Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.
What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides—especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own. Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.
Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.
The Naturals is the first book in a young adult mystery series that has been described as teens meet Criminal Minds. I would have to say, I agree with that description.
I found this book during one of my many trips to Barnes and Noble. I’m terrible when it comes to B&N coupons, I just have to get a book. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes was that book.
I wanted something fairly light. Yeah, strange to say that a serial killer and profiling is light for me, but it is. Romance and Sci-fi actually takes more brain power for me. This kind of stuff I devour with glee.
Anyway, I actually found The Naturals a very enjoyable read. Now, it isn’t OMG Fan going crazy worthy, but it is fun. It had humor mixed in with the disturbing. It had characters who had fairly believable backgrounds that coincide with their “abilities”. Sure, the school part seemed a bit out and so did who the killer was. However, some characters also voice those disbeliefs. Which helped me out.
When a character is also scratching their head, it helps.
I will be honest, I didn’t see the killer coming. I wasn’t expecting who it turned out to be and it was great. There was even enough to hint at the background of the other characters to make you want more.
Casia's Corner 