37) Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

The Blurb -

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.

The Review -

The first book in this series, The Body Finder, was an amazing debut and Desires of the Dead was a thrilling sequel. Sometimes the sequel of a really good debut can be a huge disappointment but the second book in the Body Finder series only builds a well defined structure on top of the strong foundation that the author laid in the first book.

After The Body Finder I wondered where the author would take things in the sequel. Well I was surprised to find some new characters introduced that not only brought an exciting new plot with them but also shook up the story a little. A new family mixed things up a bit while the addition of an FBI agent and her mysterious colleague has me giving the author a huge thumbs up! Of all the things I expected, this was not one of them. I have to say it made for good reading and I was impressed.

On the other hand there was a little part of me that was unimpressed. The story started out going in one direction and based around a certain body found. However this case and body is then slowly forgotten and another storyline takes its place. Although the first case is solved and mentioned in the epilogue I have to say that I missed the scary killer build-up that the first book had. I felt slightly annoyed that the other case was dismissed and that the new one wasn't that much of a mystery but quite obvious.

However the book did have a lot of other good strong areas. I am really curious to see how the FBI connection pans out and it was a nice twist to find out that Violet may not be the only person around with a special ability. Book three could turn out to be extremely entertaining with these new characters along for the ride. Also Violet's and Jay's relationship is something that comes into question for book three. While they became a lot closer in Desires of the Dead I have to wonder if Violet won't fall for someone else...

A great new series that is on my must read list. I really like this authors style and can't wait to read more from her. A good YA that adults will also find scary and unforgettable. Make sure you check this out because it is quite unusual and special.

On a side note. I listened to this book from Audible and loved the narrator. I listened to the first book via Audible too and her voice really fits the character. I am pretty sure that when book three comes out that I will also choose to listen to it rather than read it.