I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Title: I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Publisher: Little, Brown

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: From Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

It was a beautiful day.

It was a beautiful field.

Except for the body.

Jazz is a likeable teenager. A charmer, some 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, even though Dad has been in jail for years, bodies are piling up in the sleepy town of Lobo's Nod. Again. In an effort to prove murder doesn't run in the family, Jazz joins the police in the hunt for this new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

I am a huge fan of the TV show Criminal Minds so when I first heard about I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga I just knew I had to read it. It was everything I expected it to be and more. And it was definitely as creepy as disturbing as it promised to be.

Jasper "Jazz" Dent looks like a normal teenager, but that's only on the surface. Because as everyone in the small town of Lobo's knows, Jazz is the son of the world's most notorious serial killer. After his traumatic childhood and his father's arrest, Jazz has tried to move on and live a normal life, all the while trying to prove to himself that he's not like his father. But then a body shows up in a field and everything seems to be pointing towards a serial killer, especially when more bodies start showing up all over Lobo's Nod. in an effort to prove to everyone, and himself, that he's not the one committing the murders, Jazz joins forces with the police department. But in spite of all this, Jazz may still be more like his father than he would like to think.

I Hunt Killers was a really great read. Like I said, I have a minor obsession with Criminal Minds so this book was right up my alley. Let me begin by saying that this book was nothing if not creepy and disturbing. The story messed with my mind so much, and I think having it told in the third person only made it that much more creepy. But despite the fact that I've described the book as creepy and disturbing, as well as the subject matter the book dealt with, it wasn't gruesome. You get descriptions of the crime scenes and dead bodies, but it's all done very tastefully, which made me appreciate the book that much more.

Jazz is unlike any other YA character I have encountered. He definitely wasn't your traditional hero. He was pretty much as far from that as possible. Jazz doubted himself every step of the way, constantly worrying about turning out like his serial killer father. And that made him feel more real to me. Anyone who had a childhood like Jazz did would worry about something like that. How could they not? And realizing he wasn't like his father wasn't made any easier by the fact that Jazz keeps hearing his father's voice in his head. Jazz was a very interesting character, and sometimes I wish I could have seen more of what he was thinking.

In I Hunt Killers, Barry Lyga wrote a deliciously creepy story that kept me on the edge of my seat, questioning everything that was happening. One friendly tip, don't read this late at night or before bed because it may not be really conducive to sleep.