Return of the Librarian: I Hunt Killers

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga may give you the mental sensation of running across hot gravel in your bare feet.  You have to reach the other side, but there's a lot of wincing along the way.

“It was a beautiful day.  It was a beautiful field.  Except for the body.”

Jazz, 17, lives with his not-quite-all-there-and-never-was grandmother in the little town of Lobo’s Nod.  This is also where his father, a famous serial killer who’s been in jail for the past four years, grew up.  So when women start showing up dead in the town, people look sideways at Jazz.  He can tell they’re thinking, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  Sure, Jazz witnessed many horrific torture/slayings, and his father tried to train him to follow in his footsteps, but he’s not the killer.  With the help of his friend, Howie, and his girlfriend, Connie, Jazz tries to live a normal life.  He doesn’t want to view it from the criminal angle, from inside a serial killer’s head, but living with his father for 13 years has enabled him to do so.  Now Jazz is determined to help the police catch the monster that is terrorizing his town.  I will warn you that this is a grisly book.  Skip the scene where Jazz’s dog is killed if you don’t want something truly awful stuck in your brain.  I Hunt Killers is a riveting and intense story.