DNF Review: I Hunt Killers

Synopsis:

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?

I couldn’t finish this book, but it’s probably not for the reason you think. I got about half way through, and I decided it was just too creepy. I didn’t want it floating around in my head.

That being said, I can attest to the fact that this book is GOOD (at least, the part that I read). Barry Lyga has an interesting ‘tell it like it is’ writing style that makes no apologies for the horrors that randomly surface when you’re least expecting them. Because you’re in Jazz’s head (son of convicted serial killer Billy Dent), the reader gets to see a serial killer’s work up close, and it’s one hundred steps beyond chilling.

Hence the stopping while I was ahead.

Jazz’s constant “Am I a sociopath?” conversation was interesting to see; he’s dealing with a boatload of PTSD from growing up in a serial killer’s house and being groomed to take over the family business. It made him both sympathetic and terrifying, and if there’s one thing I wanted to know about the end of the book, it’s to see how he moves forward in his views of himself.

There were fun secondary characters here as well. Howie, Jazz’s best friend is funny, quirky, and loyal. It takes a brave person to be friends with the son of a serial killer. Jazz’s girlfriend Connie is one cool chick. She sticks with Jazz even when he’s going all crazy and wondering whether or not he is indeed a sociopath.

All in all, if you like shows like Criminal Minds or Dexter, you’ll probably like this book. It was too creepy for me, but if that’s your thing, I would say it’s definitely worth reading.