Readers looking for a great paranormal romantic suspense book recommendation should look no further than the Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting. This series is sure to grab anyone's attention. Unlike some protagonists that have extraordinary powers that I would love to have, I definitely do not want Violet's and would much rather prefer being an ordinary human.

Description (from Goodreads): Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye....

Review: The Last Echo returns the Body Finder series to its creepy, spine-tingling, and suspenseful premise and format. Violet has the ability to feel "echoes," sensations that help her find dead bodies and killers. While still struggling with accepting her ability, she has more or less become involved in solving horrendous murder crimes. She has now caught the eye of Agent Sarah who runs a special team of teens working on high-profile projects for the police and has been invited to join the team. Soon Violet finds out that there are other teens like her who have extraordinary powers such as divining facts from objects and talking to ghosts just to name a few. For once Violet doesn't feel like a freak, but she also can't shake off the uneasiness of being on the outside as she isn't told much about the special team and no one with the exception of the hot and cold Rafe seems to reluctantly open up to her.
  Derting works suspense and a tightly held plot quite well in The Last Echo. We are given little clues about the special team and an inside glimpse of Rafe's personal life, but not complete answers. I'm still ambivalent about the special team introduced in the book as a lot of its history is cloaked in mystery. Who is Sarah's supervisor  How long have they had their eyes on Violet? Does Violet a contract with them or can she leave at any time?
    Aside from learning about the special team, Violet's therapy session with her shrink, hired by the special team's organizers, due to panic attacks and nightmares is a fascinating look at Violet's psyche and plays an important role in Violet's new case. The therapy sessions puts Violet out of her comfort zone, particularly when asked about her ability and how far she is willing to work for her team. Violet's strength, physical, mental, and emotional, are put to the test when she is placed in some tense situations. Her latest case involves women who are being murdered by the "collector," a serial killer who attacks victims and dresses them as if they were going on dates. And in a separate matter, she encounters James Nua, a man with strong echoes from murdering his girlfriend and children. The Collector and James Nua are both equally disturbing and terrifying. Though their antics are not described in details, we are given enough information to cause goosebumps and shudder. Like many other teens found in similar situations in YA books who don't report their worries to their parents, Violet simple safety precautions which did illicit my frustration as a reader but she did demonstrates maturity and courage in many ways of getting out of tricky situations which I admired.
  Although the relationship between Violet and Jay took precedence in book two of this series, Desires of the Dead, the romance is less apparent and regulated in the background. While there are sweet moments, there is a potential of a love triangle. Rafe is a brooding guy with secrets and Violet's inability to detect his mood swings and understand him confuses and intrigues her. There is also the unexplained energy shocks that occurs whenever Rafe and Violet come into physical contact. Luckily, Violet doesn't spend time pondering "what if" scenarios about Rafe and she truly does love her best-friend turned boyfriend Jay but does her complicated feelings about Rafe mean that she is betraying her loyal boyfriend? I really truly hope not. I would like to see one couple who can stay safe from a love triangle plus I adore Violet and Jay as a couple. While The Last Echo doesn't end on a cliffhanger, we are left with a cruel teaser and I can't wait to find out what obstacles throws into the path of our heroine. You might want to read this one right before bed unless you don't mind leaving the lights on while you sleep.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and disturbing images. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Dead Silence (Body Finder #4) by Kimberly Derting, coming April 2013, Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens, Clarity by Kim Harrington, Spookygirl by Jill Baguchinsky, Touch by Francine Prose, Slide by Jill Hathaway

  I really enjoyed reading Kimberly Derting's debut novel, The Body Finder, which blends two of my favorite genres: paranormal and mystery. You can read my review of The Body Finder here. I recently finished the second book in the series called Desires of the Dead.

Description: Violet has a special ability. She can find dead bodies that have been murdered, whether the body is an animal or human. She can also sense an "imprint" of the crime on the murderer. After the spine tingling incidents at the school dance that near got her killed, Violet wants to keep her ability a secret, especially from an FBI consultant who finds her and is suddenly interested in her when she leaves an anonymous tip to the police about the location of a body. She also doesn't want to tell anyone about the FBI, although keeping that secret strains her relationship with her adored boyfriend, Jay. Violet even wants to hide the fact that someone is stalking her. What she doesn't know is that the longer she keeps all these secrets hidden, she is getting closer and closer to being in real danger.

Review: We are first introduced to Violet, her lovable and swoony boyfriend Jay, and their families in The Body Finder. You do not have to read The Body Finder before Desires of the Dead. Both novels are stand alone titles with separate stories. Derting provides enough background to new readers without slowing down the story.  
  Desires of the Dead is a page turning, absorbing read that I finished in one sitting. Though not as creepy as the first novel, which included a narration of a serial killer, Desires of the Dead definitely held my attention. Sometimes when I read a book that has a paranormal element to it, I tend to envy the person who has really cool abilities; however, I do not want Violet's ability. Violet can hear echoes of people who have been killed unjustly and they won't leave her alone until they could be laid to rest.
  Unlike The Body Finder, whose mystery kept me on my toes and had me in the edge of my seat, the central mystery of Desires of the Dead is quite predictable but still disturbing. What I liked most about the latest installment of this series is the character and relationship growth between Violet and Jay. Violet wants to keep her ability hidden from those outside of her select few, mainly her family and Jay. After the incidents of the last school dance, she no longer wants to put anyone in danger which makes sense. Though she has known that ability seems to run in her family, she has yet come to terms with it. Is it a gift or a curse? Should she keep it a secret or feel obligated to use it to help others? These are the questions that plague Violet. By her side is Jay, Violet's best friend now turned boyfriend, who wants to keep her safe. Jay is understanding, sweet, funny, and charming. He understands Violet mostly without even communicating with her. He knows what she is feeling and gives her distance if that's what she wants. I thought Derting did a great job in describing the awkwardness of a new relationship between two childhood best friends. Both characters are mature and we aren't smothered with the endless "I can't live without him/her" that we routinely see in teen romances. I loved watching Violet and Jay grow.
   In addition to the great romance, we are also introduced to two new and interesting characters who seem to share a commonality with Violet. I hope to see more of them when the third installment of the Body Finder series is available next year.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and an allusion to sex in the book. Recommended for strong Grade 8 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Clarity by Kim Harrington, Wake series by Lisa McMann, Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

   I have been hearing great buzz around Kimberly Derting's debut novel called The Body Finder. After reading a description of the book and viewing it's book trailer I knew I had to read it. When I saw a copy at my public library, I had to check it out. I finished it in one afternoon, because it was that good and plus, it already had a hold from the library. Check out the book trailer below and see if it caught your attention as it did mine:



Review: The Body Finder is a good balance between a paranormal romance and a mystery. It was nice to read a book where all the major characters already knew Violet's special ability. The author doesn't spend the first 100 pages in discussing the special ability and its revelation. The book opens with an attention grabbing prologue and I immediately knew that I was going to enjoy the book. The alternating chapters between Violet and the serial killer kept my attention and made me turn the pages quickly. The romance between Violet and Jay, her best friend/almost boyfriend, is cute and doesn't overshadow the mystery. Teens looking for a good mystery coupled with great characters, snappy dialogue, and a good romance will be satisfied in reading The Body Finder. There is a sequel called Desires of the Dead and I'm already looking forward to reading it.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of caution: There is mild language in the book and a brief scene of underage drinking at a high school party. The book is strictly PG-13. I would recommend this to strong 7th grade readers and up.

If you like this book, try: Wake trilogy by Lisa McMann