From the Bookshelf of 2013 Hub Reading Challenge…
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Jun 10, 2015
Ms. Pansulla
added it
Seriously dark, with some grotesque details I could definitely have gone without. I used to be a big horror reader, but these days I prefer less disturbing fare. I read this for the YALSA Hub Challenge though, and it hooked me right away (read it in two sittings), so for fans of suspenseful serial killer stories, this is a sure win, with a likable protagonist caught in a high-stakes nature vs. nurture intrigue of terrifyingly bloody proportions. Depraved killings are interspersed with some downr
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This book is totally amazing! You can't help but love Jasper Dent in his plight to not become a serial killer just like his father. Jasper or Jazz as his friends call him has a keen sense of what makes a serial killer tick because his father taught him everything he knows. However, Jazz likes to mix things up by instead trying to catch a serial killer in his own home town. As things heat up, Jazz realizes that this sneaky new serial killer is actually copying his own father's nasty work. Jazz an
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I've loved several of Barry Lyga's books and this was no exception. Jazz is a compelling and utterly likable protagonist, especially given the bloody nature of his past and in fact, bloody nature of the entire book. One of the strengths of this book was the gripping psychology of both Billy Dent and the impact that had on his son, each of the scenes with Dent in person or in flashback are tense and taut as thought a game of cat and mouse is constantly being waged. And this book has the reader on
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The writing could have been stronger, but the story was certainly gripping (if a bit far-fetched). I enjoyed that Jazz is a morally ambiguous character. This book messed with my dreams for a couple of nights, so points for that. I might read the sequel if it fell into my lap, but at this point I won't seek it out.
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My book club chose this book, and I suppose it is fitting for October as it is kind of like a Horror Flick. It was pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. Scary at times...thrilling at other times. It certainly keeps you on your toes, and ends leading into the next, as this is the first in the series. It was ok. I probably will not read the rest of the books in the series.

I'm hooked, can't wait to see what happens to Jasper Dent next!!! reminded me of Dexter!!
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Completely unbelievable. Just couldn't get passed that!
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Another book that surprised me with how much I liked it. I thought it might be another story about a kid trying to do better than his ne'er-do-well parent, but the aspect of Jazz actually using his knowledge of macabre topics to help the police took it to the next level. And with that ending, there had better be a sequel. A good choice for reluctant readers and mystery lovers.
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This is a really excellent story, and I enjoyed it very much. Why the low rating? It gave me nightmares - for days. Definitely need to be careful who to recommend this to, as the descriptions of murders and the (to me, more horror-inducing) memories of Jazz's childhood are pretty darn graphic.
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Jun 15, 2012
Donna
marked it as to-read

Jun 18, 2012
Joanna
marked it as to-read



