Saturday, May 26, 2012

I Hunt Killers

by Barry Lyga
The book cover (better than the jacket)
Little, Brown | April 3, 2012

Jazz (Jasper) Dent is a teenager from Lobo's Nod. There's been a mysterious killing in town and the body was left in a field with a finger missing. The police chief, G. William Tanner, solved a serial killer case not too long ago, and put Cornelius "Billy" Dent, Jazz's father, one of the most notorious serial killers ever, away for a long time. He's hesitant to believe this body in the field is the start of another serial case, but Jazz isn't hesitant at all. As the entire town looks to Jazz to turn out just like his father, he instead sets out to prove he's the opposite, helping G. William solve the case.

The story is complicated by the fact that Jazz was brought up by Billy as an apprentice, with the understanding he, too, would become a killer. As a result, Jazz has a desensitization and emotional detachment about crime, death, killing, bodies, blood, and more. It makes him a creepy good guy, a little Dexter-like, if you will.

This crime mystery stands alone or could be supplemented by a sequel. It's a satisfying crime novel with a teenage protagonist. I recommend to mystery-lovers and CSI-lovers everywhere.  There's more to this, though, than just a good mystery - there's a young man trying to make sense of himself, his parentage, and his place in society. The combination of the two is unique.

No comments:

Post a Comment