Review: Game by Barry Lyga

Game
Barry Lyga

Series: Jasper Dent, #2
Genre: YA Thriller
Publication date: April 16 2013
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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.

-A copy was provided by Hachette Book Group Canada for review-

 
*This review is spoiler free for book 1 and this sequel!*
 
Before I went into YA my favorite novels were criminal mysteries and serial killer type stories. Then my favorite among them were the ones dealing with profilers. There is just something incredibly fascinating about seeing how these guys can take one small and seemingly insignificant detail of a crime scene, and tell you who the killer is in the most intimate of way. Game brought back the reasons why I loved these types of books; there are truly sick people in this world and it's shocking to get into their heads. True to its name, Jasper's father brings us into an exhilarating game in this fast-paced sequel.

The characters I so loved in I Hunt Killers are back with just as much wit and charm as in book 1. We're privy to a few different POVs that I found worked great to bring up the intensity and intrigue: We see what every character is up to simultaneously, giving us the full 360 of this puzzle-filled plot. Jasper himself is still struggling with his own self-identity. Is he going to fall prey to his father's brainwashing ways? Does he have an underlying instinct, or need, to kill as well? His character is as compelling as it is a psychological study. I love being in his head, trying to figure him out as well. What would it be like to have been raised by the most notorious serial killer? Some kind of effed up! The side characters are not put aside either. Howie, especially, gives this book all the humour it needs and then some. This guy made me guffaw with his come-ons to Jasper's aunt. I think every single scene he appears in shows us a side of his hilarious personality; be it his amusing reasonings or creative ways to laugh at himself, you can't help but love this fella! He's also exceptionally loyal and that makes him awesome in my book!

This book does in fact bring up its game when it comes to gory details. If you've read and enjoyed I Hunt Killers then you've been well prepared--though this sequel is fairly more gross than its predecessor. Several instances of disembowelments are involved, along with lots of eyeballs--even an explanation on how easy they are to remove. Some very noteworthy stuff in here! There really wasn't much difference in the gore factor than most of the adult crime thriller books I've read so it's clearly meant for more mature YA. This makes it real, though; serial killing is rarely a clean job and all. There were definitely some parts of the plot that were less realistic, however. No matter how famous of a serial killer is his father, I'm wary to believe that NYPD would start calling on a 17 year old kid to help with a case. A case that we know all along is linked to Billy Dent, but they don't, so how… convenient? There were also details that Jasper discovers in the crime scene pictures that are hard to believe competent NYPD investigators (and FBI, even) wouldn't have deciphered themselves. Fortunately these details weren't a real bother for the story, it was just a underlying fact I had to look over. For the most part it was a convincing scenario of a messed up serial killer case that became a blast to figure out. While I did predict pieces of it, I was blind to the way it all fit together until it was revealed.

Oh, but I think you forgot something, Mr. Lyga! How about an ending! *sobs quietly* He truly leaves us hanging in the end, and we get two major cliffhangers that are going to make the wait extremely long for the third book! If it was a TV series, this episode would have ended with "… To Be Continued". Likely with sinister music and all that jazz! This series continues to be the perfect read for fans of Dexter everywhere!

4 Hot Espressos

Find my review of I Hunt Killers (Book 1) here!

Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers
Barry Lyga
Series: Jasper Dent, #1
Release date: April 3rd, 2012
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads / Purchase

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?

*A copy was provided by Hachette Book Group Canada for review purposes*

"A serial killer's greatest ability is the ability to blend in"
--Quote from finished copy of I Hunt Killers

I love being in the mind of a serial killer. Is this bizarre? Maybe a little. But with an older sister at home, I skipped the fairy tales, instead I grew up watching Freddy Krueger and reading murder mysteries. Naturally, I Hunt Killers immediately attracted my interest with its serial killer's son synopsis. Then when I removed the dust jacket and saw this:

 ♫ We're here for a good time!

You have to admit, there is something fascinating about serial killers. The way they think, how they analyze and see the world. It's no secret that they're sociopaths, but in most cases they have very high IQs, making them highly interesting to study. These people are masterminds! In I Hunt Killers, being in the most notorious serial killer's son's head, we learn a lot about the ins and outs of this lifestyle. Jazz is such a captivating protagonist. He's deeply disturbed by what his father has done, not just the killings themselves, but how he has was raised - to be his protege. He doesn't want to be like his father, but is it too late? Is the damage done? It's sad and it's terrifying to be inside Jazz's head. I questioned it all as much as he did. Is he sane? Is he dangerous? His best friend Howie is quite the opposite. He's simple minded and a great supportive friend to Jazz. I adored him. Plain and simple. Together, they can be pretty amusing. I loved the added humor in this novel. It's just the right amount to give it charm, while keeping the overall plot gritty and dangerous.

Howie: "What if the whole thing was just an accident?"
Jazz: "And what? Accidentally cut off three fingers postmortem? 'Oops, oh no, my girlfriend just died! Clumsy me, in trying to perform CPR, I chopped off some fingers! Guess I'll take them with me…Oh, darn, where did that middle finger go?' "

--Quote from finished copy of I Hunt Killers

I can't forget to mention his Grandma, oh lord is she hilarious. She's senile, suspected to suffer from Alzheimer's with bouts of delirium; she was never really right in the head to begin with. As you can imagine, this brings up some pretty amusing antics from her when cops and media are involved. Like crawling on the floor army-style with a kitchen knife; it's distressing, really - but her delusions are priceless.

"They're gonna rape mongrel babies into me! Mongrel babies to kill white folks! And they're gonna give me the AIDS to kill me off!" Grandma ranted 

-Quote from finished copy of I Hunt Killers

Faint of heart? Does it bother you to think of feeding human eyeballs to a cat? You may want to steer clear of this one. Although it's considered YA, there is a fair amount of gore and plenty of blood running through these pages. Jazz can't get away from his father constantly invading his thoughts, and now he has to find the one mimicking him; the story is definitely explicit and I appreciate that Lyga didn't shy away from it. This rawness - it gives a convincing portrayal of a teenage killer's son's story.

The mystery itself is not insurmountable. There are two or three obvious choices that become quite apparent, but there is still an extra twist I didn't expect, and the bigger storyline of Jazz figuring himself out is what's at the heart of this book. The ending - exciting and alarming - opens up tons of possibilities for the sequel which I am greatly anticipating!

4 Hot Espressos