The Body Finder

Author: Kimberly Derting

Series: The Body Finder # 1

Genres: Paranormal, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: HarperTeen

Released:  16 March 2010

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com 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

My Review: The Body Finder was one of those books that I had been meaning to read forever, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.  One of my fantastic friends on Goodreads (you can check out her awesome site by clicking here) had it under her recommendations, so last time I was at the bookstore I picked it up.  Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint.  I had read another of Derting’s work (The Pledge, review forthcoming…maybe) and I really enjoyed it.  Derting’s writing style has a way of sucking you, especially considering that it isn’t written in the first person, which I personally find to be most identifiable with from a reader’s standpoint.

I felt a little bit of Megan Miranda’s Fracture lining the pages of this novel, though this one came first, so I should probably go and fix that review instead.  The difference, however (I didn’t like Fracture) was the plot line of Finder.  This novel had a really interesting premise that I felt like was crafted really, really well, when it could have gone badly *cough*fracture*cough* The chemistry between Jay and Violet is immediate and excruciatingly lovely to read.  You just want stuff to happen, so that when if finally does it’s basically like cheering after a touch down at the big game.  Your heart basically explodes with excitement. No big deal.

I really enjoyed the small town vibe.  It felt very Cryer’s Cross (another that came after The Body Finder) which was a read that I DID very much enjoy.  The town of Buckley, WA felt so real, maybe because I originally come from the Pacific North West, but I felt like Derting had nailed it as far as the setting goes.  It made me a little bit homesick, which I was pleasantly surprised by.  Washington has been so commercialized lately because of Twilight, and that sometimes I think people have an overly romanticized view of rain 24/7, but the sun does shine, there is a thing called summer (not much of one, but like Violet says – high 70’s. Perfect end of summer weather.)  AKA: Not every one that lives there is a vampire…

Anyways, I’m getting a little sidetracked.  What is important is this: this book was well written.  It actually carried through and delivered a story that was well balanced between the budding relationship and the mystery that had my heart pounding (I scare easy, okay?!?).  I wasn’t able to put it down once I started it.  Although I don’t feel a desperate need to read the second one, and my to-read list it quite long so I may not get to it for a while, I will get to it.  This isn’t a series that I’m going to leave hanging.  The world of The Body Finder is one that I really enjoy, and one that I want to return to.  A great read for a weekend spent doing busy little nothings.