Zero O'Clock by C.J. Farley

How would I describe this book: All the problems that dominated the spring of 2020 encapsulated into one family's life. Sometimes it seems like the author piled too much on the main character, but I understand the need to illustrate the frustrations and fear many of us had (and have) as we lived through 2020. 

Geth is a senior. She lives in New Rochelle with her mother and her mother's boyfriend (who Geth does not like). Geth has two friends: Tovah and Diego. She is obsessed with Korean boy band BTS. Life is not great (she has obsessive-compulsive behaviors), but it's not bad. She cannot wait to see if she is accepted to Columbia University. She and Tovah have planned to got there forever. 

Covid-19 brought everything to a halt in March 2020. Geth will no longer have her graduation or prom. She can't hang with her friends. Politics seeps into their conversations. The darkness of society reveals itself. On some level, Geth represents many people in 2020. She is confused and angry, and she doesn't know where she belongs anymore. The pandemic, the Trump presidency, school shootings, police shooting innocent black people, immigration are all part of Geth's world. She is us in a microcosm. 

At times, I thought the author was throwing too much into this one story; that Geth was personally dealing with all the issues that have come to the forefront over the past two years. But I think the point is that we are feeling the pressures of our world in ways we never could have imagined and Geth represents us in that struggle. It's a book that could be read a few years from now to remind the reader of that brief time in history when the world changed. 

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog. 

This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey

Jess has a normal life. She lives in a small town that she has never left. She is a decent student with close friends. There is a guy she likes who might like her, too. Her life isn't perfect. Her sister is practically bedridden with a rare disease. Her parents...what teen doesn't have issues with their parents? Overall, things are good. 

It's all fake. Jess is the star of a reality show all about her life. She doesn't know it, though. Everyone else does. They are all actors. As far as Jess knows, she is living life as a typical 90s teenager. In reality, Jess lives on a closed compound in the distant future. 

Jess starts to see cracks in the system - not that she could ever guess what is really happening. She starts asking questions and hearing things that don't make sense. The moment she comes home to find her beloved dog has been replaced by a look alike that does not behave the same, she knows she is being lied to. She just doesn't know how big the lie is. 

Imagine if your life was a lie. Everyone you knew was lying to you and had been lying to you for years. They were pretend players in your life. What a cruel joke. Jess should be justifiably angry and be able to walk away from this 'entertainment' program. Except, the show is hugely popular. The future world is pretty bleak, and this show is the only bright light for some. Also, it makes lots of money for a lot of people. The producers of the show are not going to let Jess just quit. 

Fascinating story with themes that will resonate with readers who live in today's world

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site. 

Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

Abbi survived the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. That day was Abbi's first birthday. She is Baby Hope captured in a famous photograph holding a red balloon and being carried by a fleeing woman. That photo has become a symbol of hope.

But Abbi is not really Baby Hope. She was that baby, but now she is 15 and does not feel connected to the photo. At this point in her life, she just wants to put it behind her.

Noah wants to know more about that day. He is interested in the other people in the photo who are running in the back ground. He feels it is fate that he and Abbi end up working at the same summer camp as counselors. Maybe he can get her to help him find the others and interview them. Her involvement will give his project credibility. Noah's best friend Jack thinks the whole idea is stupid.

Told in the alternating voices of Abbi and Noah, we learn how each is coping with the day that changed the world. Will Abbi get the illness that has already taken so many 9/11 survivors? Why is Noah so interested in the other people? Why does his mom never talk about his dad who died in the attack that day?

Those of us old enough to remember September 11 do not need reminders. But younger people should know what happened that day and understand why the aftermath will reverberate for generations. This story does a good job of bringing the horror and sadness of the day without recreating the actual events. Readers can experience the personal loss through these characters.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Summer of '69 by Todd Strasser

As the title states, this story takes place in the summer of 1969. Lucas has just graduated from high school, but doesn't know what comes next. He is one of the growing number of young people who are against the establishment. He has long hair, smokes weed, takes LSD, drives a psychedelic VW bus and protests against the war in Vietnam. You would think being of the hippie mindset would be make Lucas pretty mellow, but no. Lucas has a lot on his mind.

Let's start with Robin, his girlfriend. For the summer she is heading up to Canada to work at a camp. She has already expressed dissatisfaction with some of Lucas' choices (his drug use, for example), so being apart all summer has him concerned.

Lucas' dad. Lucas doesn't like his dad. His dad owns businesses and can set his own hours - most of them he spends playing tennis (obsessively, so). Lucas also knows that his dad has been frequently unfaithful to his mother. And Lucas certainly has not turned out to be what his father wanted him to be.

Tinsley, the free love photographer Lucas meets through his cousin. With Robin so far away...Tinsley is so tempting. Is she flirting? Is there something between them? Lucas is definitely thinking about her.

And Vietnam. Lucas does not want to get drafted and sent to war. The letters from his friend who is there remind of the daily horrors. The problem for Lucas is that he didn't get accepted to college. He should have studied more when had the chance. Now, he is desperately trying to find away to avoid military service.

Other books I have read for young people set in the same time period tend to focus on Vietnam or Woodstock, but this one is a slice out of a young person's ever day life and deals with multiple issues and events. It is refreshing to have a story for young people that provides a glimpse into the late 60s without glorifying it.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

Marin is alone. She stayed in her college dorm (with special permission) over the holidays while everyone else went home. Marin feels like she has nowhere to go. Her mother died a long time ago while surfing and her grandpa (who she lived with) is gone now, too.

Marin lived in California until she fled to her college in New York two weeks before the semester started. She left abruptly and came with few possessions. She has tried to escape what happened back home. It is with mixed feelings that she awaits a visit from her best friend Mabel who she has not had any contact with since she left.

Something happened back in California that only Marin can explain and she has not been ready to do that. What will she say to Mabel? They were so close for so long and now they seem almost like strangers. In the middle of a snow storm, the two friends only have each other.

This is not a story of action; it is a sorrowful story of a lost young woman. Marin's story is peeled back in small bits. Her secrets are revealed slowly through flashbacks and conversation with Mabel. It is a remarkable story that is worth the read to find out why Marin left everything behind. To tell more would be unfair to you.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.

Three Day Summer by Sarvenaz Tash

For three days in 1969, the Woodstock music festival made the small town of Bethel, New York, the center of the rock world. Thousands of people gathered in the name of peace to hear some of the biggest names in music. Two of those people are Michael and Cora, and this is how they met and spent those three days.

Michael drove from Massachusetts with his friend Evan, his girlfriend Amanda, and Amanda's two friends. He's not sure what to do with his life. Go to college? Join the military? He's also not sure about his girlfriend Amanda. Sometimes it seems like she doesn't even like him, so why is she with him at all?

Cora lives in Bethel on a farm. Her dad has nothing but disdain for the people coming to the festival. He is a veteran with great pride in his oldest son's current service in Vietnam. He's not as happy with Cora and her war protesting twin brother. Cora wants to be a nurse...no, she really wants to be a doctor, a lofty goal for a woman from a small town in those times. She works as a candy striper in the medical tent at the festival.

Michael takes some acid with bad results, so his friends take him to the medical tent where he is attended to by Cora. Michael doesn't remember much about their first encounter, but soon realizes Cora is nothing like Amanda. Separated from his friends, Michael asks Cora to hang with him.

The festival allows to Michael and Cora to escape their worries for a bit: Cora's strict father and her brother in Vietnam; Michael's future and his issues with Amanda. Michael gets lost in the music and takes Cora with him. They run into famous people and share in the generosity of their fellow festival goers. Neither, of course, knows the mythical quality that Woodstock will one day represent to generations. But we do, so we can go along with them to feel just a little bit of what it could have been like for those three days of peace, love and music.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash

Graham really likes Roxy. They have been friends ever since Graham moved next door to her after his mother died eight years ago. The first thing she asked him was which Hogwarts house he would be sorted into. How could he not love her after that? Graham is ready to tell Roxy how he really feels, and he is planning to do it at Comic Con.

Graham and Roxy collaborate on their own graphic novel (he writes, she illustrates) and are huge fans of the reclusive Robert Zinc, creator of The Chronicles of Althena. Zinc has not been seen in public for years, but with the movie adaptation in production he will be appearing at the convention in a Q&A session with limited seating. What a perfect time for Graham to express his true feelings.

Things are complicated from the start. To get tickets to see Zinc, Graham will have to wait in line all night outside in New York City. Roxy's parents would never allow her to do that, so Graham convinces his best friend Casey to get Roxy's ticket (but not before agreeing to convince his sister to go out with Casey).

And it only gets worse. Graham could not have foreseen the large number of fans willing to do anything to see Zinc. Or the attractive guy who attaches himself to Roxy from the beginning of the con. What should be the best Comic Con of Graham's life turns into a series of frustrating events.

For all of Graham's misery, this is fun excursion into the New York Comic Con. It's all you could ever want from a con without being there - laughs, suspense, adventure and pop culture references galore.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Drag Teen by Jeffery Self

JT has only done drag once - and it was humiliating. Of course, it wasn't the best venue with the most receptive audience (high school talent show with jocks watching). JT will not put himself through that again.

The problem is that JT does not want to be stuck working in his family's gas station in Florida for the rest of his life. His parents do not have the money to send him to college and do not seem to care what happens to him as long as he works at the station. How can he escape? His boyfriend, Seth, discovers a teen drag contest that gives the winner a four year scholarship to college.

So here are the problems (as JT sees it): 1)The contest is in New York City and he has no money to get there and 2) He is not a real drag queen since his only performance was a total embarrassment.

It's a good thing JT has friends like Seth and Heather. They are constantly talking him through his insecurities. And they have a plan. JT just has to find the confidence in himself and trust the people who want to help him. In New York and on the trip there, JT finds many of those people.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.

23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde

Imagine if you could go back in time to change something. Correct an answer on an exam. Take back something hurtful you said. Save someone's life. It seems easy enough, but time can be unforgiving. Suppose you can only go back 23 minutes. Zoe can. She doesn't know why, but she has the ability to jump back 23 minutes (and reset 10 times before the she reaches her oringinal starting time).

So on a rainy day, she ducks into a bank to stay dry and finds herself in the middle of a robbery. The young man who steps between her and the gunman should not have to die, no one should. Zoe tries to intervene using her time travel abilities.

It should be easy enough - call the police before the robbery happens; try to stop the robber from entering the bank; tell the young man not to enter the bank. Zoe has ten tries to stop people from dying. Her time travel has never been needed for something so important.

The author has given us a tight scenario with strict rules that makes for a tense story.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Infinite in Between by Carolyn Mackler

When you were a freshman, did you wonder who you would be when you graduated? Did you think about what your life would be like over the four years of high school? I didn't. At least, I don't remember giving it any thought. I sure didn't know what I wanted to do after high school.

At freshman orientation, five students (Gregor, Zoe, Jake, Whitney and Mia) are assigned to the same group and must complete a project together. They choose to write letters to their future selves and agree to meet after graduation to read them.

We follow each of them through the four year of high school. Whitney is beautiful and popular. Gregor is not so popular but totally taken with Whitney. Jake is athletic (but no longer on the football team) and has a crush on his best friend, Ted. Zoe is the daughter of a famous actress who has a scandalous secret. Mia is searching for her identity and casually watches the others.

We follow each student through their ups and downs. We see how they change and grow and how their lives intersect with each other. In order to tell the story over a four year period, the author jumps several months at a time often leaving us with mini cliff hangers. The letters themselves aren't really important; they are just the vehicle for bringing the five together.

I found this story intriguing because it is different from many other books about teens. Normally, we see teens and their lives change around major events. This story allowed us to see a group of teens changing as a normal course in life.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Imagine if the person sitting next to you in class can hear your every thought. He would instantly know about the boy you think is cute. He would know the answers you were writing on your test. He would know what you think about him. But what if you could read his mind, too?

The students of homeroom 10B know all too well the answer to this question. Through a twist of fate almost all the members of the homeroom have developed the ability to read minds. Fearing the consequences of what could happen if their powers are discovered, they decide to keep it a secret.

Polly (aka Pi) has a curious mind is most interested in exploring her new powers and keeping them secret.

Mackenzie is worried her boyfriend, Cooper, will find out she cheated on him (now that the whole group knows her secret, somebody is bound to tell him).

Tess has a crush on her best friend Teddy (they've known each other forever) and can now find out if he likes her in the same way.

Olivia is shy and cannot speak in public, but maybe her powers might help her with Lazar who she heard may like her.

Yes, this is a story of the normal teen experiences and worries with the added bonus of them knowing what everyone else is thinking. I am glad when I was a teen that I could not hear others' thoughts (and they could not hear mine), but it is fun to think and read about.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

I'm Glad I Did by Cynthia Weil

JJ Green wants to be a professional songwriter. Her mom is a lawyer. Her dad is a judge. Her brother is in law school. Hmmm...I wonder what they want her to do?

Luckily for JJ, she lives in New York City. In 1963, there is no place better for aspiring songwriters than the Brill Building, home to successful music composers and publishers.

JJ's mom has nothing kind to say about the music business (largely due to her brother Bernie), but has agreed to let JJ work the summer as an intern in the Brill Building with the stipulation that JJ has to write a song that becomes a hit record by the end of summer or she gives up her dream of becoming a professional songwriter.

JJ often has lunch with her estranged Uncle Bernie (who is a big executive in the building). She is happy to learn from him, but she would never tell her mother about their contact. She meets Luke, who at first is aloof and mysterious, but turns out to be a lyricist who immediately understands her music. JJ befriends the night janitor who turns out to be the once famous singer Dulcie Brown herself. It is a fateful friendship that reveals much about everyone's past. And then there is the murder...

...Or is it suicide like the police think? This is not just a story of a girl trying to prove something to herself and her parents (with a little romance thrown in, too). JJ must solve the murder of someone close to her - it becomes more important than anything else that summer including songwriting.

Cynthia Weil, the author, is a songwriter who worked in the Brill Building in 1960s and along with her husband wrote some of the most famous pop songs of the time.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin

It seems as a society, we want people to be either good or bad, but people are complex and contain at least some of both. Imagine if people in your life were interviewed about you. Would it be an accurate portrayal? How well do people really know you? Does this book tell us about the real Addison Stone...we may never know, but its all we have.

Addison Stone was a hot young artist who exploded onto the New York scene when she was just 16. She quickly became a regular face at all the clubs and best parties. Her work hangs in important galleries and in the homes of the wealthy. Her stunts and public pieces helped make her famous through social media. It was during the installation of one of these that she fell to her death leaving many questions (including the whereabouts of two former boyfriends). She was 18 at the time.

We learn of Addison's life and quick rise to fame through from the people she knew (parents, best friend, teachers, benefactors, agent, artists).  The book is written as if a journalist conducted interviews and edited them to tell Addison's story. It is an effective method and makes the character seem more real. We also see photos of Addison, her friends and her art as well as magazine and newspaper articles. This is particularly helpful since the story is told through the first person accounts and lacks the description you find in the regular novel.

Addison is a small town girl who is anxious to leave and then makes good in the big city. Sadly, her issues stay with her no matter where she is living or working. We are given a few excerpts in Addison's own words, but it is difficult to know what is truly going on in her head. Genius often seems to walk a fine line between sanity and madness. Could anyone have saved Addison or was she ultimately destined to burn brightly and have a short life.

For more information, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Blood of My Blood by Barry Lyga

Wow. What an ending to this trilogy. Mr. Lyga does not disappoint in this continuing tale of Jazz, son of notorious serial killer Billy Dent.

How do I talk about this without giving away too much? (Hint: I'm not going to!) Jazz, his girlfriend Connie and his best friend Howie have been separated by circumstances. Jazz is in New York seriously injured and in danger of being arrested. Connie is also in New York and has no idea what has happened to Jazz (oh, she was lured there by Jazz's dad). Howie is back in Lobo's Nod, small hometown to he and Jazz. Surprise, surprise, Howie wakes up in a hospital after a near scrape with death. Being Jazz's friend is tough business.

The story is a non stop run through violence, surprise revelations, deceptions, nail biting suspense and trips through the mind of a serial killer. As with the previous two books, it is not for the faint of heart.

What ultimately drives the story is Jazz's decision that he must be the one to stop his father. He knows how Billy thinks better than anyone. Jazz knows sacrificing himself (if need be) is better than letting Billy live to kill again.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame by Julie Young

MonAmi is a world famous superstar singer. She has had numerous hit songs, sold millions of albums, and toured the planet multiple times. She wears custom made clothes with dazzling makeup. Megan is a Midwestern girl who enjoys singing and writing songs. She grew up in a nice house with hard working parents and a younger sister. MonAmi and Megan are the same person, but few people know it.

Megan lives a double life as her career is carefully managed and promoted. All goes as planned because from the time she begins her career at 15 Megan becomes one of the most successful singers ever. But through it all, Megan misses her family and feels the stress of keeping her success alive with an ever fickle public and of meeting the demands of the record company who has invested to much in her success to let her fail.

We begin our story with Megan running away at the end of MonAmi's farewell tour. She just disappears not even telling her long time (and mostly trusted) manager, Mike. Her rise to fame has been stressful - working hours writing and recording, doing tours that always have to top the last one, making appearances at award shows on the arm of some famous actor she doesn't even know. And through it all, she cannot tell the world who she really is.

Megan was just the person the record company was looking for when they 'discovered' through a scholarship application. After her reluctant parents were convinced that this was an opportunity to good to pass up, Megan was whisked away to Europe for months to make her transformation into MonAmi. She was given the new name, a new look (to hide her true face) and a vague history (along with a somewhat European accent).

As the runaway, Megan recounts her story for us while she decides what her next move will be. Megan is a great character that is living the dream, but finds that even dreams can have a darkness to them. It is an intriguing look into the music business and the 'manufactured' star as well as our culture of instant celebrity.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

Four teens who don't know each other meet for the first time to go on a road trip. What brings them together? Suicide.

Owen, Frank, Audrey and Jin-Ae all want to die. They met online and decide to travel from the east coast to visit the graves of famous people who committed suicide (like to Seattle for Kurt Cobain). Their final destination is Death Valley where they will each end their own lives.

Jin-Ae is a lesbian, but she fears her parents reaction if they ever found out. Frank's father wants him to be a star athlete, but Frank will never be that. Audrey just hates her life in general.

Owen has tried committing suicide six times. He has much he could say, but he doesn't talk much.  He has researched suicide (types, causes,  pertinent stats). He knows it all; just not how to complete it.

I know it sounds pretty grim, but this is more a trip of discovery for these young people. The trip is a chance to escape from their lives and find out what life is like out in the world. Their issues are not uncommon and unmanageable. They just need to see that for themselves.

This story has much to offer so don't be turned away by the topic.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.

Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon

Richie has cancer and he is going to die, soon. He's been fighting it for over half his life and is out of options. Now, he lives in a hospice (filled mostly with old people) waiting out his last days. He could be laying in bed dreading the end, but Richie is a teen after all. At this point, what does he have to lose? So he keeps life as interesting as possible for himself. It helps that another teen, Sylvie, is across the hall.

With Sylvie, there is the possibility of at least having a girl who likes him. Sylvie is way too pretty and out of his league - Richie knows there is no way he would have had a shot with her if they were both healthy. But now here she is, still beautiful in her frail state and hanging out with him.

Richie's mother has raised him all on her own refusing help from even her own mother. She is strong and has worked hard to give them both a good life. Her constant vigil in his room makes it difficult for Richie to be free, so one week when she is sick and not allowed in the hospital he takes advantage of it.

Two teens with little time left can create much chaos for their parents and the hospice staff. Even the staff who want Richie to be his 17 year old self are uneasy with some of his behavior (like a few Halloween pranks on hospital visitors). And Sylvie's dad might literally kill Richie if he is caught with Sylvie again.

This could have been an incredibly depressing story about a teen with cancer, but is instead a humorous look at a young man making the best of his situation. He is surrounded by people who love and support him even when he makes bad choices (you know, how all teens should be). Even though death is never far, his head is full of normal teen thoughts - fun, sex, childhood and his family.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

Have you ever hidden something from a friend because you were ashamed? I have. I don't know why I did it. Of all people, friends are supposed to accept you for who you are. It's risky, too, because it often leads to an awkward moment when the friend finds out the truth.

Feeling shame about yourself and your life is the underlying foundation of this story. Lewis is a Tuscarora Indian living on a reservation in upstate New York. It is the 1970s and life on the 'rez' is not so easy. Lewis lives in a run down house with no indoor plumbing. He lives with his mother who cleans the houses of white people and his Uncle Albert, a disabled vet.

Many people in the surrounding communities hate Indians (including one particular bully from an influential family), so for the most part they stay to themselves. Lewis earned a place in the higher academic classes of his mostly white school. Usually at least two Indians are put in the same academic level , but Lewis is the the only one and must be alone with no friends as he starts the school year.

On the first day, he meets a new kid named George, the son of an Air Force officer. George is warned to stay away from the 'wild Indian kid,' but he has been the new kid enough to trust his own judgement. Lewis and George quickly bond over their love of music, particularly the Beatles and Paul McCartney. Lewis is reluctant at first, but he visits George's house and eventually spends many evenings there having dinner and listening to albums. It is when George wants to visit Lewis' house that Lewis starts making lame excuses. How can he let George see the poverty of his everyday life?

Lewis is an original character. Even though he is physically small, he is very strong. He steps outside the comfort zone that many of his fellow Indians live in. He takes flak from both sides: whites for being 'distrustful' and Indians for befriending whites. He takes a lot from bullies, but stands up for himself when he needs to.

This story is an incredible view into the everyday existence of Indians and the delicate balance of surviving in a white dominated society while trying to maintain their own culture. I never imagined some of the hardships and 'rules' that must be endured by native people. I can only hope that in the 30 plus years since the 70s that things have changed for the better. I fear they have not.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

Five 6 year olds are sitting around a table. They talk and giggle with each other. They have been filmed for a documentary called Five at Six that explores the lives of the young classmates. The success of the film amazes even its creators. Five years later, another film is made called Five at Eleven with the same group. What are they doing now? How have they changed? Now, it is five years later...

Those happy little children have grown up and apart. Felix and Nate were best friends once; now they do not speak to each other, forget about sitting at the same table. Olivia suffered a humiliation in the last film, so she keeps her distance from everyone except Nate. Rory and Justine were once close, too, but things have happened.

Justine has been expecting the call about being in the next documentary. She doesn't want to do it. Her life has not turned out the way everyone expected (just check the internet) including her. She's the one who stood out among the five - the one who was supposed to become something. Now, she watches the documentaries and thinks about all the things she gave up and why.

The tension is high as the group is brought back together under the scrutiny of the camera. They are more savvy now and guarded about their lives and how much the really want to reveal. They know the most dramatic bits will be used in the film. Somethings have gone unsaid for years, so they are hesitant to talk for the whole world to hear. Justine knows on some level that all five of them are being manipulated.

In science, it is believed that you cannot observe a system without changing it. The lives of these five young people have been affected by being in the documentary. The film is not just capturing the lives of these young people as they go through normal changes, it is also capturing how the films have changed them. Is it good or bad? You will have to decide that for yourself.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Game by Barry Lyga

Before I jump into this, I will say again that Barry Lyga is one of my favorite authors. When a new book is coming out by an author that I really like, I have always have this feeling of anticipation and slight dread that the newest book will not live up to my expectations. Well, no worries this time because Mr. Lyga has once again written an incredible story.

This is the sequel to I Hunt Killers, one of my favorite books from last year. We are once again following Jazz whose father is one of the most notorious and infamous serial killers in history. Jazz is not a killer but often hears the voice of his father in his head telling him to act on his thoughts. Because his father taught him to be a serial killer, Jazz has a unique perspective and an incredible amount of knowledge about  serial killers. Gaining some fame (must read the first book for details), Jazz is asked to assist with the hunt for a killer in New York City.

So Jazz finds himself immersed in New York Police Dept procedures (some he agrees with, some not so much). He visits crime scenes and examines evidence. He even finds himself taunted by the serial killer. The question always at the base of it all is whether his dad is behind it all.

It is a complex, mesmerizing tale of darkness and depravity. Jazz and the people around him (including the ones he left back in his small hometown) are never safe.

This is not the end of the story, and I can't wait for more.

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.