The 22 Murders of Madison May

Read Time: 3 Minutes

I picked up The 22 Murders of Madison May mostly because the premise sounded intriguing and partly because it was very cheap during one of Audible’s site-wide sales. For the price (less than $2.50!), it felt like a low-risk gamble. I have enjoyed Max Barry’s work in the past, so I went in hoping for something clever and maybe a little weird.

The opening is strong. Madison May, a real estate agent, is showing a rundown house to a man whose attitude to being identified seems blasé considering what he’s about to do. He knows too much about her, professes his love, and then murders her.

The focus then shifts to Felicity Staples, a journalist assigned to cover the murder. While digging into the case, she spots the suspected killer on the subway, only for him to vanish. Soon after, things begin to feel wrong. No one remembers Madison May. Felicity’s encounter with the man seems to have been erased. Even one of her cats is missing.

Felicity has slipped into an alternate reality where events have unfolded slightly differently. Time keeps moving forward, but she is moving sideways into different versions of the world. The explanation leans lightly on quantum theory and the idea that you can only move into a reality where a version of you already exists. The book doesn’t dwell on the science too much, so just accept it and you’ll be okay.

The whole central concept becomes a little depressing after a while. We get to know Madison, then she gets murdered. Realtor. Struggling actor. Photographer of old houses. Each version is slightly different, but the outcome is the same.

Thankfully, we don’t have to sit through all twenty-two murders suggested by the title, but even so, listening to the same character die repeatedly starts to weigh on you. Maybe it’s the mark of a good story that you get mildly depressed when the character dies.

The killer, Clay Hors, jumps between universes searching for what he believes is the perfect version of Madison. His motivation feels a little thin and basically blames Madison for “making” him kill her. That said, serial killers and psychopaths typically don’t need especially elegant motivations, and the story doesn’t try to make him sympathetic.

Despite the universe hopping and the murders, I found the pacing slow. The story often felt like it was plodding toward an idea it never fully committed to. By the final stretch, I was listening more out of stubbornness than engagement. I really dislike abandoning books once I have started them, so I pushed through, even when it felt like a slog.

The ending was a bit underwhelming, though not unpleasant. Slightly sweet but not especially satisfying. Maybe a little “meh” if I had to put a single word on it. I’m Gen X, that’s a perfectly acceptable response!

Helen Laser’s narration was solid throughout. Voices were clear and distinct, and the performance suited the tone of the story. No production issues stood out, and while not a performance that made me immediately want to seek out other books she has narrated, it was pleasant enough.

Overall, The 22 Murders of Madison May felt like a book with a strong premise that never quite lived up to its potential. I have enjoyed other Max Barry stories more than this one. I doubt I will revisit it, but for the price I paid, it was an interesting enough listen.

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