Book Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (@barrylyga)

I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1) by Barry Lyga
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Published: Little, Brown and Company
Source: Netgalley

My Rating:

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?

Someone told me once that if I watched the show Dexter then I had to read I Hunt Killers. I was skeptical because, while yes, I did love Dexter, I wasn't sure how a similar story would translate on paper. Wowza. Should have read it sooner.

Jasper Dent's father, Billy, was the most notorious killer in the history of the U.S., with over one-hundred twenty kills. From a young age Billy trained Jasper in the art of killing. No he didn't take him out in the field, but he did shade his trophies and knowledge; horrific things that would stick with Jasper and make him wonder if he himself is a killer.

There is a lot more to the story than I just summarized. Obviously a new killer is in town, and that was great as far as mystery went, but I have to be honest and say that Jasper's psyche was what really made this book for me, not to mention that I loved his best friend, Howie, and girlfriend, Connie.

There are many elements that made I Hunt Killers what it is. Jasper's father, his absolutely insane grandma, the social worker, each character gave something and even the ones I shouldn't have liked, I liked.

The writing style was smart. It was apparent that Lyga did his homework. I have always been fascinated by the mind and the minds of serial killers, not in a sick way, but a curious way, so this story was perfect for me. The mystery itself threw me. The entire book I kept guessing whodunit and trying to reason why. There wasn't a character I didn't suspect, except for the killer!

This little read was the perfect book for me, who was looking for something suspenseful, but not really heavy. Highly recommended.