This, of course, is the basis for the Hitchcock masterpiece, Psycho. I have been wanting to read this for years and recently came across a copy. The book is very similar to the movie with a few exceptions. In the book, Norman Bates is described as a middle-age fat man -- very unlike Anthony Perkins in the movie. Also, the book takes place in Texas and Oklahoma unlike the movie version set in Arizona and California. Otherwise, Hitchcock based the plot pretty much on the book. The book does go deeper into Norman's psychosis and includes a description of how Norman killed his mother and her fiance -- soon to be married. Overall, I would recommend the book; however, since I have seen the movie countless times, there were no big surprises. This was written in 1959, the year before the movie was made. So if you are from another planet and had not seen the movie, the book would probably come off as a real shocker!
