Game by Barry Lyga

by:  Barry Lyga
published by:  Little, Brown for Young Readers
publish date:  April 16, 2013

When a desperate New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz's door asking for help with a new case, Jazz can't say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple--and its police force running scared with no leads. So Jazz and his girlfriend Connie hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer's murderous game.

I read I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga back in December.  I liked it.  I was looking forward to this sequel.  It definitely lived up to the first book.

In Game, Jazz is collaborating with NYC detectives to capture the Hat-Dog killer.  (I hated that name btw)  Jazz figures out the underlying pattern of the killer and what the motivation is.  His serial killer father gets thrown in the mix.  It made for a great slice 'em and dice 'em thriller.

Now, saying that.  I had a little bit of a problem with this book being classified as YA.  This is one of those books that maybe more appropriate for the "New Adult" genre.  There was a lot of talk about rape and castration and other violent acts.  These books are a lot like the TV show Dexter and that's rated TV-MA. On the other hand, the characters are all teenagers and act like teenagers most of the time, so in that regard I can understand why it would be labeled YA.   Anyway, my two cents on the subject.

The book ended with a major cliffhanger so there will be another book in this series.   Not sure when that will be coming out, but I will definitely be checking it out!