I recently finished this book as part of YALSA's 2013 Hub Reading Challenge and found it utterly page-turning.
The story centers around Jasper "Jazz" Dent, a charming and likable teenager with a spine-tingling past. Just four short years ago, Jazz's father, Billy Dent, was identified as the most notorious and terrifying serial killer in the world and sent to prison to serve multiple consecutive life sentences. His murders number in the triple digits. Jazz went to live with his senile grandmother and has been trying to keep his insane life together and deal with memories of the life with his father that plague his waking and sleeping hours. It seems Billy took "Bring Your Child to Work Day" to a new level while raising his son as an heir apparent.
While Jazz fights his inner demons and struggles against becoming his father, a gruesome murder appears in his hometown of Lobo's Nod. While the town's sheriff doesn't believe Jazz was involved, he feels a relentless drive to convince the local police that he is not the same man his father is and that the murder is the work of a new serial killer.
The whole book is a relentless drive of intrigue as Jazz works to figure out who the killer is before more bodies pile up. I found myself eager to follow the clues along with Jazz and was constantly on the edge of my seat trying to figure out where the clues would lead. The best part was that I had a little trouble guessing who it was going to be. I loved not being able to figure out the ending at the beginning of the story.
Growing up with his father, Jazz is able to see the murders the way a killer would. It was fascinating and a bit disturbing what memories Jazz dredges up in an attempt to glean some inside knowledge of the killer. The scenes from his father's crimes, as well as the new murder scenes were a bit graphic for my taste. I also found them a bit specific for a young adult book, but I know they will captivate young readers. This movie was thoroughly suspenseful and well-written. The sequel, Game, is already out. I am both terrified and excited to read it.
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