I DON'T WANT TO KILL YOU

After dispatching the Torture House Killer, actually a demon disguised as an FBI Agent, 16-year-old John Wayne Cleaver, who keeps his sociopathic tendencies in check with a strict list of rules, contacted another demon known only as “Nobody” to let her know she was next on his list. John doesn’t know what powers Nobody might have; the two creatures he’s already killed had radically different abilities, so he suspects nearly everyone (I Am Not a Serial Killer and Mr. Monster, both 2010). He’s surprised at the plethora of secrets he uncovers in his tiny town as he begins his hunt…and then the killings start. They seem to mimic the “Handyman” killings in Georgia. With the help of his new girlfriend Marci, whose father is a policeman, John begins to work up a profile for the creature that’s killing “sinners” in Clayton. John’s also confused that Marci is so into him; he still struggles to understand “normal” emotions. A sudden rash of suicides prompts John to suspect that Nobody might have brought some backup. Can John keep his own monsters at bay and save the people of Clayton?  Wells’ third Cleaver tale is a study in profiling, and interested readers with strong constitutions will be unable to put it down (or turn off the light). John continues to evolve as a character, and the tantalizing conclusion hints at a new beginning. Frighteningly good. (Horror/thriller. YA)