Publishing Information: Kindle; 321 pages
Publisher: Tor; 29 March 2011
ISBN 10: 0765328445
ISBN 13: 978-0765328441
ASIN: B004H1TQ94
Series: Book 3 in the John Cleaver Series
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson
Synopsis: "Dan Wells introduced us to John Wayne Cleaver in the chilling novels I Am Not a Serial Killer and Mr. Monster. In I Don't Want to Kill You, Cleaver faces his toughest challenge yet.
John Wayne Cleaver has called a demon---literally called it on the phone---and challenged it to a fight. He’s faced two monsters already, barely escaping with his life, and now he’s done running; he’s taking the fight to them. As he wades through the town’s darkest secrets, searching for any sign of who the demon might be, one thing becomes all too clear: in a game of cat and mouse with a supernatural killer, you are always the mouse.
In I Am Not a Serial Killer we watched a budding sociopath break every rule he had to save his town from evil. In Mr. Monster we held our breath as he fought madly with himself, struggling to stay in control. Now John Wayne Cleaver has mastered his twisted talents and embraced his role as a killer of killers. I Don't Want to Kill You brings his story to a thundering climax of suspicion, mayhem, and death.
It’s time to punish the guilty.
And in a town full of secrets, everyone is guilty of something."
The first two novels in the series were very impressive and I had my doubts that the momentum and the pace could keep up with expectations and still feel fresh. I am happy to report that Dan Wells delivers and the final book in the series, I Don't Want to Kill You, is just as amazing as the first two books.
This time John Cleaver has decided to wage war against the creatures that prey on humankind. He has finally come to terms with himself and now plans to use his unique "gifts" to bring the battle to them. The quickest way to find them is to call them and issue a challenge. What he gets is far more than he bargained for and really ups the ante in the series.
This is a horror/mystery series and I do not want to give away too much, but I will say that John and his cohorts continue to grow as characters and the challenge that he faces continue to impress. While some parts of the novel and the series feel very paranormal, Wells does an impressive job of keeping the setting as normal as possible. That is really where the strength of the novel comes into play. The book never goes off course and takes a huge leap of faith beyond the "creature" found within the pages of the series.
I cannot express how much I enjoyed this series and each book was just as good as the last if not better. When I reached the end of I Don't Want to Kill You, I was sad because this was the end of the series and I was begging for more. I wanted Wells to take me to the next level and with luck he will. If you have not taken the time to read this serhes, do yourself a favor and start. The John Cleaver series was an amazing find and I cannot express well enough how good it felt to read something so fresh and different. Highly recommended.
Plot 9/10
Characters 9.5/10
Style 9.5/10
Overall 9.5/10
