Review: Killer Instinct by S.E. Green

Author: S.E. Green
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Date of publication: May 2014

She’s not evil, but she has certain... urges.

Lane is a typical teenager. Loving family. Good grades. Afterschool job at the local animal hospital. Martial arts enthusiast. But her secret obsession is studying serial killers. She understands them, knows what makes them tick.

Why?

Because she might be one herself.

Killer Instinct involves Lane, who is the daughter of FBI agent parents, believes she has the potential top become a serial killer.  Although she hasn't killed yet, she channels her dark feelings into becoming a vigilante.  When a serial killer known as the Decapitator puts her in their cross hairs, she realizes the killer may be someone close to her.

I thought this was a unique take on a YA type Dexter.  Lane is an unlikable character who I ended up loving.  She is kind of cold and seemingly heartless. But there are moments when she actually shows feelings, especially toward her little brother. A lot of her internal dialogue also hints at this. She wants to be a vigilante, but she isn't too smart about it at first and makes some major mistakes.  I liked that she wasn't some bad ass perfect girl right off the bat.  Her screw ups made her more believable. She is awkward when it comes to interactions with other people.  This really shows in her dealings with the potential love interest in Zach.  That kind of went nowhere and really served no point other than to show her awkwardness. I'll admit it was my least favorite part of the book.

The mystery was good and the ending was surprising. It will be interesting to see what happens to Lane in the next book, especially with that reveal.  I'll be reviewing Killer Within later in the month.
I do recommend this one.  It's a fast read and one that kept my interest.  I would probably keep it to over 16 crowd.