Nonnymouse 1 Anne Nonnymouse
English Class 6
Mrs. Lallatin
May 13, 2015
Psyched by the Psychic
Many people, as children, have dreamed of becoming a hotshot detective who could solve any case put before them, without following restrictive protocols or ever getting in trouble for intentionally breaking the rules. That’s what life for Shawn Spencer and Burton Guster (Gus) is like working at the Psych Detective Agency, in presentday Santa Barbara, California. In
William Rabkin’s realistic, yet fictional, novel Psych: The Call of the Mild, these characters were given a lifethreatening case that they almost couldn’t solve. For a reader, this murder mystery is entertaining, and often conveys a theme that goes by the old proverb “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” After discussing a brief synopsis of the novel, it is apparent that the author created too many characters for the book’s own good, but the two most important characters have been perfectly created to compliment each other.
In this novel, Shawn and Gus stumble upon a job for their psychic detective agency when a lady, Ms.Svaco comes in asking them to find a necklace. Little did they know, this would be one of the most frightening cases of their lives. They found the necklace, but it was stolen from them, and something just didn’t sit right with them. When Shawn and Gus go to investigate their hunch, they find Ms.Svaco dead in her house. A short while later, Archie Kane is also found dead. Few connections are found between the two, except for the law firm Rushton, Morelock and Weiss. In an effort to find the murderer, Shawn and Gus are hired by this firm, one of the
Nonnymouse 2 most prominent law offices in Santa Barbara, but the owner, Rushton, had his own idea of how the investigation was going to go. The entire company was about to go on a trip, to force the employees to bond. It turns out, this was an extreme plan to hike down a treacherous mountain, but Shawn and Gus had assumed it would be a lavish trip to a resort. They had previously deduced that one of the employees was the murderer, but the question was who? As they hike down the mountain, the plot thickens with a kidnapping, which turned out to be an elaborate plan by Rushton to force his employees to bond further. The fake kidnapping was one obstacle to finding the true murderer, and once the jig was up, the murders were not. Ultimately, Jade, one of the lawyers, was discovered by Shawn and Gus to have been the murderer after nearly everyone was killed off. All was well in the end for most of the characters.
One observation that can be made while reading this book is that the author creates far too many characters for the novel's own good. Shawn, Gus, Rushton, Jade, Jules, Lassiter,
Henry, Ms.Svaco, Rasmussen, Gwendolyn, and so many more characters are involved in this novel. The list stretches on and on, yet only Shawn, Gus and Jade are really remembered because they are the main hero, sidekick, and villain, respectively. William Rabkin wrote many characters into the novel, making it difficult for the reader to keep track of who was who. One specific instance of this is in the scene where Shawn and Gus first meet the lawyers, and Gus gives the new people nicknames. According to page 109 of the text, “They were all staring at him. Kiri and Tink[erbell] and Captain Hook and Shatner and the guy who did not know he was waiting for a clever nickname.” This was a unique way for the author to incorporate descriptions of the characters as Gus appraised them all, but it was too much detail, not enough plot. Most importantly, when the author continued and revealed their real names, it was hard to keep track
Nonnymouse 3 of who was who. Jade was Tinkerbell, Kiri was Gwendolyn, Captain Hook was who? Also, even though Shawn's "psychic ability" (hyper observance) allows him to outline each new person in great detail, most characters came off as underdeveloped. For instance, most of the characters received their entire description in less than a page when they met Shawn or Gus. Other authors space out the information about characters, which is a better strategy to keep the reader interested and the character from seeming underdeveloped. This novel’s issues with the number and development of its characters took away from the effectiveness of the novel as a source of entertainment and only confused the reader.
Shawn and Gus have two wildly different personalities, yet oddly enough they work together. Gus thinks realistically, logically, and is generally the aristarch in any situation. Shawn keeps the mood light with jokes, and although he may be hyper observant and a partner in a business he started, he has the mentality of a twoyearold. Shawn is also incredibly sarcastic, and just when Gus begins to look on the bright side of life, he has a witty remark to return the balance to normal. For example, when Gus was afraid of going into the wilderness on page 150, he convinced himself that it wouldn't be so bad, that the anticipation was worse than the actual action like going to the dentist. Shawn replied by saying, "'Funny, I've always found that having people jam razorsharp pokers into my gums a lot worse than thinking about it...'" This is only one of many possible examples of Shawn and Gus's yin and yang type of relationship. Their relationship is what makes the novel worth reading. From their quick quips to the way Gus runs like a girl from anything remotely frightening, Shawn and Gus really make the novel enjoyable and less tense in highstress situations. If the development of these characters had not happened
Nonnymouse 4 the way it did, the novel would be just another realistic murder mystery novel with a flat plot line.
The novel Psych: The Call of the Mild is an exciting, shocking novel that many readers enjoy. For people who are looking for a book that’s purpose is to entertain, this is just what they need. Many readers have found that this is a refreshingly ridiculous story, that also produces just enough gutwrenching fear for the characters to make it exciting. Many of the readers have also said that this book was a real pageturner which had an interesting and original plot. Although the work may not leave a lasting impression, it temporarily reminds the reader of what can go wrong when a person judges a book by its cover. From Shawn and Gus’ yin and yang type of relationship to the numerous characters which were created, this was, overall, a satisfactory read.
By the end of the novel, many readers are truly psyched by the psychic.