SYNOPSIS

I Am Not a Serial Killer is the story of John Cleaver, a 15-year-old sociopath who works in a mortuary, dreams about death, and thinks he might be turning into a serial killer. He sets strict rules to keep himself “good” and “normal,” but when a real monster shows up in his town he has to let his dark side out in order to stop it–but without his rules to keep him in check, he might be more dangerous than the monster he’s trying to kill.

John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it. Obsessed with serial killers, he never wants to be one. Yet terrible impulses constantly tempt him.

Having grown up helping his mom at the family mortuary, dead bodies are no big deal to John. He likes them, actually. They don’t ask for the empathy he’s unable to offer. Perhaps that’s what gives him the clarity to recognize that something is frighteningly different about the freshest body on the slab.

For the first time, John must confront a danger outside his own mind, a threat he cannot control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could.

REVIEWS

“Fans of Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series and its TV spinoff will welcome Wells’s gripping debut, the first in a projected trilogy featuring 15-year-old sociopath John Wayne Cleaver. . . . Wells does a good job entering the mind of his unlikely protagonist.”–Publishers Weekly

“The beauty of the prose, mixed with the depth of characterization, gave the haunting, first person narrative a human touch . . . Regardless of your age or your genre preferences, you will find this story both profound and enthralling.”–Brandon Sanderson, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Brilliant! Full of unforgettable characters, creepy thrills, and dangerous twists you won’t see coming.”–Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author, on I Don’t Want to Kill You

“Dazzling and unputdownable.”
–F. Paul Wilson, New York Times bestselling author

“Dan Wells’s debut novel is the first volume of a trilogy that will keep you awake and then haunt your dreams”.
—Goodreads Author, Top Ten Websites 2007.

“Complex, gruesome and frightening, yet brilliant and bold.”
—Wondrous Reads, A Borders bookseller blog.

“This dazzling, unput-downable debut novel proves beyond a doubt that Dan Wells has the gift. His teenage protagonist is as chilling as he is endearing. More John Wayne Cleaver, please.”
—F. Paul Wilson, NYT Bestselling Author and Multiple Stoker Award Winner.

“You’ll keep holding on to the character of John, who offers sincere vulnerability while managing to terrify you with what he could become.”
—Ben Olsen, Amazon user review.