Review of The Body Finder (The Body Finder, Book 1)

The Body Finder has an interesting premise, (one not unlike Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series) but it doesn't manage to live up to it. Its main problem is a complete lack of tension, despite dealing with a serial killer targeting a small town. Kimberly Derting's rather workmanlike prose doesn't help, nor does the fact that there's rather more about the main character's unrequited love for her best friend than her search for the killer. The mystery parts are dealt with quickly and are very unsatisfactory.

The romance side of the story also fails to deliver, mostly because the main characters are very flat. Violet is poorly developed, and we know very little about her beyond her ability and her crush on her best friend. Jay, the best friend, is overbearing and annoying, and equally two-dimensional. The other characters are straight clichés, from the bitchy popular girl to the loud-mouthed athletic type and the dim-witted hanger-on.

All in all, the Body Finder fails to deliver, and I think I'll be skipping the sequel.