Series Crush: The Body Finder Series

Titles: The Body Finder, Desires of the Dead
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Harper Teen

I like books. I like mysteries. I like things about serial killers. Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder series has ALL THREE. *swoons*

The series takes place in the Pacific Northwest, where main character Violet Ambrose lives. In most ways Violet is a normal teenage girl; what separates her from others is that she has the uncanny ability to locate dead bodies. Their "echoes"--sounds, images, tastes, or smells left behind by the body--call to her, making it easy for her to locate them so that she can help them find peace. But with every echo, there is also a complimentary imprint left by the body on the person who killed it. Violet grew up with the ability and became comfortable with the idea of death--that is until she started finding dead bodies.

But, because Violet is a teenage girl, there is, of course, a guy in the picture. Her best friend since she was seven, Jay Heaton, has suddenly become more than just her goofy best friend to her. She (and every other female in her town) has all of a sudden found herself intensely attracted to him. So, in the midst of trying to figure out where all of the bodies are coming from, she's also trying to figure out where all of her feelings are coming from. I do not envy her plight.

Derting does a terrific job with creating characters--every single character is multi-dimensional and has personality ticks and flaws and habits. It's nice to feel like you know not just the MC, but the other characters on that level as well. But outside of the great, layered characters, Derting throws in another narrative device that really sets these books apart--every so often, a chapter is told through the point of view of a serial killer. You get inside their head, know exactly what they're thinking, how they're feeling, and what their motivations are. It provides a sort of sense of dramatic irony, without the reader knowing exactly who or where the killer is. Yes, it's eery. Yes, it's creepy. Yes, it's awesome.

So, if you're looking for a series that isn't exactly contemporary, but isn't entirely paranormal, I whole-heartedly recommend The Body Finder.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Pledge

Title: The Pledge
Author: Kimberly Derting
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry for Simon & Schuster
Pub Date: November 15, 2011

Words are the most dangerous weapon of all. 

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed. 

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.--Goodreads


There are three reasons I want to read this. 


1) I love languages and linguistics. 
I find the fact that there are different languages AT ALL completing and utterly fascinating. I love etymology and language origins and learning how different languages intersect with and differ from each other. Mhmm. I'm a nerd. 


2) I love female characters with masculine names. 
When I was twelve, my mom told me she almost named me Reagan. Not that Reagan is a particularly masculine name, or that I dislike my name, but I remember saying "Why did you not name me that?!" proceeding to be annoyed for a day or two. ANYWAY. I super effing dig it when girls have boyish names. It makes me immediately like them THAT MUCH MORE. 


3) I love edgy books. 
Class issues. Language barriers. Drugs. Underground clubs. Boys with secrets. If you tell me that doesn't peak your curiosity, I will immediately tell you that you are in denial. 


So that's my pick for this fine week! Now I just have to wait until mothereffing NOVEMBER. Grr! Argh!


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.