Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: July 6th, 2021
336 Pages
Synopsis: From the critically acclaimed author of Jennifer Government and Lexicon, comes mind-bending, speculative, psychological suspense, about a serial killer pursuing his victim through time and space, and the woman who is determined to stop him, even if it upends her own reality.
I love you. In every world.
Young real estate agent Madison May is shocked when a client at an open house says these words to her. The man, a stranger, seems to know far too much about her and professes his love—shortly before he murders her.
Felicity Staples hates reporting on murders. As a journalist for a midsize New York City paper, she know she must take on the assignment to research Madison May’s shocking murder, but the crime seems random and the suspect is in the wind. That is, until Felicity spots the killer on the subway right before he vanishes.
Soon Felicity senses her entire universe has shifted. No one remembers Madison May, or Felicity’s encounter with the mysterious man. And her cat is missing. Felicity realizes that in her pursuit of Madison’s killer, she followed him into a different dimension—one where everything about her existence is slightly altered. At first she is determined to return to the reality she knows, but when Madison May—in this world, a struggling actress—is murdered again, Felicity decides she must find the killer—and learns she is not the only one hunting him.
Traveling through different realities, Felicity uncovers the opportunity—and danger—of living more than one life. (Goodreads)
After reading the synopsis for The 22 Deaths of Madison May, the idea of a serial killer pursuing different versions of his victim through the multiverse immediately made me sit up and take notice. For the most part I’m happy to say that it lived up to my expectations. The pace was extremely fast except for a few chapters in the middle which seemed unnecessarily repetitive. Except for Felicity and Madison, the other characters weren’t all that well developed which wound up being my primary issue. I would have especially liked to know more about Clayton, the deranged, fiercely determined serial killer. He comes across as your stereotypical stalker who becomes obsessed with a pretty young woman. I was expecting a little more I guess given the complexity of the plot. The ending wrapped everything up pretty satisfactorily and the fate of Clayton is a wonderful example of someone getting their just desserts. Overall, The 22 Murders of Madison May, snagged my attention and I easily finished it in less than two days. The idea of the multiverse with different versions of us that are similar yet different fascinates me, and Max Barry’s take on it is quite entertaining. It’s also made me want to go back and read Max Barry’s previous books. I unhesitatingly recommend this to readers who enjoy speculative fiction and exciting mystery/thrillers.
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