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 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."
      I had read an expert of The Body Finder and after finding the writing fun, light and enjoyable decided to read it.  And boy! I"m I glad I did!  The Body Finder had an excellent plot, full of excitement, close to death experiences and the supernatural, (sort of.)! 
     Best of all were the characters. All of the characters were well developed.  By the end of the book, you feel as though you are the believably real Violet, you fall in love with heroic Jay and absolutely abhor the evil villain. Here is a book that people can relate too.  I personally really loved that the parents were understanding and on Violets side.  To many novels nowadays portray parents as evil monster people, who are just on this earth to annoy and get in the way of the 'all knowing' teen.  A realistic out look on them exited me a lot.
     If you've read my reviews before, you probably have go the feeling that I really go after, characters, plot and writing.  I loved the writing style of The Body Finder.  It was refreshing to read a book with such crisp, clean wholesome writing.  Ms. Derting goes out of her way to make sure that the book is chockful of great big describing words that make it so that you always know exactly how or where Violet is or is feeling. 
    On the down side though, I felt that too much of the beginning was Violet moaning and groaning over Jay.  I also thought that the end was much to rushed.  It felt as though the book needed another two or three chapters to make the last fight a bit more exiting instead of cramming it all in there like she did.  It was still alright, I just think that it would have been better if it hadn't been so rushed.
     Even though this is her first book, Kimberly Derting definitely has a gift for writing.  I look forward to reading the next installment in the series, Desires of the Dead which will be released March 15 of 2011. Also, I LOVE THIS COVER!!!!!!