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A review by bookwormlukas
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
5.0
Barry Lyga's 'I Hunt Killers' is one of the more original young adult novels I have read recently, maybe even ever read. The story here feels very adult, and I find most young adult books struggle to find the balance between the two, this one however get's it right all the way through, always accepting that the very nature of it's plot needs to be written on a more adult level.
Our narrator here, Jasper Dent (or Jazz) is the son of America's most notorious serial killer Billy Dent. Throughout the novel he struggles to help the police solve a case that may be related to his dad's past spree, and struggle with his own secret…that for years his dear old dad was teaching him in how to carry on the family business, so to speak.
What I most appreciated about this novel in relation to others of it's genre (even in the adult market) was it's focus on character. The author spends a lot of time really making sure you get inside the head of his main character and understand the thought process that comes with being raised by a killer. It reminded me of Criminal Minds and the 'profiling' aspect of the show, with Jazz attempting to get into the head of the other killer hoping to see things as he did. The whole plot was also kind of eerily similar to that of the new TV show 'The Following' with the idea of an incarcerated murderer creating a semi-cult of killers on the outside.
Overall, I really loved this book and actually more or less read it in one whole sitting. I hope the sequel can keep up the quality, and the ending of this one certainly points towards some good things for the sequel.
Our narrator here, Jasper Dent (or Jazz) is the son of America's most notorious serial killer Billy Dent. Throughout the novel he struggles to help the police solve a case that may be related to his dad's past spree, and struggle with his own secret…that for years his dear old dad was teaching him in how to carry on the family business, so to speak.
What I most appreciated about this novel in relation to others of it's genre (even in the adult market) was it's focus on character. The author spends a lot of time really making sure you get inside the head of his main character and understand the thought process that comes with being raised by a killer. It reminded me of Criminal Minds and the 'profiling' aspect of the show, with Jazz attempting to get into the head of the other killer hoping to see things as he did. The whole plot was also kind of eerily similar to that of the new TV show 'The Following' with the idea of an incarcerated murderer creating a semi-cult of killers on the outside.
Overall, I really loved this book and actually more or less read it in one whole sitting. I hope the sequel can keep up the quality, and the ending of this one certainly points towards some good things for the sequel.