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.
ARC received from Hachette Australia for an honest review
I was intrigued by the blurb of The 22 Murders of Madison May, and that intrigue lasted until the last page.
Now I am not really a sc-fi fan, but Max Barry had me drawn right in to the story of Madison May - the poor young lady who keeps getting murdered, no matter which of the parallel worlds she is living in.
This was one of those books that I didn't know what to expect, and hurriedly turned each page to find out what happened next.
Our heroine Felicity will have you running with her as she not only tries to stop a murdered, as her world keeps changing. She really made this book for me. I wondered how she would adapt to each new "Felicity", and she did so with aplomb. I am sure I would have gone nutso after the first change, let alone her many.
If you are a fan of pure thrillers, the sci-fi aspect of the story may not be your thing, however for me, this was an added extra to this exquisite tale.
I have not read Max Barry before, but I will definitely be checking more out in the future.
Max Barry is the author of numerous novels, including Jennifer Government, Company, Machine Man, Lexicon and Providence. He is also the developer of the online nation simulation game NationStates. Prior to his writing career, Barry worked at tech giant HP. He lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife and two daughters.