The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Body Finder
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Harpercollins
Rating: 9/10

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 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 dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope 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 Thoughts: I read this book back at the end of summer and now, in March, I still remember it. The Body Finder is that good.

From the first page, I was hooked. The Body Finder is so spooky, thrilling, and all-around entertaining that you just won't want to put it down. I read this in the summer, when the sun was shining bright, but man, I still felt chills while I was reading this, and my heart was racing as the end drew near and I was trying to figure out who The Killer was. The ending was absolutely FANTASTIC and completely unexpected.

The plot was the best part of the book. It was unique, fast-paced, and what kept you unable to put the book down. The characters were also completely unique and easy to relate to. The romance, while slow at first, is realistic. It adds a nice touch to the story while never taking over the plot. 100% Team Jay!

Overall, I highly recommend this debut and I look forward to reading more by Derting.