I Am Not A Serial Killer

I read I Am Not A Serial Killer in roughly forty-eight hours.  That ought to say a lot if you've read any of my crits in which I note how long it took me to read the books.

Fifteen pages per chapter was a surprising average going in.  The pacing was fast, but not thriller speed.  Luckily, I don't mind.  The pacing was just the right velocity and the language just simple enough to allow me to cruise at Mach 2.  Fewer words played a part, yet a rate of about fifty pages per hour is really good for me.  The other aspects of plot went over well with me too.  There was a logical progression of events that may have left me bored if they weren't as well-written.  Although, I must say that Dan Wells' prose aren't as sharp as Robert Jordan's.  Since Dan writes YA, he can get away with it.

John Cleaver is an odd character.  He's dark and mysterious.  He's violent and twisted.  He has sociopathic tendencies.  Alright.  While readers probably can't relate to John a ton, (or at least, I hope not...) I happen to be a fifteen-year-old male, so I could "get him" as much as possible.  The strangeness of his emotions caused the perfect amount of near-cringes.  I can't really even describe the sensations.  My favorite part was when he watched Brooke crying and he couldn't fully pick up on her emotional cues.  The rest of the characters were passable or a little higher.  I liked Margret, even though she played a small role.

The setting satisfied the novel's needs, no more, no less.  I didn't get quite as much of a "lived in" feel as I should have gotten.  However, it never bothered me while I was reading.

I Am Not A Serial Killer received five stars from me on goodreads, with a true score of 93% (give or take).  Anyone who enjoys YA paranormal, or even crime fiction (it read sort of like crime), will like the first book in the John Cleaver series.