UK ARC Review: The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting

A GIRL WITH A MORBID ABILITY
When a murder is committed it leaves a unique echo... on both the victim and the killer.  Most people are unaware of these echoes but Violet Ambrose has always been able to sense them.


A SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE
Now Violet's town is in the thrall of a serial killer the echos of the local girls he has murdered are haunting her.


AND THE BOY WHO WOULD NEVER LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO HER
The only shining light is Violet's best friend Jay.  She's started falling for him and his fierce protectiveness gives her hope that he may feel the same...


With the police at a loss, can Violet use her ability to stop the killer of is she in danger of becoming his next victim?

The Body Finder Series:
The Body Finder
Desires of the Dead
The Last Echo
There will be a fourth book in this series but the title and release date are currently unknown

Visit Kimberly Derting's website for more information

Review:
For as long as she can remember Violet has been able to sense echos from creatures that have been murdered, echos that are also left behind on their killer.  The echo can come in many forms - a sound, a vision or even a taste - and Violet feels compelled to track down the victim and give them a proper burial.  Luckily her finds are usually animals who have been killed by predators but she did make a much more sinister find when she was only 8 years old.  She is supported by her family and her best friend Jay who are all aware of her strange ability and with their help she has been able to cope with the things she has seen.  At the start of her freshman year things get a lot harder for Violet, she has feelings for Jay that go far beyond friendship and isn't sure how to deal with her emotions.  Even worse than that is the fact that a serial killer is at work in her town targeting young girls.  With the police struggling to find leads Violet is determined to use her ability to track down the killer but is she just placing herself, her family and her friends in danger or can she actually help?

I have to start with how much I enjoyed reading The Body Finder, it is up there with my favorite reads of the year & I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel Desires of the Dead.  It is hard to believe that this is Kimberly Derting's debut novel and she has definitely earned a spot on my list of must read authors.  The story is a great mix of romance and mystery with Violet's abilities adding a unique twist to the paranormal genre making it unlike anything else I've read before.

Violet is a likable character right from the beginning and I found her very easy to relate to but my favorite part of the book was probably the romance between her and her best friend Jay.  I have to confess I like the mysterious bad boy as much as the next girl but it's become such a common theme in YA paranormal stories recently that I found it a refreshing change to read about a relationship developing between friends.  Violet and Jay have been best friends since they were 6 years old, they spend all of their time together and know each other inside out.  The new feelings they are developing for each other catches Violet unprepared and I loved watching her process her emotions.  Jay is one of my favorite male characters, he is sweet and caring but he is also protective and completely hot.  The banter between him & Violet had me laughing out loud and I loved the fact that they both give as good as they get.  Their relationship is backed up by a long shared history and that really adds depth to the story.

The mystery is well written and has a couple of surprising twists that left me on the edge on my seat in places.  I found it interesting having some of the chapters told from the killers perspective - those chapters were very creepy to read but weren't too graphic in detail which I was grateful for.  I would recommend this book for all fans of young adult paranormal stories - get hold of a copy today, you won't regret it.

Source: Received for review from Headline in exchange for an honest review

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