The Body Finder (Body Finder, #1)

by Kimberly Derting

[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.