The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

  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.

  I have to admit, I kinda did judge this book by it's title. I mean, The Body Finder? It sounds creepy and morbid, yet in reality it is anything but. The suspense began on the very first page when Violet finds the body of a murdered girl behind her home, in the woods. I was a goner. Kimberly Derting really knows how to tell a good story, weaving and building up the mystery and romance elements together perfectly. You think you have it figured out and then suddenly you realize it's not that way at all. The way the book changed from Violet's point of view to the killer's was just perfect, and terribly thrilling-- let's just say I'm carrying pepper spray in my purse from now on. 

  I have to say I like Violet as a character very much. She isn't stuck up or self- righteous, she just wants to do the right thing, and the author captures these emotions very nicely. And Jay (sigh) is, well, wonderful, charming, and protective-- what more could a girl ask for? I firmly believe that people who are friends first have the best relationships, simply because they truly know each other. Even the minor characters, who quite often get pushed to the side in some books, were bursting with personality: I personally adore Violet's outspoken, say-it-like-it-is friend Chelsea-- she cracked me up with her constant bring it on attitude. I can guarantee everyone will find something in common with at least one person in the novel.

  All in all, this was a completely original, chilling and mesmerizing book that I will definitely want to read over again. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Desires of the Dead! 

My Favorite Quote: "She needed Jay to go with her. Because despite her bold words about doing it by herself, it was all just a bluff. She really wasn’t sure if she could do it on her own. 

 '“All right,” he finally agreed, flashing her the same stupid grin that always made her heart stutter, even though he still seemed uncertain. “How about we start by going to the movies tonight? We can make sure the theater is safe."'

About the Author:  Kimberly Derting was born and raised in the Seattle area, with the exception of a few short stints in Phoenix, Boise, and San Jose. She had a colorful childhood, raised by a single mother who worked her head off to make ends meet. She showed her and her brother how to enjoy life on a shoestring budget. She was the kind of person who, given the choice between paying a bill and taking them to the circus, would always opt for the circus...and somehow, she always managed to pay the bill. She was the one who taught Kimberly how to laugh. 

  She first fell in love with writing (giving up my childhood dreams of being a Veterinarian, and then her later aspirations of "lady trucker") when she signed up for Journalism as her 7th grade elective. It was supposed to an easy A, but it soon became her passion. She moved on to be Copy Editor of the high school yearbook so that she could correct other people's writing mistakes and fill in when they missed their deadlines. 

   She still lives in the Pacific Northwest, which she says is the ideal place to be writing anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and her three beautiful (and often mouthy) children, who serve as an endless source of inspiration for her writing.

Other Books You May Enjoy: 7 Souls by Barnabas Miller and Jordon Orlando, The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan,The Wake series by Lisa McMann, The Awakening by Kelly Armstrong.

**Thanks for Reading!**