The 22 Murders of Madison May

By: Max Barry

Narrated by: Helen Laser

From the critically acclaimed author of Jennifer Government and Lexicon comes mind-bending speculative psychological suspense about a serial killer pursuing his victim across 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 knows 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 that she is not the only one hunting him.

Traveling through different realities, Felicity uncovers the opportunity--and danger--of living more than one life.

Critic reviews

“Mind-bending….A page-turner that also holds up in terms of its metaphysical conceit.”—The Chicago Tribune

“Barry strives to paint equally compelling portraits of the two women and comes pretty darn close. Each character assumes a fully rounded and weighty resonance. . . Dynamic, suspenseful action with a light frosting of metaphysics.—The Washington Post

“Mr. Barry avoids the obvious sci-fi option of thinking up lots of exciting worlds, and takes the grittier route of imagining intrusions into the underbelly of this one…Unnerving. He navigates the multiverse and the concepts of string theory and chaos theory with frightening conviction. Let’s hope he just made it all up.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Sci-fi wizard Barry sets a serial killer loose in the multiverse with mind-bending results."—People

"Original, intelligent, unputdownable."—The Guardian

“Beware Max Barry. Once his story grabs hold, you will forget to eat, sleep, and bathe until you’re left with the world’s worst book hangover. An exhilarating rocket shot of a thriller tempered with Barry’s trademark wit and warmth.”—David Yoon, author of Version Zero and Frankly in Love

"Gripping… this is the sort of tricksiness Barry was put on Earth for."—The Times (UK)

“With unrelenting tension, Max Barry weaves a complex tapestry where a sociopath's insatiable obsession knows no bounds, not even time and space, and only two things are certain - he will kill her again because he's killed her before. I devoured this novel in one sitting.”—J.D. Barker, author of A Caller's Game

“[Max Barry has] a penchant for existentialism, hard-driving plots, and uncomfortable philosophical speculation. . . Adds rich depth to an otherwise merely excellent crime drama.”—Pluralistic

“A crime thriller that tripped and fell through a manhole and into the multiverse. It’s frenetic and funny and gut-wrenching by turns, and I absolutely could not put it down. You need to read this book. Do it. Do it now.”—Edward Ashton, author of The End of Ordinary

“A classic catch-the-stalker thriller...dynamic and intense.”—Books+Publishing

Exceeded my expectations: smart, unique!

Happy I finally bought this title, despite some pretty discouraging reviews. The character development is *great*. I found it really interesting the way each character's self-awareness evolved (or, in one notable case, remained static) as they 'moved'. At no point did I find this book boring. I listened to it in one day, rarely pausing, attentively. This is intelligent, imaginative writing. Not my first Max Barry. I consider this an excellent book. (And yeah, I got a bit emotional when Joey reappeared. 😸) 5 star narration by Helen Laser.

Interesting concept

I enjoyed the perspective from the different characters. The concept of the book is interesting and the author handled it well.

Max Barry does it again

Another intriguing premise, impeccably executed with humor and just the right amount of heart.

Compelling!

I am a big fan of Barry’s books and I swear he is just getting better and better. I was really intrigued to see how he was going to keep the characters straight and still show them moving from world to world and meeting different versions of the people they knew. I think he did a really good job at this aspect of the story. His books always surprise me in some way, which is why I think I like him so much. This was no exception.

Enjoyable Overall

Enjoyable but I found myself wanting something extra from the plot. Separately, the voice actor did great.