Killer Instinct

October 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Cassie and her teenage partners in an FBI secret-criminal-investigation division are recovering from trauma and injuries resulting from the high-profile serial murder case they solved in the first book, The Naturals (Hyperion, 2013). Not only did they lose their leader turned serial killer, Agent Locke, their involvement provoked the attention of FBI authorities and they are now faced with the stoic, by-the-books replacement, Agent Sterling. Suddenly the Naturals are struggling with curfews and study sessions and are confined once again to cold cases. However, they are quickly involved in an ongoing investigation connected to Dean, the pensive and restrained profiler whose father is currently serving prison time for murder. In the course of the investigation, the Naturals are able to use their skills to find answers to aide the FBI. These answers come at a price; Dean must face his father, Cassie winds up confined to the house, and the other team members take considerable risks to acquire interviews and information. Readers will want to be familiar with the first book since the characters' skills and previous relationships are assumed information. The engaging plot moves at an even pace, though a bit slower than its predecessor, and the murder mystery is compelling. The love triangle among Cassie, Michael, and Dean continues and development of all the characters is furthered with revelations of their past. This is a definite purchase for libraries that were served well by the first title.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
In order to catch a serial killer, a quintet of gifted teens needs first to cooperate with one another in this sequel to The Naturals (2014). Cassie is a member of the FBI's Naturals program-a supersecret squad of gifted teens assigned to work cold cases. Cassie's a profiler; she learned at her con-artist mother's knee to read people's motivations and fears. Her teammates include an expert at reading emotions, someone with immense skill at both lying and detecting lies, a numbers whiz and another profiler. The serial-killer hunt that quickly entangles them all (not a cold case at all, but a live murderer they can't avoid) is a well-constructed and suspenseful mystery. But they'll never be able to catch the killer if they don't get their collective act together. The five teens and their adult caretakers are at constant loggerheads, fighting about both romance and secrets. One of the Naturals is a serial killer's son, the adult team members were involved in said killer's arrest, and the current killer seems to be a copycat. As in Cassie's previous adventure, all their gory mysteries revolve around the tragic pasts of multiple members of the Naturals team. A romance plotline, though its messy complexities are rich in verisimilitude, grates: Everybody wants a piece of Cassie. A welcome addition to the teen-sleuth genre. (Mystery. 12-15)

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November 1, 2014
Grades 8-11 Barnes follows up the promising debut title The Naturals (2013) with a fast-paced, stand-alone sequel. Cassie, Dean, Lia, Sloane, and Michael are 17-year-old FBI prot'g's in a secret program that trains gifted teens to solve criminal cases. Supposedly, they only work on cold cases, but when a grisly murder occurs on a nearby college campus, they immediately start working on the case, despite the FBI's orders. What complicates matters is that the murderer is using the same methods as imprisoned serial killer Daniel ReddingDean's father. Narrator Cassie gradually uncovers more truths about her fellow Naturals, and a fuller picture emerges of the group of gifted, misfit teens. Perhaps most intriguing are the chapters written in the voice of the killer(s), titled You in a nod to Cassie's method of profiling killers. Although the action follows standard plot devices (first real suspect is next person found dead), Barnes knows how to keep the reader hooked, and fans will be eagerly reaching for this title and hungry for the next in the series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)