I Hunt Killers (edition 2012)

4.5 stars

'Jazz was afraid of two things in the world, and two things only.
One of them was that people thought that his upbringing meant that he was cursed by nature, nurture, and predestination to be a serial killer like his father.
The second thing…was that they were right. '

When a woman is found murdered in Lobo's Nod, the last thing on anyone's mind is that it could potentially be another serial killer because they've already dealt with one in their lifetime. Billy Dent was a local of Lobo's Nod, who murdered into the triple digits, is behind bars but his son Jazz still lives in town with his Grandma. Having grown up with Billy and being taught everything he knew it was inevitable that Jazz would be far from a normal kid.

'Jazz hadn't given her many details of exactly what life in the Dent house had been like, but he'd told her enough that she knew it wasn't hearts and flowers. Well, except for the occasional heart cut from a chest. And the kind of flowers you send to funerals.'

Since his father went to prison, Jazz has struggled with nightmares, memories, and the fear that he's going to end up exactly like Dear Old Dad. When the woman is found murdered, Jazz feels that it really is another serial killer and he decides to use his knowledge to help find him since he knows exactly how the mind of a serial killer works.

Maybe it's because I'm a big fan of mysteries/thrillers/true crime but this was a lot of fun. The subtle humor that Mr. Lyga managed to swirl into the mix was perfection and managed to really take the edge off the more gory bits. This was definitely raw and gruesome though, but it was extremely well done. The YA classification in this case definitely applies to the older YA crowd. I was really shocked at how detailed some of the crime scenes were described and a few of Jazz's nightmares (which include cutting of human flesh and his fears that these aren't nightmares at all). I'd only recommend this to fans of the genre that are able to stomach some pretty detailed descriptions.

I Hunt Killers definitely ends with the possibility for more but can work as a stand-alone novel as well. And apparently we actually can look forward to more as this is a planned trilogy.

Much thanks to Wendy Darling at The Midnight Garden for allowing me to be a part of her blog tour! ( )

I couldn't help but think of this story as a junior version of Dexter, the marvelous book and TV series about a young man groomed to be a serial killer of serial killers. I also thought about Jeffrey Dahmer who was born a killer. And I thought of that age old discussion of nature vs. nurture. Is the son of a serial killer doomed to follow in his footsteps? Is the son of a serial killer taught from a early age how to kill and enjoy it, doomed to be another serial killer?

Jasper (Jazz) is the son of a serial killer, so prolific that he had several nicknames before he was caught. His only memories are whispers of his father sharing his dastardly deeds with his son, trying to mold him. But Jazz is not like him, does not want to kill people. Or does he? This is a question he asks himself over and over.

His father in prison, Jazz lives with his crazy, violent, and frail grandmother. Jazz is doing all he can to live a normal life. His best friend, Howie, is a hemophiliac (with a death wish?) and he has a black girlfriend named Connie. When a dead woman is found in a field near his town, Jazz feels he is in a unique position to aid the police.

As more bodies turn up, Jazz realizes that they follow a pattern set by his own father's murders. Not only is this a new serial killer, but a copycat serial killer. Jazz and his friends work on finding this killer before he can continue. But is there a link between the killer and Jazz's father?

There are unanswered questions which might suggest a sequel and I look forward to following Jazz on his journey. ( )

Jazz was forced to learn the "art" of murder from his "Dear Old Dad," one of the most prolific serial killers in history, as a young child, an education that has left him scarred and wondering if he will eventually end up just like his father. Suspenseful, gritty and, at times, darkly disturbing, this novel follow Jazz's quest to help the police catch a new killer in town and to prove to himself that he is not destined to kill people. A great read for fans of mystery and forensics. ( )

Jazz's dad is a serial killer who is in jail. Jazz is determined to use what his dad taught him about killing to help apprehend a new serial and to prove everybody wrong who thinks he will follow in his dad's footsteps. ( )

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?

Summary from Goodreads.

Does anyone else ever read a book and enjoy it, but then after finishing become increasingly bothered by something you didn't even notice while reading? That was the case for me with I Hunt Killers. It's a fast, engaging read, as long as one is not particularly squeamish. (I'm not, in books.) Jazz is a strong main character and although there have been several young serial killers books out there recently (Dan Wells springs to mind) this one was overall well done. The voice is extremely distinctive--detached in a way that works really well for this title. I think it's one that a lot of teens will be interested in, both those who like mysteries generally and those who don't.

However, the more I thought about this book, the more issues I had.

First, I didn't find any of the secondary characters very fleshed out, including Howie and Connie, who are the two most important people in Jazz's life. They are both totally defined as Jazz's best friend and girlfriend that they came across as very flat. Now, this makes some sense textually because of who Jazz is and how he experiences the world, but the book is actually written in third person and includes pov scenes from other characters. We could have had snippets of Howie and Connie to define them outside of their relationship with Jazz.

And in Connie's case, there's a huge pivotal scene between her and Jazz which sets up a major plot point. We finally get to hear her voice and some of her reasons for dating Jazz beyond wanting to annoy her parents. And yet it falls so neatly into exactly what Jazz needs to hear--for me that really messed up her as a real character and made the whole next sequence fall flat.

There's also the fact that I was never personally convinced by Jazz's relationship with his father. I didn't find it particularly surprising or fresh, and at times that aspect of the story felt very predictable. Of course, I am definitely a mystery reader and viewer and so it's possible that some of my frustration comes from having too much pre-knowledge. But I also had a huge problem with the last scene of the book which only seemed to be there to set up the next book. While I don't mind open threads, I dislike "TO BE CONTINUED" type scenes and this one definitely fell into that category for me.

So overall, I think that this is a book which has a lot of teen appeal and I can see why--it's a quick and compelling read. But looking at it with more critical eyes reveals some issues which I can't stop thinking about.

Book source: public library
Book information: 2012, Little, Brown & Company; YA. 2012 Cybils YA Fiction Finalist.