Monday, May 28, 2012

REVIEW: Mr. Monster by Dan Wells

Mr. Monster by Dan Wells
Publishing information: Kindle; 290 pages
Publisher: Tor; 28 September 2010
ISBN 10: 0765327902
ISBN 13: 978-0765327901
ASIN: B003OUXE88
Series: Book 2 of the John Cleaver series
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "I killed a demon. I don’t know if it was really, technically a demon, but I do know that he was some kind of monster, with fangs and claws and the whole bit, and he killed a lot of people. So I killed him. I think it was the right thing to do. At least the killing stopped.

Well, it stopped for a while.

In I Am Not a Serial Killer, John Wayne Cleaver saved his town from a murderer even more appalling than the serial killers he obsessively studies. But it turns out even demons have friends, and the disappearance of one has brought another to Clayton County. Soon there are new victims for John to work on at the mortuary and a new mystery to solve. But John has tasted death, and the dark nature he used as a weapon---the terrifying persona he calls "Mr. Monster"---might now be using him.

No one in Clayton is safe unless John can vanquish two nightmarish adversaries: the unknown demon he must hunt and the inner demon he can never escape.

In this sequel to his brilliant debut, Dan Wells ups the ante with a thriller that is just as gripping and even more intense. He apologizes in advance for the nightmares."


The follow up to I Am Not a Serial Killer takes right up where the first book left off. When John Cleaver takes the cell phone from the last serial killer and calls one of his friends, the killing in his small town begins again. Only this time, John has some personal demons that he must also avoid bringing to the surface. Mr. Monster, his violent personality is fighting for control of John.

In the first novel in the series, we learned that we are not alone and that there are other "creatures" living amongst us. Now, John is being hunted by the previous novels killer. John now has two battles, his personal battle and the battle that has come to find him as the creature is looking for its friend that has disappeared.

Without giving too much away, Mr. Monster is an amazing sequel. The mystery that made the first novel so impressive is still there and Wells does a great job of making the characters and situation still feel very fresh. With a lot of sequels the momentum slows down, but that is not the case with Mr. Monster. the thrills and chills are still there and just add to the richness that is the series. Highly Recommended.

Plot 8/10
Characters 9.5/10
Style 9/10

Overall 9.5/10