Saturday, March 19, 2011

Double Take - Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting



Publisher: February 2011
Published: Harper
Pages: 358
Copy from: Library
Summary: Goodreads

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.

Curlypow - I'm in black
Christinabean - I'm in blue

Desires of the Dead' is the second installment in Kimberly Derting's Body Finder series. This novel sees the growth of Violet and Jay, both as characters and as a couple. Violet is still struggling to understand her gift and reluctant to tell anyone about it. Jay is still so very understanding of her 'gift', but the dynamics of the situation have changed now that they are going out. Their relationship really amps up a notch this time around and I enjoyed that aspect, altho' without giving away any spoilers, it might surprise some people.  I have to be honest here and say that it really bothered me how Violet kept so much from Jay and thought it was OK to do so.  Why would she start keeping secrets now?  I really felt like this drove a wedge between them and yes, it could have stemmed from her own insecurities but he certainly didn't give her many reasons to think that she was anything but his one and only.

The FBI are introduced and with them, 2 new characters, Sara Priest and Rafe - a rather quiet, enigmatic guy with lots of secrets. These 2 added very nicely to the story and the reader is now sure that the series will continue, with Sara and Rafe playing an integral part.  There is much mystery with these two and I'm interested to find out what kind of a role they will play in the future.  I am keen to discover Rafe's gift and if Violet will begin to take notice of him romantically.  (C'mon!  What's a good series without a love triangle??!! - the boy next door vs the hot steamy mystery man)

Mike and Megan - a brother and sister newly arrived at Violet's school - are the links to the mystery this time around. I have to be honest, I didn't find the mystery quite so mysterious in this book, but there were lots of other things going on that held my attention. The interaction between Violet's friend Chelsea and Mike was fun, but I suspect that if Chelsea were for real, she would get tiring pretty quickly.  You know, to tell you the truth, as I was wondering about Mike and I did question whether Mike was interested in Chelsea or more in Jay....how about a bromance twist??  I felt badly for Megan as she seemed a bit lonely and needed a role model or maybe a big sister to look up to.

All in all it was another great entry in the romantic suspense field and I'm looking forward to seeing where Ms. Derting goes with the characters. I'm pretty sure Violet hasn't found her last body - not by a long chalk
Two thumbs up for me with this one.  I loved The Body Finder and I'm so happy to be able to review Desires of the Dead as well.  On another note, Ms. Derting has a new book coming out in November called The Pledge.  Can't wait to read more from her!

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