Review : I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Pages : 359
Genre : YA, Thriller
Series : Jasper Dent, book 1
My Rating : 4/5
About the Book :
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 Thoughts :
I Hunt Killers had been sitting on my shelves almost since its release in 2012 – so yeah, a really long time. So long that I wasn’t sure what it was about anymore, or that I was really interested in reading it. But since my 2016 personal challenge is to read & finish a maximum of series (either on my shelf or previously started), I thought it would be a great time to give it a try. It’s also one of the rare series I own that isn’t fantasy, sci-fi or the likes, which made it a little more intriguing.
All of this to say, I started reading I Hunt Killers with minimal expectations, and I ended up loving it.
The first thing that surprised me was how fun the book was. There was a bit of humor, the dark kind of course, and it suited Jazz’s character so well. The tone reminded me a bit of the narration in Dexter (the TV one, as I have never read the books), with a bit more empathy from our main character.
The second thing that pleasantly surprised me was the lack of romance. I was totally prepared to have Jazz meet some girl who learns to love love him despite his past, blah blah blah. When I realized Jazz already had a girlfriend, with whom he had a good relationship, who also was strong and interesting (on top of being a p.o.c., yay for diversity), I was thrilled. It was so refreshing to have the girlfriend and the best friend (also a great character) already established. This allowed the story to grow and take center stage in a dark, delicious way.
Oh, and it was a good story. The way the author wove Jazz’s past and present was exactly what it needed, keeping me intrigued about the current murders but also about the wicked way Jazz grew up. His doubts, his constant hesitation about his self was extremely well portrayed. I haven’t read a lot of YA books directly touching the subject of parental abuse, and how children can end up confused between their love and their hate for the abusive parent; I found this aspect of the book to be not only interesting, but also incredibly well demonstrated.
It’s safe to say I really enjoyed this book. Surprisingly, it felt quite adult for a YA novel, both for its violence and its complexity. While the serial killer story was predictable, it didn’t keep me from enjoying the book at all. I ordered Game, the second book in the series, as soon as I finished it. I Hunt Killers might have been waiting a long time on my shelves, but I’m actually glad I’m reading it now that the complete series is available to me!
I like a dark book with some humor so this really appeals to me.
I love this kind of mix, too. Plus, being on the YA side (even though it felt more grown up), it wasn’t too focussed on gore and horror.