I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver, #1)by Dan Wells
Published by Headline
YA, mystery, thriller, horror
John works in his family's mortuary and has an obsession with serial killers. He wants to be a good person, but fears he is a sociopath, and for years he has suppressed his dark side through a strict system of rules designed to mimic "normal" behavior. Then a demon begins stalking his small town and killing people one by one, and John is forced to give in to his darker nature in order to save them. As he struggles to understand the demon and find a way to kill it, his own mind begins to unravel until he fears he may never regain control. Faced with the reality that he is, perhaps, more monstrous than the monster he is fighting, John must make a final stand against the horrors of both the demon and himself.
I Am Not A Serial Killer surprised me by how disturbing and creepy it was. I went in knowing it would be both, but I was taken aback just how much it made my skin crawl. There's gruesome murders and on page descriptions of embalming bodies. There's also the main character, John, who might be a sociopath and has obsession with serial killers. John might seem like an unlikable character with his lack of empathy, but it was surprising how he wasn't. I liked John! He tried his best to be good and do what's considered normal, and he had connection to a few around him.
Wells's writing style was very factual and straight to the point, which might not work for every book. However, it just made this one even creepier and more gruesome, and it fit perfectly for John as narrator. The cold facts and the lack of emotion in the writing style made John truly come alive on the page. I do have to confess that it also made me take breaks while reading, because it was creepy and made my skin crawl multiple times. The mystery, murders, and chasing a serial killer got my pulse racing and it was terrifying to wait and see what happens next. Absolutely a thrill.
If you like chilling thrillers and horror, I Am Not A Serial Killer is the right choice for you. I do recommend it, and I'm not one to usually read horror stories.
Wells's writing style was very factual and straight to the point, which might not work for every book. However, it just made this one even creepier and more gruesome, and it fit perfectly for John as narrator. The cold facts and the lack of emotion in the writing style made John truly come alive on the page. I do have to confess that it also made me take breaks while reading, because it was creepy and made my skin crawl multiple times. The mystery, murders, and chasing a serial killer got my pulse racing and it was terrifying to wait and see what happens next. Absolutely a thrill.
If you like chilling thrillers and horror, I Am Not A Serial Killer is the right choice for you. I do recommend it, and I'm not one to usually read horror stories.
4 of 5 stars
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