Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

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. {taken from amazon.com}

Desires of the Dead is the follow up to Kimberly Derting's first novel, The Body Finder; in which I really enjoyed reading towards the end of last year.  With that being said, I was very eager to pick back up the story of Violet with her unusual "talent" and her new blossoming relationship with the adorable Jay.

As the story begins, Violet is enjoying her life as "normal" as she can.  The echos & imprints that she senses from the dead & those who have killed them are staying at bay for now.  She is enjoying every moment she can with Jay, stealing kisses here & there, and appreciating their new love for one another.  Then one day, while on an outing with her friend Chelsea, she is jilted back to her harsh reality by the sound of an echo.  It is from there that she remembers her gift & that she can't ignore it.  In doing so, she tries her best to notify authority of what she's found, yet stay hidden so that she isn't questioned as to how this has come about.  Violet thinks she's gotten away with concealing herself, until she's notified by the FBI and is wanted for questioning.

From here Violet begins to feel stressed & overwhelmed by her special talent to sense dead things.  She wants to live as ordinary a life as she can, with her boyfriend Jay.  Go to school with her friends & engage in regular social activities.   As she tries to avoid the threatening questions from the FBI, she is also plagued with the notion that someone else knows her secret & is threatening to expose her.  Violet's relationship with Jay is put to the test.  Her emotions are on high alert & she literally feels drained.  What once used to be a special gift, has now become a burden in her life.  Violet feels compelled to answer these echos & ease the souls that have been taken too soon; yet she struggles with the want to ignore them too & live a normal life.

Kimberly Derting expanded her writing in this second novel.  I felt her character development went beyond just Violet & Jay and we were able to get a sense for everyone in the story who played a key factor.  Though I did not find this story as chilling & gripping as the first, this one brought on a more emotional tug of war.  As the reader, I felt saddened & frustrated for Violet.  I could see her struggling with who she wanted to be & who she was meant to be.  The relationship between Violet & Jay is beautifully written, as it was in the first novel, with Jay being as swoon-worthy as ever!  We watch as the nature of their new relationship as boyfriend & girlfriend progresses, encountering bumps along the way.  This book brought a more mature vibe to the story & I appreciated Kimberly Derting's efforts to continue this interesting & unique tale. 

I am not aware of a 3rd book, but this one leads me to believe that there may be one.  New characters & plots are introduced to lead the reader in to thinking in that direction.  I sure hope so, because I can never get enough of Violet & Jay's story.

...To Be Continued (sequels of 2011)

There are quite a few books coming out this year with book 2, book 3, & so on in their series... that I thought I'd create a post to highlight some of these eagerly anticipated sequels!  I know of a few off the top of my head right now.. but if there are more, please feel free to list them in the comments below!

Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting - February 15, 2011

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.

Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5) by Melissa Marr - February 22, 2011

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman - April 5, 2011

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare - April 5, 2011

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

The Dark and Hollow Places (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3) by Carrie Ryan - April 7, 2011

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.
Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles - May 24, 2011

Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?
Continuing all the steamy romance of the first two books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone Elkeles gives fans one more satisfying taste of the irresistible Fuentes boys.

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater - July 12, 2011

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer - July 12, 2011

Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?

 

The Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare - August 30, 2011

The Infernal Devices is a series of prequels to The Mortal Instruments series, set in 19’th century London. The story concerns 16-year-old orphan Tessa Gray, whose quiet life is thrown into turmoil when her older brother Nathaniel suddenly vanishes, leaving her alone. Her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London’s dangerous supernatural underworld, where warlocks throw masked balls for half-demon Downworlders. When Tessa discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must come to trust her natural enemies, the demon-killing Shadowhunters, if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother. Torn between the beautiful Will, a Shadowhunter who isn’t what he seems, and the devoted Jem, whose own deadly secret is slowly destroying him, Tessa must draw on all her strength to save her brother and keep herself alive in this deadly new world.

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick - October 18, 2011

The Hush, Hush series has captivated readers with the story of Nora Grey, her friend Vee, and a mysterious fallen archangel named Patch. In the gripping conclusion of the trilogy, Nora finds that as things start to unravel around her, she is more drawn to the enigmatic Patch. She soon discovers that the answers lie closer to home than she realized, and it is time for her to take control of her destiny once and for all.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.
Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.
Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.
{taken from goodreads.com}

I normally can't handle suspense thrillers - especially involving "realistic murders".  I'm a wimp when it comes to scary stuff.  The more real it comes across, the more frightened I become.  Most of my reading gets done while I'm at work, during the day, surrounded by loads of people.  But this book was just too good that I had to keep reading at home, during the night, when I was alone - and that was NOT a good combination!!

The story begins explaining Violet's "gift".  She is able to sense the deceased (whether they be animal or human) after they've been murdered.  What a horrible gift to have, right?  Over time she is able to live with this sixth sense by avoiding hospitals, graveyards, and funerals.  The "echo" - as she calls it - that surrounds their bodies become white noise & she's capable of living as normal of a life as she can.  Until one day, a certain echo that she comes across hits way too close to home.  Young girls in her small town are reported missing & then shortly after their bodies are found (some accidentally by Violet).  News spreads that a serial killer is on the loose.

Mean while Violet is trying to deal with her own teenage hormonal issues.  The biggest one being, Jay Heaton.  The two of them have been friends since they were little kids.  From running around the playground at recess, to watching movies at each others houses.  Violet starts to look at Jay in a different light after he encounters something that most teenage boys do: adolescents & puberty :-)  She realizes that her feelings for him are more than just best-buds & she starts to fantasize about him in a not-so-friendly way.  Like so many young girls at her age, she is certain that Jay doesn't return the same feelings and is too embarrassed to speak up about them.  As the tension in their small town rises about the girls missing & their murders followed, Violet leans on Jay for security.  He knows about her gift & decides to help her put it to good use.

Violet not only senses the echos of those who have been murdered, but she can also sense the imprints on those who committed the act.  Sometimes it is unfortunate if it is someone like a police officer, or from the military.  However - she realizes that she may be able to detect who this serial killer is by the imprints he carries around with him.  The hunt begins & Violet is determined to find this man & stop his killing spree once & for all.  As her plan progresses so do her feelings for Jay.  The two of them have issues of their own to sort out & in the midst of all this chaos, Violet discovers that Jay has been in love with her all this time.

I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between Violet and Jay.  Seeing them progress from childhood friends in to young lovers was very realistic and very romantic.  Jay's character swept me away.  He is the type of friend every girl wants to have at the age of 16.  And better yet, he's the guy every girl wants to fall in love with at the age of 16.  He is devoted to Violet 100%, always putting her best interest before his own.  He simply took my breath away!  I loved that this book took you from deep emotional, swoon-worthy moments to teeth chattering, skin crawling eerie moments.

The story continues with Violet's conquest to find the killer putting her in harms way.  She is now the prey that is being hunted. Can she find him & stop him in time before he strikes again?  Will her sense of discovering his imprints help her, or haunt her?  This book took me for a suspenseful ride!  If you enjoy reading about paranormal, young adult romance, and suspenseful thrillers - then this book is for you!  Kimberly Derting has written a second novel in this series, titled Desires of the Dead, which comes out in February 2011.  I will definitely be picking up that book as well!