I Am Not a Serial Killer is a 2009 horror novel written by American author Dan Wells,[1] originally published by Tor Books.

It follows teenager John Wayne Cleaver, a diagnosed sociopath, as he seeks to expose a serial killer that has come to his midwestern hometown.

He fears that he is "destined" to become a serial killer, so lives by a set of rules designed to keep his homicidal impulses in check and keep him "normal".

He forces himself not to obsess over any one person, to sit with a boy named Max during lunch to maintain a sort of friendship, and to attend therapy sessions with a counselor, Dr. Neblin.

After a serial killer comes to Clayton County, North Dakota, John decides to throw all his rules aside in order to catch the culprit.

Critical reception for I Am Not a Serial Killer was mostly positive,[12] with many reviewers stating that the book's twist partway through the novel "may turn off thriller readers who prefer not to mix genres".

[13][14] Author Jack Heath praised the novel as having "plenty of thematic merit", and noted that "all the characters are richly identifiable, including–and I can't stress enough how impressed I was by this–the serial killer...Wells is a first-time novelist, and yet he's already created a sympathetic villain, the holy grail of thriller writing.

"[15] Kirkus Reviews praised the book for its "completely believable teenage sociopath (with a heart of gold), dark humor, a riveting mystery and enough description of embalming to make any teen squeamish even if they won't admit it.

[17] Brandon Sanderson, also a New York Times bestselling author, wrote: "the beauty of the prose, mixed with the depth of characterization, gave the haunting, first person narrative a human touch .

"[17] Billy O'Brien directed a film adaptation, which stars Christopher Lloyd, Max Records,[20] and Laura Fraser.

[22] Daniel M. Gold of The New York Times described the movie as a "well-filmed indie that doesn't let its low budget get in the way of some true chills.