Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Blink got his name because he blinks uncontrollably. He's on the run from a weak mother and a stepfather who is too strong for his own good. Over the past six months of living on the streets, he thinks he's gotten pretty good at finding clothes and food, but one day that gets him into trouble.

Caution named herself. Caution: Contents May Be Hot. Cation: Poison. She's running away from a tragedy for which she just can't forgive herself. She thinks she deserves nothing and has gotten mixed up with a dangerous drug dealer, hoping that he will be her salvation -- her death.

Blink and Caution cross paths before she steals his money, but they never notices each other before meeting at the train station, headed for Kingston. This meeting propels them on a journey that neither could have even invented from their dreams, and ultimately leads to precious forgiveness and friendship. Hopefully they can survive long enough to enjoy the life they never imagined.

This is some seriously good teen noir crime suspense. Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Mr. Monster by Dan Wells

I don't often review sequels or books that aren't the first in a series, but I think that there are some readers to whom this book will appeal . . . but be warned: it's certainly not for everyone.

Mr. Monster is the second book in a horrifying series that starts with I Am Not a Serial Killer. John Wayne Cleaver is obsessed with serial killers, and he's also a diagnosed teen-aged sociopath. He already took care of one demon killer in Clayton County, though no one really knows the whole story (like the fact that the killer really was an actual demon, or the fact that John's the one that destroyed him). Now there is a new serial killer in town, and John craves details to help answer some of the essential questions: Are the two killers related? Who is the new killer? Why is he killing? Before long, many of John's questions are answered, but it may be too late. How can he hold onto his "John the Brave" reputation if he can't figure out how to NOT to die.

John lives in a mortuary -- which feeds, and also calms, his obsession with death -- and this series contains very graphic descriptions of embalming, along with murder, torture, and death. These books are meant for those with strong stomachs, but beyond the gross, the storytelling richly combines the genres of thriller, horror, and fantasy into a mystery at which you can't quite stop staring, long after each page is turned. As each professional and reader review points out, adult and teen fans of the TV series Dexter will love this.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

John Wayne Cleaver is obsessed with serial killers. With a name like "John Wayne" as a nod to Gacy and the last name "Cleaver," how could he not be? Plus, his mom and aunt are morticians, and he's often allowed to help prepare bodies. When it becomes clear that a killer is in town, John is fascinated. However, even he's frightened when he discovers who -- and what -- the killer is.

Recommended to older teen readers with an interest in the strange, the otherworldly, and the unexpected. This is the first volume of a planned trilogy.

Call number: YA WELLS

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Night Road by A. M. Jenkins

About this book, YA author Robert Lipsyte says, "Read this as a tense thriller about vampires on a road trip, or read it as a metaphorical tour de force about a boy becoming a man. But read it!"

Cole has been summoned back to Manhattan to the Building for a meeting with Johnny, where he is given the responsibility of caring for and teaching newbie Gordo how to survive as a hemovore. ("'Hemo, meaning blood. Vorare, meaning to devour.'" Never VAMPIRES.) Since becoming a heme, Gordo has been allowed to live within the safety of the Building, feeding whenever he wants, without the worry of taking too much blood and making a willing participant a victim instead. He doesn't understand self-control, self-sufficiency, or self-discipline. In order to teach Gordo the ways of the world, Cole and Sandor take him out on the road; no destination in mind because, really, it's the being out in the real world that's the thing. Of course, now that he's stripped of security, he's forced to fully grasp the facts of his new life and finds that he's lonely and homesick. His self-hatred and desperation drives him to make a decision: to fast . . . no feeding, at all, ever again. The problem is, hemes HAVE to feed. Eventually he will break and then self-control will be impossible.

The ending of Night Road is a bit rushed and too neatly concluded, some elements don't really add up to much of anything, and the suspense falls short of expectations, but the relationships among the characters are beautiful, and experiencing the lives of the hemes could make us think about our own. I'll admit, as a coming-of-age metaphorical tour de force, I am a big fan of this book. Where the suspense was lackluster, the writing was thrilling.

Recommended to high school readers, especially boys who either won't admit to liking the Twilight series, or those who really didn't like it because of all the romance and drama.
Call number: YA JENKINS (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian