The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Series: The Body Finder #1
Published by Harper Teen on March 16, 2010
Genres: Paranormal
Pages: 327
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

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.

OMG! What can I possibly say about a book as awesome as The Body Finder? I had read reviews for it so I knew people liked it before I read it but I never thought it would be that good. Kimberly Derting’s debut novel totally blew me away.

Violet’s ability to sense the dead is unlike anything I have ever read about. It was super creepy but I couldn’t help but keep reading. As Violet was drawn into the murders of local teenage girls the book became even more impossible to put down. And it was pretty impossible to put down from the beginning. The story was so fast-paced and brilliantly written.

The characters were probably the best part of the book. The subject is so morbid but I found myself laughing at so many things in The Body Finder. Jay was cute, cocky, and incredibly clever. He made me laugh the most but Violet’s other friends, Claire and Chelsea, were close seconds. Claire was so clueless and Chelsea was more than happy to point it out. Of course, Violet was also great but in completely different ways. She was insecure in everyday life but she was brave in hunting down a killer. I liked her contradictory nature.

Overall, The Body Finder should go straight to the top of everyone’s to-read list. I can’t recommend it enough and I can’t wait for more from Kimberly Derting. The Body Finder has earned a permanent place on my list of favorites.