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Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Monday, September 8, 2014
By Barry Lyga
Published by Little, Brown
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Copy received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Jazz Dent has been shot and left to
die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial
killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the
floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise
above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in
pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and
soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is
the true monster?
The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.
Review: After loving the first two books in this trilogy and enduring the intense cliffhanger that is the ending of the second book, I had high expectations for this conclusion. Luckily this book delivered. It's the engaging storytelling I have come to expect from Barry Lyga and a good end to the trilogy. The cliffhanger is resolved fairly quickly, through some very tense moments where the survival of my favorite character was definitely not guaranteed. The action continues to ratchet up as Jazz begins his single-minded pursuit of serial-killing Billy, hoping to rescue his last remaining family.
Connie and Howie, Jazz's girlfriend and best friend, both have their parts to play and their relationships with Jazz are more important than ever. The reader also gets the POV of NY police detective Louis Hughes, the man whose murder investigation is now in shambles due to Jazz's interference, and who finds Jazz in the middle of a scene of carnage. Needless to say, his views on Jazz are not complimentary, providing an insight into how anyone not in Jazz's personal circle would assume about the delinquent son of a serial killer. Jazz himself still struggles with the belief that his traumatic upbringing has made him a monster, and he makes some questionable choices in his desperation to catch Billy, coming ever closer to crossing a line he cannot return from.
All mysteries regarding Jazz's past are solved, the killer mastermind in the shadows is revealed, and Jazz's choice as to his identity is made. It's a satisfying conclusion that is all I could have asked for, and an unique take on the old nature vs. nurture debate. Is there any hope for an individual to break a cycle of abuse when both their DNA and their upbringing are against them? This story provides an answer. Be warned, as with the preceding books the subject matter makes for some dark and disturbing scenes, though usually implied rather than described in graphic detail.
I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers, television shows such as Criminal Minds or Law and Order, or Jennifer Lynn Barnes's YA novel The Naturals. Now that all three in the trilogy are released, I'd suggest binge reading them to avoid the agony of the cliffhanger. I'm not kidding, the ending of The Game is evil.
From the archive I Hunt Killers Review
A RIPIX Read
Saturday, August 24, 2013
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?
Review: I Hunt Killers is a well-characterized and suspenseful YA thriller. The hero, Jasper Dent, is dynamic and compelling as he strives not only to discover the identity of the latest killer in Lobo's Nod but to hold on to his humanity despite the shadow of his father's influence. Jasper's struggle is psychologically interesting, as he feels both nature and nurture work against him: his upbringing and his complicity in his father's crimes as well as the mental illness that runs through the Dent family.
Luckily Jasper has a cast of well-developed characters to back him up and keep him from falling back on his father's sociopathic tendencies. Notables include Connie, Jasper's girlfriend, who's African American, enjoys acting, does not indulge Jasper's crap or self-loathing, and is awesome. There's also his Howie, a hemophiliac who's always ready with a joke and will back Jasper up as long as he agrees to receiving a tattoo of Howie's choice. Rounding out the cast is Sheriff G. William Tanner, the man responsible for arresting Jasper's father, Billy Dent. And of course there's Billy Dent himself, a genius serial killer whose facade is a good ol' country guy but who can get inside a person's head faster than you can say "Hannibal Lecter".
The suspense builds as the body count rises and the characters are placed in danger, it's a fast read. One thing I liked was that the book sold me on the premise, a teenager hunting serial killers could stretch how far a reader is willing to suspend disbelief, but given the background provided for Jasper the story works. All in all a great YA thriller. Recommended for those who enjoy YA novels and thrillers along the lines of the TV show Criminal Minds.
Five out of five crime scenes.
N.B. The novel might not be for everyone due to gore and violence, including sexual violence. This does not take place on page but is referred to. There is also violence towards animals, specifically a dog.
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Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Monday, September 8, 2014
Review: Blood of My Blood (Jasper Dent #3) by Barry Lyga
By Barry Lyga
Published by Little, Brown
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Disclaimer: Copy received for review consideration via NetGalley
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Jazz Dent has been shot and left to
die in New York City. His girlfriend Connie is in the clutches of Jazz's serial
killer father, Billy. And his best friend Howie is bleeding to death on the
floor of Jazz's own home in tiny Lobo's Nod. Somehow, these three must rise
above the horrors their lives have become and find a way to come together in
pursuit of Billy. But then Jazz crosses a line he's never crossed before, and
soon the entire country is wondering: "Like father, like son?" Who is
the true monster?
The chase is on, and beyond Billy there lurks something much, much worse. Prepare to meet...the Crow King.
Review: After loving the first two books in this trilogy and enduring the intense cliffhanger that is the ending of the second book, I had high expectations for this conclusion. Luckily this book delivered. It's the engaging storytelling I have come to expect from Barry Lyga and a good end to the trilogy. The cliffhanger is resolved fairly quickly, through some very tense moments where the survival of my favorite character was definitely not guaranteed. The action continues to ratchet up as Jazz begins his single-minded pursuit of serial-killing Billy, hoping to rescue his last remaining family.
Connie and Howie, Jazz's girlfriend and best friend, both have their parts to play and their relationships with Jazz are more important than ever. The reader also gets the POV of NY police detective Louis Hughes, the man whose murder investigation is now in shambles due to Jazz's interference, and who finds Jazz in the middle of a scene of carnage. Needless to say, his views on Jazz are not complimentary, providing an insight into how anyone not in Jazz's personal circle would assume about the delinquent son of a serial killer. Jazz himself still struggles with the belief that his traumatic upbringing has made him a monster, and he makes some questionable choices in his desperation to catch Billy, coming ever closer to crossing a line he cannot return from.
All mysteries regarding Jazz's past are solved, the killer mastermind in the shadows is revealed, and Jazz's choice as to his identity is made. It's a satisfying conclusion that is all I could have asked for, and an unique take on the old nature vs. nurture debate. Is there any hope for an individual to break a cycle of abuse when both their DNA and their upbringing are against them? This story provides an answer. Be warned, as with the preceding books the subject matter makes for some dark and disturbing scenes, though usually implied rather than described in graphic detail.
I'd recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers, television shows such as Criminal Minds or Law and Order, or Jennifer Lynn Barnes's YA novel The Naturals. Now that all three in the trilogy are released, I'd suggest binge reading them to avoid the agony of the cliffhanger. I'm not kidding, the ending of The Game is evil.
From the archive I Hunt Killers Review
A RIPIX Read
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
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?
Review: I Hunt Killers is a well-characterized and suspenseful YA thriller. The hero, Jasper Dent, is dynamic and compelling as he strives not only to discover the identity of the latest killer in Lobo's Nod but to hold on to his humanity despite the shadow of his father's influence. Jasper's struggle is psychologically interesting, as he feels both nature and nurture work against him: his upbringing and his complicity in his father's crimes as well as the mental illness that runs through the Dent family.
Luckily Jasper has a cast of well-developed characters to back him up and keep him from falling back on his father's sociopathic tendencies. Notables include Connie, Jasper's girlfriend, who's African American, enjoys acting, does not indulge Jasper's crap or self-loathing, and is awesome. There's also his Howie, a hemophiliac who's always ready with a joke and will back Jasper up as long as he agrees to receiving a tattoo of Howie's choice. Rounding out the cast is Sheriff G. William Tanner, the man responsible for arresting Jasper's father, Billy Dent. And of course there's Billy Dent himself, a genius serial killer whose facade is a good ol' country guy but who can get inside a person's head faster than you can say "Hannibal Lecter".
The suspense builds as the body count rises and the characters are placed in danger, it's a fast read. One thing I liked was that the book sold me on the premise, a teenager hunting serial killers could stretch how far a reader is willing to suspend disbelief, but given the background provided for Jasper the story works. All in all a great YA thriller. Recommended for those who enjoy YA novels and thrillers along the lines of the TV show Criminal Minds.
Five out of five crime scenes.
N.B. The novel might not be for everyone due to gore and violence, including sexual violence. This does not take place on page but is referred to. There is also violence towards animals, specifically a dog.
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