by Dan Wells
9 out of 10
YA horror-fantasy.
In the interest of full disclosure, I really like Dan Wells, not just his books. You see, Dan is part of a group of three authors, including Brandon Sanderson and Howard Tayler, who make a podcast that I really love. As an aspiring writer myself, I listen to Writing Excuses regularly (I hesitate to say religiously because I make it a point to only do religious things religiously), and I think you should, too. Even if you don't want to be a writer...it's just that awesome.
The book is about a pre-sociopathic teenager who is struggling to keep his demons in check. He's fascinated by death and serial killers in particular. When a body is found in his hometown, he sees some red flags and knows immediately a serial killer has come to town.
John Cleaver struggles with using his particular knowledge set to help catch this killer without becoming something worse in the process. It's amazingly well-told, and I'm sure countless fans wonder how Wells could write such a chilling main character with such insight.
We discover something that turns the story upside-down halfway through the book, and I'm not going to give that away. You'll just have to read it and find out for yourself.
Beware: Once you pick it up, you won't want to put it down. And don't read it late at night, alone in a dark, empty house.
I recommend for fans of horror, fantasy, or really great writing anywhere. Not for young teens, in my opinion.
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