duality, it also serves to highlight the true charm and undertone of Pike’s works, and probably a good reason why they enchanted so many teenage girls in the 90s. As an amateur writer, and even more so as an amateur writer writing and coding a Pike tribute work (totally unselfish plug here —> https://cogdemos.ink/play/zodac01/all... ), this book was a very happy find … while I don’t know if the main character, who is a horror writer, has the same methodology as Pike, I’d wager the chances at least a little likely.
In that vein, this little passage was interesting:
“Besides, it was when he was out of control that he wrote his best — when the power flowed.”
Fascinating — can’t say I’ve never felt that way when writing, when it just flows and the words and story appear, as though almost on their own … when it’s almost like if I think about things to much it’ll actually come out worse
Add in this passage:
“He honestly believed that he didn’t make up his plots, but that he uncovered them. It was as if they were there already somewhere in the astral ether, and God had given him a gift that allowed him to tune into them.”
This made me wonder — is Pike a pantser? But then some of his plots were so brilliant I doubt it could have been pure pantsing … in any event, it’s possible none of the observations on writing are true to pike, but are instead only for his protagonist in this work.
I mean:
“That was the mistake they made — they thought they knew him by what he wrote. It was true parts of him were in every one of his stories, but those parts were plugged into so many different characters they couldn’t be restructured into one whole person.”
So yeah. It’s right to be wrong … maybe. All in all I think this is as close as we’re going to come to a writing guide from Pike, which is a shame — that guy really was a master of murder.
Overall I really loved this book — it was a fast and horrific thrill ride with plenty of spin. Ah, I think I spent my whole review talking about the book but not saying a single word about it — but what can we say? This book is classic Pike in the best ways. Parallelism? Oh yes? Teens doing terrible and terrifying things? Check. Romance, angst, and everything - yup.
All in all tempted to give it 5 bodies in a lake, but despite how great this story is I don’t think it’s quite a 5 as there are probably a few “oh, really” moments when things just seemed a little to convienent and the cast of characters was so very small - but 4 bodies in a lake? For sure.
P.S. *spoiler* I really liked the dualistic quality to a certain character in the end — true of that character and probably everybody, really.
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