Title/Author: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Publisher/Year: Harper Teen 2010
Where I Got It: I bought it on my Nook!
Why I read It: I heard it was so creeptastic.
Violet, outwardly your average high school girl, has a secret that only a few close to her know. She has the ability to hear the echos of the dead whose lives were wrongly cut short at the hands of others. Their killers, unbeknownst to them, carry their own unique imprint that matches that of their victims that are also sensed by Violet. These bodies seek her out so that they can be uncovered and be at peace. But what happens when a serial killer is on the loose too close to home? And if that wasn’t bad enough, now she is starting to have feelings for her childhood best friend who suddenly became eye candy at school overnight.
The premise had me from the moment I read it–hook, line and sinker. I was a little carp just flapping around on Derting’s line. I was intrigued by the fresh idea and got a wee bit giddy for some supernatural action and a good mystery. I like to try and guess whodunit because it makes me feel like Nancy Drew who I idolized as a child. However, I’m not sure that Nancy Drew ever had a connection with dead people.
I could not stop turning the pages of this one. I needed to know who this serial killer was and I just wanted to find out what was going to happen between Violet and Jay! So on one hand, you have this super creepy aspect of this book where there is a serial killer and a girl who hears echos of dead people and then you have this adorable budding romance where you just want to throw these two characters together and show them how obvious it is that they want each other. At every point there was something that interested me whether we were a step closer to finding out who the killer was or whether there was some drama with Violet or Jay. And the romance was not at all annoying (other than wanting them to just BE TOGETHER) and it was very much realistic and sweet. It was like watching two friends in high school who were so obviously into each other and you just wanted it to happen already. I would have been placing bets on how long it took them to realize this. Anyways, I was rather fond of them as a couple. The other characters in the book were not so memorable to me and actually Violet would have fallen flat for me at times if she didn’t have such an interesting “gift”. Hopefully in the sequel she’ll become a little more alive for me.
I have to say I was hoping for it to be super creepy and keep me up late at night to the point where every creak in the house HAD to be some psycho serial killer creeping around my house. Seriously, I get like that. I start sweating and thinking of what I could hit him with. Anyways, it wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be. However, Derting did something very effective to add the creepy element to satisfy me. She had some alternating chapters from the perspective of this unknown serial killer. Being in the serial killer’s head was CREEPY and added a whole other element to the story. Props to Derting for doing that because she pulled it off well! She must have been browsing the true crime section of the bookstore because I thought she captured the essence of the serial killer perfectly. And props to Derting because I, the queen of figuring out the endings to things, didn’t even see that ending coming until nearer to the end of the book. That made me happy!
My Final Thought: Read this if you are looking for a YA book that will quicken your heart rate with its creepy plotline involving serial killers and dead bodies along with a romance that gives you butterflies. Derting creates the perfect novel for someone who wants to dabble in a little supernatural action but not fully immerse themselves. For lovers of the supernatural/paranormal scene, this one will definitely be one that will chill you and thrill you with its fast pace and its refreshing premise although it might be lacking in the paranormal creature department.
Looksie Lovitz says
I am OBSESSED with this series. Glad you finally read it. It's hard not to love, eh? Great review too!
Jacinda (The Reading Housewives) says
Keep seeing this everywhere and I've even checked it out from the library twice. So I guess this means I REALLY should read this asap.
Tara says
I wished that it was a bit more creepy too, but it still delivered the scary vibe for me and I couldn't read it at night 🙂 I am seriously excited for Desires of the Dead and more JAY! I'm glad you enjoyed TBF and awesome review!
Miss Remmers says
I bought this on my Nook too!! I cant wait to read it!
Two Readers Reviews says
I got this at the library and can't wait to get started on it. 🙂
Ashley says
Great review! I thought this book was totally awesome! 🙂
Rebecca Rasmussen says
I might be too big of a wimp for this one!
Misha says
I need to start reading this series! I have heard so much about The Body Finder and about how swoon-worthy Jay is 😀 I like creepy books, so this book will be perfect for me!
Thanks, Jamie!
Michelle says
I'm not a creepy read person but I do have this one on my TBR. Mainly because people keep raving about how awesome it is! I hope to get to it soon. 🙂