I Am Not A Serial Killer

I Am Not A Serial Killer - Dan Wells I've rarely found a book as simultaneously enthralling, self-exploratory, and uniquely horrifying as "I Am Not a Serial Killer." I came across this book off a recommendation from the weekly podcast Dan Wells does along with Brandon Sanderson and Howard Tayler called "Writing Excuses", and figured I'd give the audiobook a shot because I liked the Dexter Showtime series, and because I felt like I wanted a good horror/suspense book to tide me over. Plus, it's penned from the perspective of a 15 year old kid, and I usually like to follow young adult narrators in a story. I didn't expect to finish this book in about a day - it kept me on the edge of my seat with every chapter, and I rarely find any book that does that with me. John Wayne Cleaver is a sociopathic boy with an obsession with serial killers, and even dead bodies noting the work he does with his mortician mother. There's a lot of tension in this book, namely internal and external pressures around Cleaver as he not only tries to deal with the demons within himself, but also surrounding a number of mysterious murders surrounding his community that could be the work of a potential serial killer. I was completely surprised by many of the twists in this book (including one that completely changes the scope of the story from about halfway in the book to the remainder - and I didn't find it all that jarring of a change; if anything I thought it came across very well), and it kept me on the edge of my seat through many of the revelations the story had to offer. I also found myself sympathizing with the main character because he does seem like a good kid, but with so many factors to judge and fight against to remain in control of himself, especially around the people he loves/cares about in some capacity.For both a first novel and the first installment in this progressive series, I was very impressed with the execution, the characterization and pacing of Wells' work, and I'm eagerly anticipating the next novel in this series.Overall score: 4/5