Smash Attack Reads...Where Smash Attacks Books!

Holy. Shit. What just happened? I feel like I just stepped out of a horror movie. OH WAIT. I kinda did, but it was a BOOK, not a movie. Dear lawd, what an insane ride of awesome this book was. It was 10 times more gruesome and intense than I Hunt Killers, with double the nail-biting moments. I cannot express how friggin great Barry Lyga is at writing a serial killer. It is both ridiculously eerie and insanely awesome. Mad skillz, yo.

So this installment in the series has Jazz still questioning his grip on humanity. He's still struggling with the fact that he is the son of Billy Dent, serial killer extraordinaire, and that Billy has molded him throughout childhood to be his prodigy. Billy is in Jazz's head constantly, which, let's face it, is enough to drive anyone bat-shit crazy. But now, new thoughts are crowding in, as Jazz is having intense dreams with nondescript sexual innuendo. These sexual urges are bothering him in his waking hours, as well, because the line between sex and killing is a murky one. It is a line that Jazz is desperately afraid to cross. It doesn't make it any easier that he is an adolescent male with a beautiful, spunky girlfriend who is more than ready to love him long time.

Jazz's grandma, the spawn creator of Billy himself, is off the chain. Well, more so than the last book, which is hard to believe. She has truly lost the last marble in her schizophrenic head. It's so bad that Jazz is afraid to leave her alone. He does not want social services involved again, especially after what happened with the last social worker. He is 17 and would like to spend his last year of adolescence out of a foster care situation. When Jazz is asked to come in on a case in NYC (yea, how realistic is this?), he calls on good ol boy, Howie, to come care for his grandmother. Howie is a GEM. I have no words for the awesome this character is. He is the comic relief in a series full of gore, crime and creepy ass situations.. I ADORE HIM.

Meanwhile, Connie is doing some sleuthing of her own, trying so hard to assist Jazz in this "game" he has found himself caught up in. She was acting like a typical teenager, feeling invincible and brave. I wanted to shaker her numerous times but I honestly couldn't find it in myself to be angry at her for her decisions. She loves Jazz and wants to help. And she's a teenager. It's just part of the ole developmental nature of her age to be a flaming idiot. And of course, Dear Old Dad is always part of the scheme, regardless if he's just in Jazz's head or his neighborhood. Conversations with Billy are creeeeeeeeeepy to the max.

The ending! *flails* Did anyone see that coming? AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT CHARACTER? Or should I say, CHARACTERS???? A cliffhanger from the bowels of Hell, people.