Krista Reviews: Barry Lyga's - "I Hunt Killers"

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?

Hardcover, 361 pages  Published April 3rd 2012 by Little, Brown and Company

ISBN  0316125849 (ISBN13: 9780316125840)

Jazz has witnessed things no young person should ever see. His father not only gave detailed information about his procedures as a serial killer, but show and tell was a common past time in their house. In the opening scenes of this story we witness as Jazz watches the police procedures as they discover a murdered woman. Jazz uses the knowledge he’s obtained through his father to walk the reader through details of what is looked for in a crime scene, and what may have been missed.

I was a little surprised at how much information the police department revealed to Jazz throughout the story. Jazz not only seemed very comfortable in his several interactions with the detectives, but they, for the most part were very open to revealing aspects of the case. Aside from my own doubts that such events could really happen, it does lead to a very interesting plot.

The story starts off at a pretty high point and that continues throughout the story. The tension builds and the connections between characters and their involvement sets a good pace. The feel of this book reminded me of the movie Murder by Numbers starring Sandra Bullock. The reader is given details of each case, not only from Jazz’s perspective, but from the detective’s as well. 

Jazz may look to have a normal teenage social life, but his time outside school is beyond anything normal. He is a very likeable character with an unusual pastime. The story is a very fast paced read with twists, thrills and mystery.