I Hunt Killers
Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers opens his Jasper Dent trilogy in the small town of Lobo's Nod, where seventeen year old Jasper is trying to live a normal high school life despite the fact that his father, Billy Dent, is the most prolific serial killer in American history and is currently serving life in prison. Billy raised his son to follow in his footsteps, drilling him in victim selection, body disposal, and the art of impersonating ordinary human emotion, and Jazz spends most of his energy trying to prove that nature does not have to win. When a fresh body appears in Lobo's Nod and the wounds match a signature only Billy and his son would recognize, the local sheriff reluctantly turns to Jazz for help reading the killer's mind. Lyga writes a YA thriller as graphic and morally complicated as any adult Hannibal Lecter property, balancing genuinely chilling crime scenes with the warmer story of a teenage boy trying to deserve his girlfriend, his hemophiliac best friend, and his own ordinary life.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about I Hunt Killers
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Jasper Dent's father is one of the most notorious serial killers ever caught. When fresh bodies start turning up in their small town, Jazz inserts himself into the investigation, terrified of what he might learn.
Barry Lyga's Jasper Dent trilogy has three main books: I Hunt Killers, Game, and Blood of My Blood, plus several novellas. The trilogy is complete.
I Hunt Killers is YA but contains graphic violence and serial-killer content. It is recommended for readers 14 and up. Sensitive readers should approach with awareness.
I Hunt Killers was written by Barry Lyga, published in 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
I Hunt Killers is 193 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, I Hunt Killers takes most readers 3 to 4 hours to finish.
I Hunt Killers is a standalone novel by Barry Lyga, not part of a series.
I Hunt Killers is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.