Resisting a slayer's destiny

Jasper Francois Dent, does the name sound like that of a sociopath? Because that's what Jasper, the protagonist in the book, keeps wondering about the whole time.

Jasper has a highly unusual view of things mainly because he was brought up his corrupt father. To be more precise, Jasper's father was a ruthless killer. Billy Dent, currently in the penitentiary, has killed 104 people under different aliases. Billy Dent didn't have supernatural powers that allowed him to control people, but it sure feels like he did. To his victims, he was a seductive force, an apparently sympathetic, compassionate resource that promised succor and aid, only to turn into a hellhound.

Having said these, the mental condition of Jasper can be easily guessed. He grew up with a murderer while getting first-hand instructions on how to kill people. After his father's arrest, being feared by the whole town that someday he may turn into the next Billy Dent evokes multiple sentiments inside Jasper. No matter how hard he tries to restrain himself, his primal urges of hurting others, thanks to Billy's decade-long brainwashing tactics, gets to him and makes him unstable. He has to constantly remind himself that "people matter" in order to stop pursuing them.

The story takes an interesting turn when another serial killer arrives in town of Lobo Nod's and imitates Billy's pattern for killing people.

The book is a riveting thriller about a teenage boy who has to write his own destiny in the face of overwhelming odds. Barry Lyga, one of USA's bestselling authors, breaks into the readers' minds with a detailed insight into Jasper's mind. I loved reading this book because it is slightly different than the other books of this genre.

I Hunt Killers is the first book in the Jasper Dent trilogy, followed by Game and Blood of My Blood and has 4 prequels to it. I'd suggest you to start with the prequels since they give you a proper intro to the characters.

P.S.: If you have any sort of aversions to atrocious crimes and gruesome crime scenes, then this book might not be the one for you.