Review: I Hunt Killers by: Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by: Barry Lyga
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Series: Jasper Dent #1
Page Count: 359
Format: Hardcover
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

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:

What compelled me to read this book was Jasper (Jazz). I love stories with characters who have to prove that they aren't who everybody assumes they are. Also, there's the murder mystery. You will be in for an adventure when you pick this one up.

To Jasper Francis Dent, taking up the family business is nothing to be proud of. His father, Billy Dent, also known as the Artist and several other nicknames, is America's worst and most widely heard of, serial killer. Everybody in the small town of Lobo's Nod looks at Jazz as if he's a ticking time bomb and it's only a matter of time before he picks up where Billy left off before he was locked up.

When a woman's body turns up with signs Jasper is frighteningly familiar with, he decides that he can't just sit around when he knows there is another serial killer active in his town. So he decides that if the police won't believe him, he'll take things into his own hands. Someone is copying his dad's pattern and he's the only one who can catch the killer. But he discovers some chilling things about himself and his past along the way.

Be forewarned if you are squeamish that this book contains a fair share of disturbing scenes. It got to be a bit much for me once or twice, but it was tolerable to me most of the time.

Jazz's determination to see who's behind the killings was one of my favorite things about the story. It held the message that no matter what people say about you, if you really want to and are willing to do what it takes, you can prove them wrong.


With his loyal companion and best friend, Howie, Jazz sets out to learn the pattern of the serial killer who calls himself the Impressionist. Meanwhile, he's dealing with his senile grandmother and his own issues. As he becomes closer and closer to the crimes, he learns some things about himself that he'd rather leave in the dark. Howie and Connie, his girlfriend, know his heart and have faith that he can pull through.

I Hunt Killers is full of crime and mystery and personal discovery. I am highly looking forward to the second installment of Jasper Dent's journey!

Official Rating:



Three and a Half Un-Birthday Cakes!

    Other Books by Barry Lyga: