Like the TV Show Psych? You'll Love the Psych Book Series

The television show Psych, which airs on the USA network, was an instant success from the start of its television debut in 2006. Now in its fourth season, Psych shows no sign of letting up steam. In fact, with Monk in its final season, many believe that Psych will become the leading show on the USA network.

Interestingly enough, Psych is following in the footsteps of its predecessor Monk by publishing a book series simultaneously with the show broadcasts. This isn't a new phenomenon, as it has occurred over the years with other such famous shows as Diagnosis Murder and Murder She Wrote.

If you haven't read the Psych books yet, they are definitely worth taking a look at. Written by William Rabkin, who has also written scripts for the Psych and Monk television shows, the series doesn't disappoint in the depiction of Shawn and Gus who come alive on the book pages just as vivaciously as they do on the screen.

Both the television show and the book series chronicle the escapades of two boyhood friends who have now grown up to open their own detective agency appropriately named Psych. In fact, they bill themselves as a psychic detective agency based mainly on the main character Shawn's ability to seemingly solve cases by receiving psychic vibes from the beyond. In actuality, he is simply an astute observer of human beings with a photographic memory.

As Shawn's sidekick, Gus provides a more serious balance to Shawn's fun loving antics. Throw these two into the Santa Barbara police department, for whom they consult on a regular basis, and Shawn’s retired police lieutenant father and you have a hilarious cast of characters who keep the plot moving right along.

The good news about the Psych book series is that it is only on book number two, so you haven't missed much of the action yet. Here are the two books that have been released so far, in the order of their release:

Book 1: Psych : A Mind is Terrible Thing to Read

Book 2: Mind Over Magic

Although both books are good representations of the Psych television show, there seems to be a general consensus that the second book, Mind Over Magic is much better than the first book. Here’s hoping that William Rabkin continues to get better the more Psych stories he writes. This list will be updated as new Psych books are published.