I Hunt Killers by Barry LygaPages: 359
Grade: 10 + (it's a book about a serial killer's kid - there's lots of blood and gore)
Series: Book 1 in Jasper Dent (Book 2, Games, due out April 2013)
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Source: Borrowed from the Library
Amazon | Goodreads
Description: (from Goodreads) 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?
Thoughts: I'm really tempted to just find a .GIF of a sparkly flashing "AWESOME" and call it a day.
This book was awesome.
It's action packed with great characters and just the right amount of romance and teen angst.
Can we get a "hell yeah" for super smart (and snarky -which holds a dear place in my heart) characters?
I love hanging out with characters that are brainy - and not just in a bookish way, but characters with street smarts and a good head on their shoulders. Jazz is all of that AND funny, loyal and just slightly crazy.
Sure, his dad is a notorious serial killer, but Jazz still keeps his wits about him. He cares and he's self aware enough to be worried that maybe the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. I loved that this book was as much about Jasper's self exploration as it was about who's killing people in town.
All of this makes for an incredible main character and a very good read.
His girlfriend isn't a dumby either. I love that she doesn't put up with his crap and forces him to confront his demons and be real. I also love that she doesn't care what everyone else thinks about him or their relationship. And can we get a giant, "aw" for Jazz's bf? Now that's a friend worth having.
The mystery and action don't disappoint either - there's plenty of both. And while in reality, I'm not so sure the police would have ever let Jazz assist on this case in any way - Lyga does an awesome job of suspending reality and talking the readers into going along for the ride. I honestly could see how this could happen, which made reading the story that much more interesting.
I can't wait for the sequel (don't worry there's no totally crazy cliff hanger ending in this one), Game to come out next year.
This one is well worth picking up. It's full of awesome!
