Audio Book Review - The Method by James Patterson

What level of dumb is an acceptable level of dumb? What qualifies dumb fun from just dumb? James Patterson walks that fine line between absolutely the dumbest book I've ever listened to and dumb fun. And because of some killer performances and delightful production values, The Method succeeds in what it sets out to do, which is to provide an off-its-rocker premise and raise the levels of insanity to an 11.

The Method's premise is a simple one. An actor who can't seem to get a break goes full method acting for a new role. That new role is a Jeffrey Dahmer-like serial killer. So in order to go full method he--you guessed it--starts murdering people. What amazes me about the audio book is that it starts off tepid enough, and the initial encounters seem ho-hum. But it doesn't take long before the whole affair goes completely unhinged.

Anything resembling the realm of plausibility is thrown out the window. The main character, Brent Quill, murders people openly, and everyone always has an excuse. It would make a normal person scoff. And scoff you will. It's absolutely one of the most insane premises to a text, and over the course of four hours, it continues to up the ante at every corner.

I was never bored, and I couldn't wait to see how the writers and performers would push the envelope even further. But as the murder count tallies, motivations become blurred. Is Brent Quill going full method or is he just a deranged individual? 

The Method succeeds despite itself. The story becomes too wild. Somewhere between murdering someone with a butter knife and the umpteenth time he commits violence against himself, I couldn't help but wonder, who is this for? Possible nobody. Possibly everybody. Do you enjoy CSI? NCIS? That's the level of sophistication here--at best.

Thankfully, the performances commit 100%. Zachary Quinto is mesmerizing as Brent Quill. The supporting cast also bolsters amazing performances. You end up, if not overlooking, becoming numb to all the insanity. Nevertheless, you'll be guessing until the last minutes.

At the cost of free for audible users, you could do a whole lot worse than The Method. It's a perfect escape for those who don't mind some dumb fun. Just don't think too hard, or the cracks will emerge and it'll end up just feeling dumb. 

Release Date 10-13-22
MSRP: Free for Audible Users

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