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Psycho  By  cover art

Psycho

By: Robert Bloch
Narrated by: Richard Powers
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Publisher's summary

It was a dark and stormy night when Mary Crane glimpsed the unlit neon sign announcing the vacancy at the Bates Motel. Exhausted, lost, and at the end of her rope, she was eager for a hot shower and a bed for the night. Her room was musty, but clean, and the manager seemed nice, if a little odd.

This classic horror novel, which inspired the famous film by Alfred Hitchcock, has been thrilling people for 50 years. It introduced one of the most unexpectedly twisted villains of all time in Norman Bates, the reserved motel manager with a mother complex, and has been called the "first psychoanalytic thriller".

©1959 Robert Bloch (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Icily terrifying!" (New York Times)

"A terribly chilling tale." (Bestsellers)

Featured Article: From Page to Scream—35 Spine-Chilling Listens that Inspired Horror Movies


There’s nothing better than turning off all the lights, grabbing a cozy blanket, and settling in with a good horror flick. Many of those standout suspenseful flicks have distinguished literary roots—based on books written by some of the most masterful authors in the genre. Here’s a spotlight on the books behind exceptional horror movies—a few of our favorite spooky or terrifying tales that will no doubt have you sleeping with the lights on.

What listeners say about Psycho

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great classic.

Great classic. Richard Powers did a great job narrating the story. First time listening to this book but of course I have seen the movie, the book was much better.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved the movie, Super loved this book !

Characters were defined , so easy to see and understood. A must read for those who saw the movie.


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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Finally got to read this classic

I can't believe it took so long for me to read this "classic" book. It's better than I expected, and perhaps a bit less dramatic than the movie (hard to be gory in this era I suppose).

It does not have any "surprises" but, that's probably due to the storyline being part of our modern culture... there's not much odd about transvestites or murderers or schitzos in our current day and age but, for its time, these concepts were probably extra-shocking.

I disliked the "epilogue" - way too lecturey, like the author needed to explain all the threads from the story rather than let us figure it out on our own - like we didn't realize Bates wasn't *really* his mother. Well, until the final moments anyway... hehehe

The narrator was very good.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

not a crazy buy !

Where does Psycho rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

probably about the best audiobook I,ve bought. I listened to it constantly till it was finished.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

easy to listen to and narrator had exciting and professional voice

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael Garcia’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

haven,t heard any of his other books but will buy books narrated by him again

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wish I grew up before the movie

So that the book could twist and turn without my knowledge of the plot. SO GREAT

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazingly well-written!

Usually, my biggest issue with a book is unrealistic dialogue. I was so thrilled when the dialogue was real and the characters had their own voice. I wish I'd been around in the 50s when this was published and could have read it before knowing the story because I'm sure it was shocking and ghastly and awesome. it's a quick listen and very entertaining- I couldn't turn it off.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fun

A great listen before Halloween, even if you've seen the movie it's a great book...and a great audio performance

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Psychological Thriller

Psycho is one of my favorite horror movies. After listening to the book I can see why Hitchcock wanted to make the movie! The author did a fantastic job of balancing the psychological tension with not too much gore.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • CR
  • 12-26-15

Better than the movie - probably

I admit, I've never actually seen the whole movie. I just see bits and pieces on TV once in a while. I never sat down and watched more than 10 minutes of it, but I did enjoy the book and it makes me want to watch the whole movie.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A little slow at first, but great!

It was a little slow at first, but the more you listened, the better it got! The end is such a shock!

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