Game by Barry Lyga

(source)

Title: Game (Jasper Dent #2)

Author: Barry Lyga

Length: 520 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Classification: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Release Date: April 16, 2013

Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you Little Brown!)

Read: September 2014

GoodReads

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

Billy grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.” I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent. In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz’s door asking for help, he can’t say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple–and its police force–running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer’s murderous game. (From GoodReads)

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

***This is part of a series. There will be spoilers of things that happened in the other book(s) so if you haven't read it and don't want to know things that happened, please stop reading now.*** 

My Rating:

The Story:

Wow! Barry Lyga has done it again. What an intense follow-up to I HUNT KILLERS.
This story pretty much picks up where book one left off. Billy is free. Jazz is trying to deal with the fact that Billy is free and his involvement in the situation. When a NYPD detective shows up and convinces Jazz to come with him to New York to try and catch a serial killer that is going by the name Hat-Dog Killer.

I really enjoyed reading I HUNT KILLERS so I was really excited to start GAME.
I found this book to be a bit darker and gruesome.
This book instantly grabbed my attention and made me want to know what was going to happen. And there were twists and turns that surprised me.
And the majority of the time, when I would guess something, it seemed like I was completely off base. So I really liked that the author was able to keep me on my toes and guessing.

I loved that the story wasn't just told from Jazz's point of view. In this book, we get to read from Connie and Howie's points of views also. Which was great. I really enjoyed these sections of the book as well. We also get to read some from Billy Dent and The Killer's points of view. Which was also fascinating. And I feel that these points of view are so well written, I didn't get confused by which one I was reading from.

I think there are more cliffhangers left at the end of this book than the first one. I was left wanting more. I am very anxious to read the next book.

The Characters:

I really like and find most of the characters in this story to be fascinating. They are all well-developed and written. I am really interested in finding out what else happens to them all in the next installment.

Jazz: Still struggling with his past and how that will shape his future. He is very smart and has a special way of seeing things differently from other people. I find him to be a very complex and fascinating character. I love that he cares about others, especially his friend and girlfriend. And I like that he seems very determined to figure out and stop The Killer.

Connie: I loved getting to read from Connie's point of view. She cares about Jazz so much and she wants to do what she can to help him and keep him safe. She is a very determined and strong character. I have thought and liked that about her since the first book.

Howie: Another character that I am excited to have a few chapters told from his point of view. Howie is the one that makes the most jokes. I love that he tries to have humor when things around him can not be the best. I definitely care about this character. And I love that his condition doesn't keep him from trying to live his life.

Billy Dent: Still a dark and creepy guy. We get to be inside of his head a few times during the chapters from his point of view.

The Killer: I also found this character to be dark and creepy. These chapters where we see glimpses inside the killer's head can be intense.

My Recommendation:

I think this was an excellent sequel to I HUNT KILLERS. I found this story to be complex and a bit mind blowing. I can't wait to read the next one. I highly recommend reading this installment if you enjoyed reading the first book.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

(source)

Title: I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Length: 359 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Classification: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Crime

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: e-galley (Via NetGalley)

Read: August 2014

GoodReads
Amazon
Books-a-Million
Barnes & Noble

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? (From GoodReads)

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

My Rating:

The Story:

Wow!!! This book seriously took me by surprised and completely wowed me.
The story is unlike any other book I have read.
The author did an amazing job with the story and the characters.
The main character is the son of a well-known, feared, horrible serial killer.

What I liked best about this book was that I was constantly guessing, wondering, and questioning who the killer was.

I think that the plot is very well-developed and complex. The story had a lot of mystery surrounding it. I didn't really know what was going to happen next. (Other than the fact that someone else was most likely going to be murdered, but I hadn't the smallest guess as to who that person was going to be.)

There is a tiny bit of a cliffhanger-ish situation at the end. I was left with so many questions and the desire to find out more. I have to know what happens next.
Yet at the same time, I was satisfied in a sense with the ending. I felt like it was a good ending to the first book and it created a story and world that I really want to get lost in again and find out more of what happens now.

The Characters:

The characters are all well-developed. It was easy for me to picture them and they definitely felt realistic.

Jazz- A very interesting character. He has so many demons bottled up inside of him. He struggles with remembering his childhood and the things his father has done. As well as an inner battle with himself and how the thinks he will become.

Howie and Connie- The best friend and the girlfriend. I love these characters. I love their relationship with Jazz. How they are always there for him and keep him grounded. I love the banter. There were so many moments between Jazz and Howie that made me smile.

The Impressionist- I found it interesting that there were a few chapters that we read from this perspective, yet it didn't give me any clues or insight to the identity of this character. There is still so much I don't know about this person and I am anxious to unveil more about the character and find some answers.

Billy Dent- What a character. We get glimpses of him through Jazz's perspective. A chilling character. One that will/could give you nightmares.

I also really enjoyed Jazz's grandma. She is very interesting and well written. And I really like Jazz's interactions with G. William Tanner (The Sheriff).

Recommendation:

If you like reading a thrilling story that involves murder and can keep you guessing, then I recommend giving this book a read. It was interesting, mysterious and at times intense.
I think that fans of shows like Criminal Minds will enjoy this story.