Is This THE LAST ECHO?

Synopsis (Goodreads): Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice.

When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye....

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Guys, it took me about 1.7 seconds to get lost in the rhythm of Kimberly Derting's storytelling. As always, her writing is engaging and fun, and while I was expecting something similar to the last two Body Finder novels, I was pleased to find that Derting takes it up a notch (or three) in The Last Echo. 

To start, I am a huge fan of these characters. Violet and Jay have become one of my favorite  couples in YA lit. I've rooted for them since day one, but when we were suddenly introduced to Rafe in Desires of the Dead, I knew it was only a matter of time before the drama unfolded. Honestly, twists and turns have got nothing on this!

The chemistry between Violet and Rafe was almost palpable. I was stuck in the middle of a "Maybe they will? Maybe they won't?" tug-of-war. And while I was leaning towards a little rebellion on Violet's end, my thoughts kept running back to Jay, who if you don't already know, takes the prize for the best boyfriend. Ever. You don't even know...*swoons*

But back to Violet, our fantastic protagonist! I've always admired her bravery but it wasn't until I was done with this book that I realized just how brave and selfless she's become. Again, she's always been a strong girl, but she really comes into her own in this novel. 
 
One thing is certain. I do not envy Violet, and the difficult decisions she will undoubtedly have to make. The girl is caught between two deliciously irresistible choices (each in their own way) and there's no going back. Rest assured, Derting will continue to find new and clever ways to torture us with fantastic pace, cleverly plotted mystery and some serious sexual tension!

You know, it's always the subtle details that really make these stories shine for me. I like that I'm forced to think to stay ahead of the game.  All in all, I think Kimberly Derting did a great job with this book. I finished reading in record time and I loved every tense and thrilling second of it!


What I'm really excited for is this novel's follow-up, Dead Silence (April 2013). Derting ends The Last Echo on a completely unexpected and jaw-dropping note so it should be very, I mean VERY, interesting to see what happens next. In Violet's world, everything is changing and the stakes are inching higher and higher.  

I'd bet good money that things are only getting started...