I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells (reviewed by Joe Stradling)

The hero of I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells is John Wayne Cleaver. His main struggle is that he is dealing with a set of problems that stem from his uncanny emotional resemblance to other serial killers at his age, with symptoms up to and including arson, animal cruelty, and sociopathy. He lives in a mortuary with his single mother and his name is eerily similar to the name of the infamous murderer John Wayne Gacy plus the iconic implement of butchery and horror flicks. His (apparently entirely reasonable) belief is that the universe is aligning circumstance so that he will become a full-blown serial killer, however unwillingly. His goal is to prevent this seemingly forgone conclusion.

Regrettably, his will is tested when he oversteps the rules in which he has encased himself out of fascination for a murderer who is striking in his town. The draw to this like-minded celebrity is too much for him to handle and he starts to use his vast and, in some cases, personal knowledge to track down the killer and hopefully bring him to justice. His efforts start to prove successful but the task vastly different than it appears and, perhaps, impossible.

I liked this book. The character found in John Wayne Cleaver is engaging and unique, there was good narrative drive, and the plot was surprising. It had an unorthodox view on the thoughts and feelings that accompany the emotionally blind and deaf. It was graphic and bloody and interesting. It was a story of destiny and redemption, and was overall a good read.

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