8.4 /10 1 Votes
9.3/10 Fantasy Book Review Language English Pages 288 Originally published 2009 Followed by Mr. Monster Country United States of America | 3.8/5 Goodreads 4.1/5 Barnes & Noble Publication date 2009 (UK), 2010 (US) ISBN 0-7553-4881-8 Page count 288 Genres Horror fiction, Thriller | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Publisher Tor (US), Headline (UK) Media type Print hardcover and paperback Similar Dan Wells books, John Cleaver Series books, Horror fiction books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I Am Not A Serial Killer is a 2009 thriller novel written by Dan Wells. It is the first installment in the John Wayne Cleaver trilogy. Its sequel, Mr. Monster, was released in 2010 in the UK. The third installment, I Don't Want To Kill You, was released in January 2011 in the UK and in March 2011 in the US. The fourth installment, The Devil's Only Friend was released June 15, 2015. The fifth installment, Over Your Dead Body was released on May 3, 2016
Contents
Wells has stated that he wrote the book with himself as the target audience and that although "a teenager protagonist means the book is [young adult]", the book "is 'adult' enough that different markets are treating it very differently: in the UK it’s a YA horror, in Germany it’s an adult thriller, and in the US it’s being marketed to both audiences."
Plot summary
The book follows 15-year-old John Wayne Cleaver, a diagnosed sociopath who lives above a mortuary owned by his mother. He fears that he is "fated" to become a serial killer, and so lives by a set of rules designed to keep his homicidal impulses in check. His careful regime of self-denial is threatened when he becomes ensnared in a serial murder case in which he senses a connection with the killer.
Reception
Critical reception for I Am Not A Serial Killer was mostly positive, many reviewers stating that the book's twist partway through the novel "may turn off thriller readers who prefer not to mix genres." Kirkus Reviews praised the book for its "completely believable teenage sociopath (with a heart of gold), dark humor, a riveting mystery and enough description of embalming to make any teen squeamish even if they won’t admit it".
Film adaption
Billy O'Brien directed a film adaption, which stars Christopher Lloyd, Max Records and Laura Fraser. Animator Toby Froud has done design work for the film, while Robbie Ryan serves as cinematographer.