The Body Finder Review

Title: The Body Finder

Author: Kimberly Derting

Date of Publication: March 16, 2010

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: Ever since she was a little girl Violet has been blessed (or cursed) with a very unique ability, the ability to find the dead. On top of struggling with her feelings for her best friend since childhood, Jay, Violet is disturbed when she finds a dead body one fateful day at the lake. The search for the killer becomes more and more desperate as girls continue to disappear, when a young girl who Violet used to babysit is kidnapped Violet knows she can't sit on the sidelines anymore. With the help of Jay, Violet searches the town for the shadows she knows marks a killer. As she and Jay discover their feelings for each other and get swept into the magic of the homecoming dance they forget two very important details: that the killer knows who Violet is, and, he wants her dead.

My Review:

The Body Finder turned out to be one of those books with no surprises but still managed to be enjoyable in its predictability. I loved the plot and relished in the changing perspectives between Violet and the killer, a device that doesn't happen nearly enough.  As the story picked up momentum I found it hard to put this book down and blew through the last half in an afternoon, unable to think about anything else until I had finished.

Despite being a great book, The Body Finder is very obviously a first novel. Flat characters, such as Violet's friends and parents, fill the pages along with extremely choppy writing. However having read and also loved recent books by Derting both of these things were easy to ignore and didn't take away from the overall quality of the story.

I liked both Violet and Jay while their personalities were slightly flat it was easy to overlook in the excitement of the story. Their romance was predictable but so cute that it was easy to forgive. I loved the lighthearted school story like vibe between characters; it made the rest of the story less morbid and at the same time gave Violet and Jay a needed personality boost.

Violet's ability to sense the dead is what made this book stand out to me. The way she follows echoes and bells, leading her to the killer and the deceased, was an extremely interesting ability. I'm really looking forward to reading the next books in the series to see how her ability grows and changes!

All in all The Body Finder may be a bit of a forgettable read but it's a book that's lovable in its predictability. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of mystery and the paranormal; this is a great read that won't disappoint!

4/5