The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

The Naturals

Jennifer Lynn Barnes.

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First Book: The Naturals.

Cassie is a natural at reading people. Using 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 want Cassie in on it.

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. Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger is close. 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.

Characters: Cassie Hobbes, Michael Townsend, Lia Zhang, Sloane Tavish, Dean Redding, Briggs, Locke, Judd.

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Second Book: Killer Instinct.

Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in a FBI program for teens with crime-solving abilities, and into some dangerous situations. After barely escaping an encounter with a killer obsessed with her mother's murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean's incarcerated father. Forced deeper into a murderer's psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the killer's mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

Characters: Cassie Hobbes, Michael Townsend, Lia Zhang, Sloane Tavish, Dean Redding, Briggs, Stirling, Judd, The Director

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Third Book: All In.

After a string of confusing murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team's profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike many serial killers, this one uses different methods every time. All of the victims were killed in public, yet the killer does not show up on any security feed. And each victim has a string of numbers tattooed on their wrist. Hidden in the numbers is a code-and the closer the Naturals come to solving the mystery, the more deadly the case becomes.

Characters: Cassie Hobbes, Michael Townsend, Lia Zhang, Sloane Tavish, Dean Redding, Briggs, Stirling, Judd, Cassie’s Father, Sloane’s Family

Lacey Locke/Hobbes: Character Analysis.

The Naturals:

Lacey Locke/Hobbes

Lacey Locke is one of the agents that works with The Naturals in the first book, she is a profiler and primarily works with Dean and Cassie. She becomes close to Cassie and the two appear to have a good relationship until it is revealed that Locke (Hobbes) is Cassie’s aunt and was angry with her sister, Lorelai for leaving her. Lorelai and Lacey grew up in an abusive household and Lorelai would protect Lacey until she became pregnant with Cassie and had to leave for her safety. Lacey was hurt and angry because she could’ve taken her with her. Locke turns out to be the one who was killing all of the women in the book. As well as some earlier ones that Cassie, Sloane, and Michael discovered. She killed them because they reminded her of her sister with their red hair. At the beginning, she traveled from place to place never killing in the same place twice however once Cassie arrived she began killing more in the same place. This was possibly to gain Cassie’s attention. She worked in the Naturals program for several years, possibly have a close relationship with Dean Redding. She knows about his father, which she mentions at the end of the book regarding his fear of turning out just like his father.

Significant Character Relations:

Cassie Hobbes: Locke was the one who was training Dean and Cassie in the beginning. She seems to believe that her and Cassie can be some kind of aunt/niece killing duo considering she tries to make her kill Genevieve. Cassie refused and Locke killed her instead. Locke almost kills Cassie but is stopped by Michael Townsend who shot her several times.

Tanner Briggs: Briggs was Locke’s partner in the first book and it is possible that they’ve worked together for several years however Briggs never found Locke’s true identity or the fact that she was a serial killer.

Lorelai Hobbes: Lorelai is Locke’s older sister who tried to protect her from their abusive father growing up. However, once Lorelai discovered that she was pregnant she fled.

Sloane Tavish: Character Analysis

The Naturals:

Sloane Tavish

Sloane Tavish is a statistics expert apart of the Naturals program. She could easily be compared to Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds, the two are similar when it comes to their brains and remembering information. Not much is known about her past until the third book when the group travels to Vegas. There it is discovered that she is the illegitimate child of a casino owner in Vegas. It is revealed that her talent for memorization comes from trying to impress her father as a child. However, he wanted nothing to do with her considering she would be “bad” for his reputation. During the third book, she meets her brother and instantly uses her knowledge to try and get him to like her. He does end up liking her and they become close, he even invites her to a show that his female companion (who is a hypnotist) is putting on. However, towards the end of the book he is killed by the murderer and it breaks her. She spends most of her time playing over the tape of his death, clearly taking it hard. This is even more obvious when Michael returns and she immediately tells him not to leave her again.

Significant Character Relations:

Cassie Hobbes: Cassie and Sloane are roommates and Sloane is the last person that Cassie meets in the first book, throughout the books Cassie tries to be there for Sloane and include her in the things that they do as a group. Sloane assists Cassie in hacking Locke’s flas hdrive in the first book.

Michael Townsend: Sloane and Michael are very close, however this isn’t evident until the third book. In this book, they appear to be closer and Sloane is terrified when Michael goes to the poker tournament. It is possible that they could end up dating in the next book.

Lia Zhang: Sloane and Lia are very close, as demonstrated in the books. In the third book, Sloane is being weird about them going to Las Vegas and because of that Lia has a talk with Cassie regarding who is to be “focused” on when it comes to the issues.

Sloane’s Brother: She meets her brother at the hotel the group are staying in, he’s the manager and is the one that shows them around. She tries to impress him with various facts and in the end, the two are very close.

Dean Redding: Character Analysis.

The Naturals:

Dean Redding

Dean Redding is the son of a famous serial killer named Daniel Redding who tortured and killed several women. He has been apart of the program the longest, having been recruited by Tanner Briggs when he was 12 after his father was arrested for the murders.  It is obvious that this is something that Dean doesn’t like talking about, considering Cassie didn’t find out until she had been reading through the interviews. His father may be the reason that he was so closed-off and guarded in the beginning of the first book. As the books progressed, Dean became more relaxed around the others especially Cassie He tends to keep his feelings bottled, something that may end up hurting someone in the long run. This fact is one of the reasons that Michael Townsend doesn’t agree with him, considering his past with anger. His father being a serial killer is a big part of who Dean is. A lot of people in the book have considered him to be end up just like his father, something mentioned by Agent Locke at the end of the first book. The second book seems to focus primarily on him, considering the killer is mimicking his father’s kills. While Dean was never targeted by the killer, he did have to go to the jail several times to speak to his father regarding letters he may have gotten. Cassie is forced to watch one and it is clear that Daniel Redding sees Dean as a prize not as his son. This is most likely a big contributing factor in who Dean is.

Significant Character Relations:

Cassie Hobbes: Dean is a profiler just like Cassie, they initially meet in the garage of the house where he is working out. At the beginning, he is cold towards her but as the story continues they get closer. He gains romantic feelings for her as well and ends up dating her by the end of the second book.

Michael Townsend: Michael and Dean have a complicated relationship, while they do care about each other there are aspects that they don’t like about the other. For instance, Michael doesn’t like that Dean keeps all of his anger pent up.

Lia Zhang: Lia was the second one to be added to the Naturals program, therefore she and Dean have lived together for several years and have developed a brother-sister relationship where both are equally protective over the other.

Agent Briggs: It is likely that Dean and Briggs share a close relationship, although it is never touched on in the series.

Agent Stirling: Agent Stirling was the last woman to be kidnapped by Daniel Redding (undercover) and received help from Dean who helped her escape. This led to the arrest of Daniel Redding.

Lia Zhang: Character Analysis.

The Naturals:

Lia Zhang

Lia Zhang was the second one to be added to the Naturals program, growing up alongside Dean Redding. Not much was known about her past in the first two books besides the fact that she is able to detect lies. Because of this ability, she is pretty good at lying as well. It is also known that she was living on the streets before she was accepted. In the third book, it is discovered that she grew up in a cult before (possibly) escaping. It could be possible that she gained her ability to detect lies from growing up in that environment. She could have been surrounded by people who lied or was taught how to lie therefore knowing how to tell when someone is lying to her. She enjoys to tease and mess with people. She will tease Cassie regarding her crush on Dean and knows how to get even with people. In the first book, she is having a disagreement with Michael and because of this, dares Cassie to kiss Dean to make him jealous.

Significant Character Relations:

Cassie Hobbes: The relationship between Lia & Cassie is complicated, while they are friends and could be considered close, Lia also isn’t afraid to call Cassie out when she is focusing mostly on herself instead of considering someone else’s position in the situation.

Dean Redding: Lia was the second one to be added to the Naturals program, therefore she and Dean have lived together for several years and have developed a brother-sister relationship where both are equally protective over the other.

Michael Townsend: In the first book, it becomes obvious that Michael and Lia have an on-off relationship. It is noted by Cassie that they would never really work because they are too similar. Lia clearly cares about Michael, especially when he returns from his father’s house in a weird state.

Sloane Tavish: Sloane and Lia are very close, as demonstrated in the books. In the third book, Sloane is being weird about them going to Las Vegas and because of that Lia has a talk with Cassie regarding who is to be “focused” on when it comes to the issues.

Michael Townsend: Character Analysis.

The Naturals:

Michael Townsend

Michael Townsend is one of the other main characters in the series. He grew up with an abusive father, therefore he learned how to read emotions so he would know whether or not his father was angry. He immediately demonstrates this ability when he meets Cassie Hobbes in the diner where he leaves Agent Briggs’s number for her to call. He is also the one that ends up picking her up to take her to the house. Throughout the book series, not a lot is known about Michael’s home life. It is not known that he is abused until the second book, which is revealed by Dean Redding during one of their arguments. It is evident throughout the series that he cares about Cassie in a romantic sense. He risks his life for her in the first book and ends up killing Agent “Locke”. Then in the second book, he doesn’t let her go anywhere alone. When he learns that she is dating Dean, he is clearly broken up about it. When the two come back to the house, he is seen beating his car. In the third book, he is targeted by Nightshade. Instead of getting protection, he goes to the Poker tournament under the idea that it would help catch the killer.

Significant Character Relations:

Cassie Hobbes: Michael is the one that initially meets her at the diner, he leaves Agent Briggs’s card on the table and is one that picks her up to take her to Quantico. Throughout the first two books, he flirts with her and it is evident that he cares about her and wants to be with her romantically.

Lia Zhang: In the first book, it becomes obvious that Michael and Lia have an on-off relationship. It is noted by Cassie that they would never really work because they are too similar. Lia clearly cares about Michael, especially when he returns from his father’s house in a weird state

Dean Redding: Michael and Dean have a complicated relationship, while they do care about each other there are aspects that they don’t like about the other. For instance, Michael doesn’t like that Dean keeps all of his anger pent up.

Sloane Tavish: Sloane and Michael are very close, however this isn’t evident until the third book. In this book, they appear to be closer and Sloane is terrified when Michael goes to the poker tournament. It is possible that they could end up dating in the next book.

Cassie Hobbes: Character Analysis.

The Naturals:

Cassie Hobbes

Cassandra “Cassie” Hobbes is the protagonist of the series, in the first book she is discovered by the FBI to be entered into The Naturals program which uses teenagers with exceptional talents to solve cold cases. Cassie is a profiler which means that she’s an expert at reading people. She gained this ability in her childhood, as her mother was a “psychic” who taught her how to recognize even the tiniest details. Throughout the book series, it is evident that Cassie is more empathetic than her fellow Naturals. Such as in the third book, where she is genuinely happy when her profiling led to the rescue of a little girl. She cares about the people that they’re rescuing, something the others can’t relate to. She also always seems to get herself into trouble, however it is debatable whether this is actually her fault. In the first book, she is targeted by a killer copying her mother’s murder who turned out to be one of the agents teaching her about profiling. Then in the second book, she is kidnapped by Daniel Redding’s apprentice along with Agent Stirling. However, in the third book she is never targeted specifically. However, a killer who went by Nightshade had requested to speak with her revealing that her mother was still alive and apart of the same cult as he was.

Significant Character Relations:

Michael Townsend: Michael is the one that initially meets her at the diner, he leaves Agent Briggs’s card on the table and is one that picks her up to take her to Quantico. Throughout the first two books, he flirts with her and it is evident that he cares about her and wants to be with her romantically.

Dean Redding: Dean is a profiler just like Cassie, they initially meet in the garage of the house where he is working out. At the beginning, he is cold towards her but as the story continues they get closer. He gains romantic feelings for her as well and ends up dating her by the end of the second book.

Lia Zhang: The relationship between Lia & Cassie is complicated, while they are friends and could be considered close, Lia also isn’t afraid to call Cassie out when she is focusing mostly on herself instead of considering someone else’s position in the situation.

Agent Locke: The agent that was training Cassie who turns out to be her aunt and the killer in the first book. Once she tells Cassie who she is, she tries to make her kill the woman that she had kidnapped.