Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes Audiobook

Quotes

• “Maria Konnikova’s bright and brilliant new book is nothing less than a primer on how be awake, a manual on how to work ourselves free of our unconscious biases, our habitual distractions, and the muddle of our everyday minds. Holmes fan or not, the reader will find Mastermind to be bracing, fascinating, and above all—and most important—hopeful.” 

  — Daniel Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety

• “Mastermind is the book I didn’t realize I was waiting for...surprising and ingenious...a gift to all readers interested in Conan Doyle, mysteries, and scientific thinking, as well as those who simply want to be more self-aware about the inner workings of our minds.”

  — Matthew Pearl, New York Times bestselling author

• “A delightful tour of the science of memory, creativity, and reasoning, illustrated with the help of history’s most famous reasoner, Sherlock Holmes himself. Maria Konnikova is an engaging and insightful guide to this fascinating material.”

  — Steven Pinker, New York Times bestselling author of The Better Angel of Our Nature

• “Far from elementary, Maria Konnikova’s new book is a challenging and insightful study of the human mind, illustrated with cases from the career of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes himself would have been proud to author this fine work!”

  — Leslie S. Klinger, New York Times bestselling author of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes

• “In Mastermind, psychologist Maria Konnikova writes that anyone can tap into Holmes’ abilities. Based on modern neuroscience and psychology, the book explores Holmes’s aptitude for mindfulness, logical thinking and observation. Konnikova shares strategies that can lead to clearer thinking and habits that can help people become more self-aware and engaged with others.”

  — Washington Post

• “Ingenious...thoughtful...covers a wide variety of material clearly and organizes it well.”

  — Wall Street Journal

• “Steven Pinker meets Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in this entertaining, insightful look at how the fictional London crime-solver used sophisticated mental strategies to solve complex problems of logic and detection...[A] practical, enjoyable book, packed with modern science.”

  — Boston Globe

• “A treatise on how the Watsons of the world can smarten up...culled from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original works and cutting-edge psych research.”

  — New York Post

• “Weav[es] together the fictional detective’s cases and modern day neuroscience...important for solving cases or simply staying sharp as we age.”

  — Psychology Today

• “Using Holmes and Watson as both muse and metaphor, [Konnikova] shows us some of modern psychology’s most important lessons for using our minds well.”

  — Carl Zimmer, author of Soul Made Flesh

• “This fascinating look at how the mind works—replete with real-life case studies and engaging thought experiments—will be an eye-opening education for many.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• “A clearly written guide to the mysteries of logical deduction.”

  — Dallas Morning News

• “Konnikova...debuts with a bright and entertaining how-to aimed at helping readers engage in the awareness described by psychologists from William James to Ellen Langer...Will enthrall Baker Street aficionados while introducing many readers to the mindful way of life.”

  — Kirkus Reviews