Review Blog

Feb 04 2010

I am not a serial killer by Dan Wells

Headline Publishing Group, 2009.
(Age range: 14 - 16) John Cleaver has an obsession with serial killers. His mother and aunt run the mortuary and his estranged father was also a mortician. John has grown up exposed to dead bodies in one form or another. When random killings begin to happen in Clayton County, the town where he lives, he is determined to solve the case as to who and why they are happening.
John has been seeing Dr Neblin a psychologist for some time to try and sort through his strange fascination and in doing so has established rules for himself to try and maintain a hold on his emotions and actions.
This becomes increasingly difficult as the killings continue and he gets closer to the killer. Unleashing his dark side John establishes a plan to trap the killer, however in doing so is frightened by what he is becoming and the lengths he will go to and the people he will inadvertently involve.
John has few friends and those he has at the start of the story are soon alienated by his strange and peculiar behaviour.
This is a thrilling story not suited to everyone as it contains quite gruesome and frightening events. It is advertised as the first book in a darkly comic new series from debut author Dan Wells. Mr Monster the next title is due for release in the UK in March 2010.
Tracy Glover