I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Amazing book, series, and writer!

Title: I Hunt Killers
Author: Barry Lyga
Series: Jasper Dent Book 01
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Genre: YA Thriller
Source: Purchased

Publisher’s Description: 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?

The Jasper Dent series is currently the focus of a read-along.  And there’s still time to join!  Check out the details on our Read Along page.

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

---

Kat Mandu says…

Okay, so I finished this day early for the read along. But how could I not? Have YOU read this book? Have YOU reveled in its glory?

Joe Hill, one of the most awesome horror writers out there, blurbed this book and he said something along the lines about how it’s one of the best things in YA since Hunger Games. I have to agree. This is such an incredibly well researched, attention-grabbing, and intensely soul-searching novel. The characters are awesome, funny, and riveting. The plot sucks you in from the beginning and you’d better hold on tight because it doesn’t let up.

Life for Jasper Dent isn’t average – he’s got a serial killer father, one of the scariest murderers in history. And sometimes, he feels like he could snap. Like he could become his father at any point and carry on the Dent legacy. It’s a struggle that he ponders mentally almost every single second of his day. Jazz’s emotions are spot-on to what it must be like to have a sociopathic father (well, cause I wouldn’t know).

Everything about this book made me give it a five rating. The plot is engaging from start to finish as you follow the first murder in the Nod to what seems like the last (but you know won’t be). You can definitely tell Lyga did his homework because all of the technical terms and police procedures are accurate, including the whole ViCap and investigations.

And the characters! Jazz is tough, troubled, and smart. Sometimes he can be charmingly scary, like the killer he thinks he may become, and other days he’s determined to do the opposite. Near the end, he’s bound and determined not to fall into his father’s legacy and you can tell it’s changed him. Howie, for sure, is one of my favorites. He’s funny, sarcastic, and sticks with Jazz even though sometimes Jazz can be kind of a dick to him and gets him into trouble. Connie, the girlfriend, also sticks with Jazz, though she’s more of a motherly character to him, which is exactly what he needs. She doesn’t stand for his personal demons and his trouble-making with the cops. But they love each other and Jazz needs that kind of love in his life.

I love this book. I’ve read this book twice now and it still catches me off guard with how wonderfully well it’s written and just how damn good it is.

Other reviews…

• The Book Smugglers
• Parental Book Reviews
• YA Books Central

If you like this book…

… you might like How to Lead A Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller, The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, or Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon.