Book Review: Desires of the Dead

Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2)

By: Kimberly Derting

Published by: HarperTeen

Release Date: February 2011

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Source: Owned by Reviewer

A girl who finds dead bodies and the rainy Pacific Northwest? What's not to love?

Kimberly Derting has done it again! She has provided a wonderful sequel to The Body Finder. It was so nice to be able to spend more time with Violet and Jay. This pair has become one of my favorite literary couples. I also loved the experience of reading this book in the Pacific Northwest. It definitely helped that I was in the same area as the story was unfolding - it made seem all the more real to me.

For those of you unfamiliar with this series, Violet, finds dead bodies. She has the ability to sense echoes left behind and uses these to identify the person responsible for the death. This little talent comes in handy whenever there are murders to be solved. In this book, Violet also learns that there might be others with extraordinary gifts. Are these people she can trust?

I am a big fan of Kimberly's writing style. She is a master of the third person narration, but follows her characters so closely that at times it feels like a hybrid of first person narration. In this segment, Violet isn't tracking a serial killer in her town, but rather she is trying to decide if she should her powers with people outside of her family circle. In Desires of the Dead, Violet finds various bodies, but they are not all linked as they were in the first novel.

I was not only impressed with Kimberly's ability to creep me out, but she certainly delivers the romantic goodies in this one as well. This one solidified Jay as a literary heartthrob. It is so nice to find a series that has a perfect balance between action and romance. This is truly hard to find these days. 

I did have one major complaint about this book. This one was a bit predictable compared to the first one. Piecing together the clues didn't take me as long and I had figured out the twist way before it was revealed to Violet. However, this little snag wasn't enough to make me not love this read. I devoured this book and couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading. Even now as I write this - scenes are flashing through my head. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in this series.

One Last Gripe: I just wanted to reach through the pages and shake Violet a few times in this one. She just does things that make me wonder at her sanity. For example, what teen girl explores the Seattle docks all by herself without telling anyone where she is going?

My Favorite Thing About This Book: Jay & Violet's date at the lake - so romantic!

First Sentence: Violet leaned forward on her hands and knees over the frozen landscape.

Favorite Characters: Violet, Jay

Least Favorite Character: Chelsea

Summary:

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.

As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.