Ask a Bookseller: ‘Before the Hunt’ by Barry Lyga

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Before the Hunt’ by Barry Lyga

From Ask a Bookseller by Minnesota Public Radio

May 30, 2026 · 2 min

About this episode

The episode features John Shableski discussing Barry Lyga's YA short story collection 'Before the Hunt'.

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now. There’s been a trend on Ask a Bookseller these past few months of books that make you feel good about the world. This week, we’re in for something different. John Shableski of The Otto Bookstore in Williamsport, Penn., says the book that kept him up reading too late at night recently is a collection of YA short stories by Barry Lyga entitled “Before the Hunt.” The book is the first prequel of Lyga’s YA thriller “I Hunt Killers” trilogy. Both books feature 17-year-old Jasper “Jazz” Dent, whose father is a serial killer. “If you like Dexter and Hunger Games with a twist of humor, this book is spot on,” says Shableski. “Before the Hunt” takes place before Jazz’s father is discovered and jailed. Set in a small town in Georgia, Shableski says, “It's a wonderful take on a 17-year-old's perspective of life and love and happiness — and also dealing with the fact that his father is a serial killer. He struggles with the nurture-versus-nature thing, because as he likes to say in one of the books, ‘Take Your Kid to Work Day was…

People in this episode

Guest: John Shableski

Topics covered

  • young adult literature
  • horror
  • serial killers
  • family dynamics
  • humor

Keywords

  • Before the Hunt
  • Barry Lyga
  • young adult
  • horror
  • serial killer
  • I Hunt Killers
  • John Shableski

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Before the Hunt, I Hunt Killers

Places: Georgia, Williamsport, Penn.

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