The Body Finder (Body Finder, #1)

by Kimberly Derting

High school junior Violet uses her uncanny ability to sense murderers and their victims to try to stop a serial killer who is terrorizing her town, and although her best friend and would-be boyfriend Jay promises to keep her safe, she becomes a target.

• ISBN10: 0061779830
• ISBN13: 9780061779831
• Publish Date: 15 February 2011 (first published 1 January 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[tellemonstar]

This review was originally posted on book reviews with the blogmonstarThe Body Finder was an interesting read. I was rather intrigued by the premise of the book - a girl who could 'sense' death and the dead. That part of the book certainly didn't disappoint.



I really enjoyed the fact that whilst there was a romantic element to the book, it wasn't the main focus of the plot, as much as Violet did find herself distracted by her growing feelings for Jay. (Note: not a spoiler, it's in the blurb.) It served nicely as a sub-plot to alleviate the heaviness of the overall plot.

There were several times during reading this that I really wanted to strangle Violet for being an idiot. Mostly because she'd get caught up in following either a smell or taste or sound and wind up far from anyone without any way to communicate were she was and did in fact wind up having several very close calls. It's one of my pet peeves in these sorts of books. I'll forgive one time, but if you haven't learnt after that then you are just being an idiot.

In any case, the whole body finding thing was very interesting and I enjoyed the way that Kimberly Derting wrote that part of the plot. The fact that it could be a sound, a smell, a feeling, and that for each death/killer it was a unique scent was really interesting. I also found it interesting that she was able to sense animal deaths (and hunter like her poor cat) as well as human.

There are a couple of parts of the plot that you can see coming from 10 miles away, but it was definitely an interesting story nonetheless.

All in all a good read I will probably read the others in the series but I'm not itching to read them like I have been with other series. If you are looking for a lightly paranormal suspense then this would be a great place to start.

"She needed to find the killer, to stop him before he could hurt anyone else." (Violet Ambrose)

If I had read this book 4 years ago, I would have loved it, but unfortunately the present day me finds many aspects of The Body Finder tropey and problematic.

The Body Finder has a cool premise. Violet, the main character, has a sixth sense and can sense the "echoes" of murdered bodies and the imprint of the echo on the murderer via her senses.

The mystery aspect of The Body Finder is sorely lacking. I always say that mystery is "my first love" because it is the first genre that I became obsessed with. I loved anything to do with mystery and I wanted to become a detective or a forensic scientist. In The Body Finder the murderer has their own POV. This POV is supposed to show their motives and add suspense, but the killer's POV did neither of those things. The murderer's POV and motives are extremely stereotypical and because of this I didn't feel any suspense or fear for the characters. The mystery of who the killer was is also extremely predictable and the 'trick' that Derting tried to add at the end didn't work.

The Body Finder has a greater amount of romance than it does mystery and suspense. Violet starts to develop feelings for Jay, who has been her best friend since childhood. Violet's manner of dealing with her feelings towards Jay and her fear of ruining their platonic relationship is extremely realistic. However, when they do become a couple, their relationship defines who they are as individuals. Jay is also patronizing and controlling and these negative characteristics about him are romanticized.

I did like that Violet's parents play a huge role in Violet's life. I also enjoy that they know about Violet's abilities and become her support system.

The other secondary characters are extremely stereotypical and the interactions involving them and the main characters are tropey. Here are examples:

💀 Lissie Adams starts fawning over Jay and because of that Violet and her friends slut-shame her and insult her because apparently she's a ditsy cheerleader although they have never had one conversation with her. When she does come into contact with Violet she acts like a stereotypical mean girl. On an entirely unrelated note: What makes it okay for Jay to use Lissie to make Violet jealous and then dump her after he gets Violet? Such jerk tendencies!
💀 Claire Amadeus is part of Violet's friendship circle and she's one of those people who are too nice because they don't know how to be mean, doesn't get jokes, only cares about appearances and her brain is filled with air. Claire is also homophobic and what's problematic is that her homophobic tendencies are mentioned and brushed aside instead of being dealt with.
💀 Grady, Violet's friend, starts to gain romantic interest in her and in order to get Grady out of the picture when it's convenient to the plot and also to make Jay seem like a hero, sexual assault is used as a plot device. Sexual assault is an extremely serious issue and it needs to appear in discussions and literature, but sexual assault should not just be used to further plot. The aftermath of this sexual assault is also brushed away because the character was intoxicated at the time. What message is this book spreading about sexual assault?
💀 Why is Violet always saved from danger by guys?

While the The Body Finder has an interesting and unique concept, the mystery is lackluster. The romance starts off great and then deteriorates, the secondary characters are stereotypical and there are many problematic issues that aren't dealt with.

[Angie]

Even though I'm going to reconsider walking anywhere alone now, I must say that The Body Finder was delightfully disturbing and fun. That probably seems like an odd combination, but it's not all gloom, doom, and serial killers. There's romance and high school drama, too. Violet can sense dead bodies and murderers. A body that has been recently killed--whether human or animal--gives off a specific and unique sound, taste, or sight. The killer also gives off this sound/taste/sight. Several girls in Violet's town have been kidnapped and murdered, and Violet is determined to find out who it is and stop them. Of course, she has to do it before he gets to her.

Like I said, The Body Finder is split between this murder mystery and typical high school problems. Violet is in love with her best friend, but doesn't want to ruin the friendship. He's Mr. Popular, but he's always there for her, and it was really refreshing to see a romance that developed from a friendship and where no one is a jerk to the other for the sake of tension. Homecoming is coming up, so there's a lot of focus on that, including dresses, shoes, and hair. This was a bit annoying in the beginning, but ultimately I got into it, especially since the final show down takes place at the dance.

I loved how The Body Finder alternated between Violet's POV and the killer's! His first chapter disturbed the heck out of me! He's just so cool, calm, and collected. He knows exactly what he's doing and has his methods down. I can't believe some of the lines he uses on these girls to get them to come with him! How can you fall for that?! Stranger danger! He's not some sweet, helpful man! Run!

The Body Finder was really good. The mystery was engaging and disturbing, but it was nicely balanced by the first love romance happening along side it. I really liked how even though Violet was trying to take matters into her own hands, she wasn't some crazy vigilante who thinks she can do it all on her own. She told the adults that she trusted, as well as her boyfriend. She didn't just run into danger. In fact, it's when she's not so diligent about her safety when things go wrong. This is certainly a cautionary tale, and it actually works really well as a standalone, but I'll be checking out the following books.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[liz089]

I loved the story ! It's original ! The characters were beautiful, though I found the male proganist just a bit too-good-to-be-true :( But he was soooo cute ^^
It was exciting and, though I will wait a bit, can't wait to read the next book !

[catiebug]

When I read the synopsis of The Body Finder, I knew I had to read it because it was so different and I never heard of anything like it.

Violet has the ability to sense the dead bodies of those who have been murdered as well as who has killed someone or something. I give her a lot of kudos for that because the dead creeps me out and I couldn't imagine being drawn to it. Or to know when you are in the vicinity of someone who has killed somebody.

A few girls goes missing and Violet starts finding the dead bodies of these girls. She begins to get tangled up in the mess of this serial killer. eventually she starts searching for him and putting herself in danger. I couldn't imagine going through that and being put at risk.

I love romance in books, and The Body Finder gave just enough of it without it taking over the whole story line. It gives you exactly what you want to satisfy that craving.

The Body Finder is so engaging and suspenseful, going at the perfect pace and isn't predictable. I found myself constantly questioning who the killer ones, even those you wouldn't think would do it.

[notajammiedodger]

I loved this book :D I'm not sure is it is a 4 or a 5 for me. And I don't want to do the whole .5 thing :/ It had a beautiful balance of the creepiness, with the serial killer, and romance. It was well written and very intriguing. I only recently posted about how much I love people who have been best friends forever that fall for each other.

Violet has an unusual gift. She can (for lack of better word) sense when there is a body somewhere near her. The ones that have been brutally murdered give off the strongest echos. When Violet finds a girls body and another is found just the weekend after it becomes apparent that there is a serial killer on the loose. Because of her ability, Violet feels as though she is the only one that can find the killer.

As I said before I only just posted about how much I love the kind of romance that this book has. Over the summer Jay grew out of his childish looks and into a man, everyone has noticed, and that includes his best friend Violet. Violet tries to hide the way she feels from Jay afraid that he won't feel the same way back. Well, I guess you could imagine how all of that turns out :) The characters were all very likable. The secondary characters didn't play very much of a role in the story, but that was alright as the story was more about Violet trying to find the serial killer. I liked Chelsea and Jules, but Claire was a little annoying at times.

The story was beautifully written. The small looks into the serial killers mind were so realistic it was scary. It was all exactly how a serial killer would think, how they would act. It was haunting and beautiful at the same time. There was a part at the end of the story where the writing was so well written and deceiving. I so sure that something had happened, it was horrible. So convincing. I was thinking to myself the entire time reading it that if it was really happening that it would have ruined the entire book for me, if it had of happened, I don't think that I would have been able to read the next book in the series.

So in the end, I loved this book. I am definitely going to try and get my hands on Desires of the Dead as soon as I can :D A beautifully written debut and I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in anything to do with serial killers and the dead :D

This review is also on my blog The Confessions of a Book Nerd :)

[Leah]

Really loved it, I was totally sucked in to the story. Violet's ability was well thought out and I loved that there were many different ways she sensed bodies out. Loved Violet and Jay's relationship, they are so cute together. I've now bought Desires of the Dead (literally 30 seconds after putting down The Body Finder) and I can't wait for more of Violet and Jay! The cover, as well, is totally gorgeous. Totally brilliant novel, no doubt about it and the suspense was well-held throughout the entire book!

[rakesandrogues]

After reading a lot of great reviews, I am always afraid that I will read a book with a bias, that other people's opinions and reviews are seeping into my subconscious to the point that I misjudge a book. I try not to read reviews unless I've already read the books myself, but it's just too tempting, and I always want to know whether or not a book is worth reading before I dive into it. THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting is one of those books with a lot of hype. I had heard nothing but great reviews, and I was very cautious when I started to read. I didn't wanted to be pulled onto the wagon just because everyone else liked it. I wanted to genuinely like it myself.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading this book. I thought that the writing was engaging and the author's voice just sucked me into the writing. From the first page, I knew I was going to enjoy it. The mystery was alluring. I absolutely loved the chapters that brought me into the mind of the killer. I thought it was a fresh idea, hearing two perspectives of the "hunt". But overall, I found that the whole book was very predictable.

Is it because I watch a lot of crime dramas? I felt like there was no revelation in the story that shocked me. I hate to say it, but I felt like THE BODY FINDER was a stereotypical crime drama with an added paranormal twist. It felt to me like a recipe was used to get the final product. You add Violet, Jay, killer, innocent young girls, a dash of paranormal, and a cup full of love and you get THE BODY FINDER.

But it was not just the mystery that I found predictable. The romance in the book seemed pretty cookie-cutter to me as well. I have to admit, I do love the chemistry between Jay and Violet. They are just so obviously meant for each other that I can't imagine anyone not seeing it coming. I didn't mind that I knew just where their relationship was going to go because the chemistry between them was perfect.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book. Though this review focused mostly on the fact that I knew what was going to happen, I really enjoyed reading how the characters got to Point A to Point B. I will read the next book in the series, but I do sincerely hope that the ending will not be as obvious.

[lizarodz]

I love this book. The characters were dicussed in depth and were belivable. I like that there was no agonizing romantic triangle and that her family and best friend new that she had special abilities and accepted it. It's a nice change to not have the self doubts, other than the tipical high school drama. I am looking forward to the second book!