A Review of "Pysch: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read"

Originally written February 2, 2009

If you're a fan of the show, you will be pleased with the first tie-in book, Psych: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read. Definitely good for the fan who needs a little Psych fix during the between seasons months (or the fan like me who has to wait even longer for the 3rd season to come out on DVD!). The ever-funny, laugh-out-loud banter between Gus and Shawn is reminiscent of the show, and the relationship between the main characters has the same vibe; which would be lost on people who have never seen the show before reading the book. I was definitely able to picture the characters in my head while reading this book and running it like a normal episode.

However, at times it seemed to not stay true to the vibe and heart of the show: some things that Gus, Shawn, or others would say seemed a little out of character; and some of the visual effects (Shawn's 'visions') as well as the fun 'psychic reveals' weren't as strong as in the show. I was a little disappointed at the end for the 'big dramatic reveal' that there wasn't more psychic visions or messages from beyond which adds the silly over-the-top feel that makes the show so much fun. But I suppose it's a little hard to make it relate the same when crossing mediums. I hope Rabkin works out that kink by the next book.

Overall, it was a good story, and well-written; however, you would expect that from one of the show's writers! On my scale of 1 (hari kari) to 10 (orgasmic bliss), I give it a nice 6.7. Not bad, but could be better. I was truly held in rapt attention while trying to figure out who the killer was (turned out to be two killers!). I feel this was a good first try by Rabkin to translate the visual into full print form. I look forward to reading the next in the series, Psych: Mind Over Magic (rumored to be released in July 2009).