Confession time: I recently finished Murder Games by James Patterson, but I didn’t read it in the traditional way. Nope, I went for the audiobook because I’m fancy like that. I figured, “Why not? It’s James Patterson. It’ll be quick, it’ll be fun.” Spoiler: It was still fun, but the pacing of the audiobook had me feeling like I was stuck in slow-mo while my brain was running a marathon.
The plot, though? Top-notch. The Dealer, our mysterious killer, leaves playing cards at crime scenes as a creepy little “Here’s who’s next!” announcement. I was immediately hooked. Murder, mayhem, mystery—it’s like Patterson’s cooking up my favorite thriller casserole. But here’s the thing: When you’re listening to someone narrate murder at a pace that feels like a lazy Sunday morning, you can’t help but wish you had the book in hand, flipping pages at lightning speed. I swear, I could’ve finished it in half the time if I had a paperback.
The main characters? Loved them. Elizabeth Needham, the NYPD detective, was fantastic, and I totally got invested in her even though the story wasn’t told from her perspective. Dylan Reinhart, the former FBI profiler, was likable too. I mean, if he was real, we’d probably grab coffee, share a donut, and talk about how does one catch a killer who’s this cool? (Seriously, is there a class for that?)
Now, did this book make me feel all the feelings? Not really. But that’s probably because I was too busy getting impatient with the audiobook's pace. The quote that cracked me up, though: “Their minds were easier to read than the top line of an eye chart.” I mean, if you’ve ever met someone whose face just screams their every thought, you’ll get it.
The real central theme here was justice, or lack thereof. The Dealer is taking out people who got off on technicalities, and honestly, it’s a brilliant plot device. It’s like watching a game of chess, but with way more blood and fewer pawns.
In terms of rating? I’m giving this one an 8/10. It’s a solid book, but I’m pretty sure I missed a bunch of subtle details by listening to it at audiobook speed (which, let’s face it, is more of a “chill stroll” than a “run for your life” pace). I’ll probably re-read it in paperback and bump that score to a 10/10 because, let’s be real, I’m almost certain this story would move way faster when I can flip the pages myself.
So, if you’re into crime thrillers and don’t mind waiting for your murder to unfold at a leisurely pace, the audiobook might work for you. But if you’re like me and you need to read faster than your brain thinks, just go ahead and grab the paperback. Your mind will thank you.
