Review: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: March 16th 2010
Pages: 327
Genre: YA Paranormal Mystery/ Thriller
Series: The Body Finder #1
Source: Hardcover


Goodreads Summary:


Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.


Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.


Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself


Review:


I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book from the moment I saw it. The title alone was enough to get my attention. I love mystery thrillers and the title screams mystery thriller. If the title wasn’t enough the cover is gorgeous! After I read the synopsis I was hooked. I LOVED this book!!


The story is so original and it blew me away. Violet can sense things from any person or animal that was killed by another’s hands, intentionally or accidently. Each has its own “echo” a taste, a sound, a color, a smell, even a feel. Not only can she sense the echoes she can also sense the imprints, the matching sensation that the killer carries. Creepy! Not a gift I would want, but still awesome. She discovered she could do this as a child. Once she senses the echo, it will stay with her until the body is put to peace, found and buried. The only one who knows of Violets gift is her best friend, Jay and her parents. In the first book to this series, Violet finds a victim of a serial killer. After being a great help in the case and finding other bodies and finding the killer, she becomes his next victim. The book also has some romance heating up between Jay and Violet, which causes problems on its own.


An awesome story has awesome characters.


I couldn’t help but to love Violet and Jay. Violet is stubborn, sometimes I wanted to slap her, but I couldn’t really blame her for wanting to find the bodies she sensed. The echoes pull at her and drive her crazy. I really felt she handled her gift with a maturity level that 16 year olds really do not posses. Jay is also amazing. He is caring and protective and very patient. He understands her gift and helps her anyway he can. Another character I fell in love with was Violet’s uncle. He works in the local law enforcement and really is just manly and wonderful. He plays a vital role in the story; of course he is involved with the murders. He works in law enforcement. He has a great relationship with Violet and understands her gifts, he needs her help but also wants to keep her safe. I just love him.


The writing was so wonderful. The very first page pulled me in and I could not put the book down. The mystery was done very well. It really threw me for a loop. I also liked the way that Kimberly Derting gives us the killers POV too. So creepy but way cool. She also did a wonderful job with creating this world. I could really see and feel right along with Violet, at times where I was totally freaked out. The romance was spectacular. It starts off as friends and I was able to see it turning into something more. It was subtle and felt very honest.


So to sum it up New and Refreshing story, Awesome Characters, and Superb Writing! Go get the book, really you should. It’s Spectacular!


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