I Hunt Killers (I Hunt Killers, #1)

by Barry Lyga

[Melanie]

Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.

I read a few reviews of this book and finally decided to give it a try. YA isn’t something I read a lot of these days. However, the idea of reading a book with the son of a serial killer and the main protagonist held a lot of appeal. I’m so glad I got to meet Jazz, Howie, Connie and G William. This is a story full of great characters and an interesting story.

So, Billy Dent is the most notorious serial killer in this century. He has killed across many states and with several aliases. He had the feds and local police chasing their tails, until he kills a little too close to home and the small town sheriff catches him. Billy is now in prison and Jazz is at home with his grandmother (Billy’s mom, who is got severe dementia). His mom has been “missing” for years and is presumed dead.

Now, there are killings in town and Jazz is a prime suspect. I mean, wouldn’t you look to the kid raised a notorious serial killer to be his protege? Jazz quickly starts pushing his way to talk to the small town sheriff, G William, to help try to catch this killer. He feels that he is the perfect person to catch this guy, because he knows how killers think. On top of that, this killer is copying Billy Dent, so Jazz is very familiar with how these kills should work.

Jazz is a great character. He wants so badly to not turn out like his father. However, he does think like his father, but he really wants to use his intelligence for good. He also has his friends to help keep him level. First there is his best friend, Howie. Howie is a bit of a dork and hemophiliac. Howie and Jazz’s friendship is truly a great thing. Then there is Connie. Connie is Jazz’s African American girl friend. He originally started dating her because he felt she was “safe”. His father never once, took an African American woman, so he wants to be as from his father as possible. He quickly comes to like her more for her personality than just that she was “different”. She is a perfect fit for him.

I Hunt Killers is truly great. There are twists and turns in the plot as we track who the killer is with Jazz and G William. I do feel that there is a need for a bit of suspension of disbelief in the fact that any cop would share all the gory details of a serial killer case with any civilian, much less a seventeen year old son of a serial killer. But, that is to be expected, I think. This is a YA story and let’s face it, cops don’t share nearly as much in real life as we see in books, movies and TV. So, I’m just going with it and loving the story in the process.

Narration
I had not listened to Charlie Thurston prior to this book. I will say I thought he did a really good job. I love his voice for Howie and it fits him perfectly. I also liked Connie’s voice. There is also Grandma. That one he really nails. I think he also adjusts his voice to fit the tension in the scene and the pace of the story. I would highly recommend this book on audio.