WOW. No, seriously...WOW! This book was really good.

John Wayne Cleaver tries hard to be a typical teenager but he is not. A diagnosed sociopath, he creates specific rules to keep the dark side of himself -- the monster -- secured behind a wall of normalcy. Don't follow someone. Don't pay too much attention to their habits. Don't harm others.

Then a real monster comes to town; a serial killer who stalks the streets of their little community, brutally killing grown men. In the killer's methods, John sees more of himself than in his high school classrooms. Can his knowledge of serial killers help John protect his neighbors? Or will he need to release his own monster to do battle?

Written for young adults, the book has a tendency to talk down to the reader but I think that played in well with the main character. John really is smarter than everyone else. And I loved the sci-fi twist it took. Totally did not see that one coming.

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John Cleaver has a very simple goal in life: avoid becoming a serial killer. To make sure this mission is accomplished, he's set up some very definite boundaries for himself. When others tick him off, he compliments them to help control his anger. He makes sure that he doesn't pay too much attention to anyone in particular. After all, that kind of obsession could easily lead him down darker paths He spends time helping his mom at the family-run business... which just happens to be a mortuary. And he spends a lot of quality time with his psychologist, discussing the motivations of serial killers he finds so fascinating, such Dahmer, Bundy, and Gacey. And as the story opens, he's doing okay at maintaining the status quo. The monster is on a leash, and he hopes to keep it that way. After all, John tells himself, I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER.

Unfortunately for John, something macabre disturbs the tranquility of the little town where he's living. As he begins his freshman year of high school, people begin to die in grisly ways. The corpses have body parts missing. A kidney here, lungs there... but the pattern doesn't make sense. John's interest is piqued so he begins investigating, hoping to find out who is the serial killer.

I really liked I AM NOT A SERIAL killer. Dan Wells adopts a very breezy narrative style. It's a quick read that's very entertaining. It's an interesting tight rope act, too. Because of John's youth and perspective, the book has been categorized by some as a young adult novel. It most likely is appropriate for that age, but it isn't dumbed down to meet that target demographic. There's a lot of scenes that occur in the funeral home, and it's pretty obvious that the author has done a lot of research on the subject of mortuary science.

Probably in a year, I'll remember how disciplined a person John is. He recognizes the dark tendencies within him are not normal, so he tries incredibly hard to make sure that he avoids them as much as possible. There's been a lot of comparisons between John and Dexter Morgan, the serial killer vigilante created by Jeff Lindsay. Throughout the novel, John is NOT actively looking to murder people. Where Dexter accepted the dark urges and has found a way to channel them in what he considers a constructive way, John believes that he must deny these urges. The author, Dan Wells, has been contracted for two more books in the series, so it will be interesting to see how John develops in MR. MONSTER and I DON'T WANT TO KILL YOU.

As a final note -- I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER has a very pervasive supernatural aspect that begins fairly early in the story. If you are not a fan of your murder getting mixed with things that go "bump" in the night, I'd stay away. I'd recommend I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER for fans of horror, The X-Files, and urban fantasy.

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I really enjoyed the character John Wayne Cleaver. He is not a serial killer. But he feels he has a monster inside and he is destined to be a killer. So he has rules. These rules stop the monster and keep other safe. But now there is a serial killer loose in Clayton County. Is he the killer? Could it be someone he knows? Is he hallucinating? Is he blacking out and committing these crimes? I couldnt wait to find out. But until we do we find John methodically trying putting together the pieces of the puzzle together and stop the killer. He has the help of his therapist to sort out the human nature of emotions and those outside of the realm of norm. It is mildy gruesome. Lots of blood. Not a cozy.

Guess what there are 2 more books.

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If you liked reading the Dexter series (about the lovable serial killer), then I believe you'll enjoy this book. Initially, I thought it borrowed too heavily from that series, but it veered unexpectedly down a wildly different path and, suddenly, I was reading science fiction! I'd give away too much if I were to explain that statement, so let me just say that the main character is a teenage boy who knows he has the propensity to become a serial killer. He lives by certain self-imposed rules in order to ensure that this side of him does not gain control of his mind. Meanwhile, there is a real-life serial killer loose on the streets of his own home town! He becomes intensely interested in the case and begins to investigate on his own. The investigation is made easier for him due to the fact that his family owns the only funeral home in town, so he has access to what's left of the victims. Ultimately, he discovers, on his own, the identity of the serial killer and that's when the author takes us on a wild ride that's entertaining and pretty creepy to boot.

It's a quick and satisfying little treat that I feel good about recommending.

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I was hesitant about this book in the beginning because it was pretty detailed on gruesome details of dead bodies in a mortuary and I can be somewhat squeamish, but it was very well done and turned out to be a clever story. It became a page turner more and more and was scary and hard to put down in the end. It does venture into the supernatural, so it is not just a serial killer tale. Well done all the way around.

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I was really looking forward to reading this book. Stuff on serial killers interest me. The book's title drew me in and drew many others in when they saw me reading it.
I had very mixed feelings about this book. Part of me liked it and the other part didn't. On the upside, I thought the idea of a young boy having killer tendencies was interesting and that's how the first part of the book worked out. I liked the way it was set up to see the psychological part of him. On the downside, it reminded me a lot of Dexter. Seemed like there were a lot a ideas taken from that. I guess it would probably be hard to portray a young "aspiring" serial killer any other way. After about half way through the book it takes another twist. This one into the supernatural. Again, I had mixed feelings. I didn't really like this twist and wanted it to continue how it started out. The supernatural part was still good and well written and I ended up enjoying it somewhat. I think I would of liked it more if it would of continued like the first part of the book.
Will I read the 2nd book? Yes, I would have to say that it kept me intrigued enough to find out what happens next.

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When I picked this book up I was prepared for exploring the darker side of human nature, but I was still surprised by just how dark that can truelly be. To say this book made me queasy is an understatement. I have never read something so graphic, yet I was not put off by it. The story was way to intriguing for that to dispel me and actually added to the horror of it!
Dan Wells in my opinion is right up there with Stephen King. For a first book this was amazing! It was everything good horror should be! You go into this story thinking you know what it's about and rightly so, but there are some huge and unexpected surprises inside!

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not what I expected but I liked it, easy to read and as described on front cover "a sickly disturbing, darkly comic thriller" and lives up to it.

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Wells artfully addresses the sensitive topic of mental illness by cushioning it in an appealing thriller plot. He gives his main character--John Wayne Cleaver--antisocial personality disorder, which is one of the most difficult for the mentally healthy to sympathize with as John feels no empathy for other people. Wells does not shy away from accurately depicting this mental illness, but he simultaneously shows how people with a mental illness struggle with something that feels as if it is an innate part of themselves every day just to function in society. Wells clearly has a good understanding of mental illness and also the talent to write about it in a way that is relatable. This is a good thriller, but also a wonderful insight into the world of mental illness. I highly recommend it to thriller and YA lit lovers alike.

Check out my full review.

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Very great story idea. The kid in the story is so interesting and I was drawn in quickly. As I waited for the story to continue something happened that I never would have expected. I am still not sure if I like the direction it went but I am eager to read the next two! It feels that the audience for this book might be more along the high school age group, however it is also disturbing enough that I am not sure.

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Fantaatic read! A real couldnt put it down book! The teenage hero has his problems which really are well written out. New Fresh idea that made me want every book this author writes! Cant believe this is his first one! Read it horror fans!!

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Not sure how I felt about this book. It was a good, fast read. Full of details and great description. However it is not what I expected. Serial killer is not human so if you are looking for supernatural thriller then this is the book for you. If you like your horror stories a little more true to life then you may have a problem with this one. I did finish the book and have requested the next one in the series, so I can't say I didn't enjoy it I just think of a twisted PERSON when I think of a serial killer. Of course, I could have read reviews first to see there was a twist/supernatural element in play but honestly I ordered it based on the title.

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I just finished reading this book in a few short hours! Had to keep going.....couldn't put it down....and I have to echo the comments made by JESSICA G. ! WOW! This was a very interesting book!!! Can't wait to get Book #2 in the series.....already have BooK #3 waiting!!! Was a quick easy read.

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Great book. Easy read great premise, can't wait for the sequel.

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VERY captivating, as scripted from a teens life perspective, which makes it more quirky and at times, sad at others, and a bit of twisted dry humor thrown in for good measure. Demons may well walk among us sometimes the alien yet hidden variety and sometimes those lurking in plain sight within the dark recesses of a young mind.

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This story is told from a 15 year old's point of view. He's a psychopath/sociopath obsessed with serial killers. He lives at home above the mortuary his mom owns. There's great detail in the embalming & body processing as he helps her & his aunt. There's murders happening in the town & he's trying to figure what kind of killer it is. The story turns supernatural which took me longer to read it. It's an OK book. I won't continue with the rest of the series

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This was an interesting read. It wasn't a I can't put it down book, but it was a book that you kept wondering what was going to happen next.

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