Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Review: "I Hunt Killers" by Barry Lyga



What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad? Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say. But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view. And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod. In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.  I had also purchased my own copy of this book earlier in the year, but it was getting a review copy through Netgalley that gave me the push to get off my butt and finally read it!

So, my daughter saw me reading this book - she's nine - and asked if she could read it after I was finished.  I was like, "No freakin' way!  Maybe when you're twenty!  It's sick, twisted, demented, insane, psycho, grotesque, brutal!!!  No WAY are you reading this book!!!"  But I gotta tell ya, I loved every minute of it! 

Jasper Dent, gah, what can I say about this kid?  He's doing everything he can to fight the whole nature vs. nurture thing.  He's been nurtured since birth to become a serial killer, but there are times when it seems that the thirst for killing might also be in his nature.  Those are the times that while I was reading made me cringe with fear.  Seriously disturbing!  

It's also interesting to watch Jasper work his charm.  He's been trained so well by "Dear Old Dad" that turning on the charisma comes naturally to him.  It also makes it easy for him to act, in theatre productions and whenever he needs to become a certain character in real life.  Truly amazing!  I don't think I've ever read another character remotely like Jazz, and I found him completely enthralling.

There are a few secondary characters in Jazz's life, but it's really difficult to get a read on what he feels for them.  On the surface, it's obvious that Jazz cares about Connie, Howie and G. William, but how much is he able to feel when he's been brainwashed not to?

The mystery and suspense were really well done here - I had no idea from one moment to the next what was going to happen!  I'll definitely be buying the other books in this series to add to my library - highly recommended!

My rating: 5 stars

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