KILLER INSTINCT by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Copy Cat

After their catastrophe with (agent turned serial killer) Locke last summer, the Naturals had a short reprieve. They had a chance to solve a kidnapping and rescue a young girl. But celebrations were cut short when Agent Sterling arrived to take the reins to keep them in line, which means no more active cases for the team. But a body was found in a university grounds, and the M.O. is very familiar to Dean. It would seem that his dad now has a copy cat on the loose.

“Maybe, to do what you and I do, we have to have a little bit of the monster in us.”

For me, to simply say that KILLER INSTINCT is a good read is an understatement. When I read the 1st installment, THE NATURALS, it had been my favorite YA Mystery for 2013. This series is getting better, and I have no problem highly recommending it.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes managed to keep every element together –the suspense, the careful fleshing of characters, and even that love triangle I was not very keen about last time. I truly admire her for keeping the reader at the edge of the seat and pulling up a huge twist at the end.

A job well is done. I will eagerly wait for the next installment.

Book details:
Title: Killer Instinct
Series: The Naturals #2
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publication: Disney-Hyperion, November 4, 2014
Genre: YA, Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Rating: ★★★★★

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THE NATURALS by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

YA Criminal Minds 

I have to let the gushing out first… I totally love this book.  This here is my favorite YA mystery/ thriller/ crime story of the year.  Don't worry, that surprised me too.  As you know I love a good mystery thriller- after reading a lot in that genre, and watching plenty of CSI, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, and Sherlock -I have to say that this just took me by surprise. 

The surprise wasn't just the twist at the end, it was the characters foremost.  I love how Cassie was characterized.  Cassie is a natural profiler.  She can look at a person- clothes, stance, facial expression, eye contact - and tell exactly what kind of a person he/she is.  She’s not the well rounded good girl or a heart-of-gold kind of character.  She’s a regular kid with troubles hanging on her shoulder, and plenty of attitudes going on.  She was brought up in a rather felonious environment.  Being a fake fortune teller, Cassie’s mother used her to profile people while they line up for fortune-telling.   Then one day, her mother was assumed dead; her blood was splattered around her dressing room, although her body was never found.

For some reason, the FBI knew about Cassie’s ability.  A quick turn of events landed her under an FBI program for gifted teens just like her.  All these teens are uniquely gifted with different profiling specializations.  I have to say that Barnes is pretty brave casting an ensemble like this, but I believe, too, that she knows the trick.  I like how their characters were developed to support the whole story, making it a whole mesh of interlocking contribution.  It just felt like omitting someone means leaving a hole in the story.

“And the one thing this so-called psychic won't see coming is you.”

I also love how the narration transports you into the mind of the killer, and in spite of that, the story kept me guessing until the end.  Nothing was squeamish too - crimes were laid out as any crimes should be.  The brutality of the crimes will pull in any reader. It was futile to look away.  And that’s one of the best characteristics of this book.

This is a really good start for a series –good plot, unique characters, and an unpredictable twist.  What worries me is the love triangle involved here; it seems to me that almost every YA series operates on that.  But then again, if Barnes can work that to her advantage, so be it. I just truly hope that she can keep the thrill and the pace intact in this series.  So, here I am crossing my fingers and wishing her Godspeed.

Book details: 

Title:  The Naturals
Series:  The Naturals #1

Author:  Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Published:  November 5, 2013

Genre:  YA, Mystery/ Thriller/ Crime

Source: Purchased

Rating:  ★★★★★

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