Book Review: I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells

A few months ago I attended a workshop taught by Dan Wells at the LTUE conference at BYU. The class was awesome and I left knowing I had to read his book as soon as it was released, for the express purpose of learning how to grasp the voice of his main character. At the time I started reading his book, that was my only motivation to buy the book (I am not a fan of horror). But once I began reading, I was captivated. The story, and the characters, drew me in and I had a hard time setting the book down.
In a nut shell, John Wayne Cleaver is a teenager who exhibits all of the classic signs of being a serial killer. He is also obsessed with them, reading about them, learning about them, and would, no doubt, collect their cards like baseball cards, if only such a thing existed. He creates rules, however, to prevent him from becoming an actual serial killer. This is a quality that endeared me to the MC, because I couldn't help but love this character and feel sorry for him, because, despite his pschyopathic nature, he was deep down a good kid.
When someone in his town is murdered in a grotesque way, John suspects a serial killer and is immediately drawn into the mystery of the murder. It is easy to do, because his mother is the only mortician in town, and John gets to help with the embalming, which he loves to do. John goes on to solve the mystery and discovers who the killer is. It was a twist I wasn't expecting. I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't reveal the murderer here, but encourage you to get the book and read it yourself. You'll be on the edge of your seat, and tempted to pee your pants at time, but you will definately love it. I did.
Check out his website.