I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Title: I Hunt Killers
Author: Barry Lyga
Published: April 3, 2012 by Little Brown Publishing
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?

My Review

I Hunt Killers is a thrilling and dark tale of one of the most overlooked characters in a murder mystery- the monster's son. The originality of this plot and its focus on a character raised by a notorious serial killer is what initially drew me in and sucked me down such a dark and twisted road (and did not disappoint!) When copy-cat murders start popping up in Jazz's hometown everyone is quick to point fingers at the original killer's son, but Jazz and his ragtag group of friends begin their own investigation into who really is behind the madness. This book is a perfect 'whodunit' story, where the reader is left guessing right along with the characters till the very end. 

The main character Jazz is so complex and is fighting such personal demons that while reading you sympathize so much with him while simultaneously being frightened of his capabilities. This boy literally knows every "Jack-the-ripper" trick in the book and constantly struggles with his choice to remain good. I couldn't imagine how scrambled your brain must feel growing up as the sidekick of such a sick man, but Lyga makes you feel for Jazz which is such literary talent!

The material in this book is definitely for a maturer audience. I'm not one to get squeamish, but the viscousness of Jazz's father is described in stark detail. I think that really gave this book an edge that just made everything more enjoyable (as weird as that sounds). It made the story play out as a horror movie in my mind with an unforgettable ending that I did not see coming. 

I'm definitely anxious to see where this story heads as there was a clear opportunity for a continuation. I wholeheartedly recommend this story to fellow mystery lovers with a need for some heart pounding crime solving action!