School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-This entry in the series stands on its own. Seventeen-year-old Violet has the ability to feel "echoes," sensations that help her find dead bodies and killers, and she is part of a special team of psychic teens working on high-profile projects for the police. Its latest case involves women who are being murdered by the "collector," a serial killer who attacks victims and dresses them as if they were going on dates. The hunt for him places Violet in some tense situations. In a separate matter, she encounters James Nua, a man with strong echoes from murdering his girlfriend and children. When they make eye contact, he recognizes something about her that is key to the rest of the novel. Members of her team can divine facts from objects, talk to ghosts, and see the future, and they have successfully located bodies of missing persons and solved difficult mysteries, and Violet is grateful to have found a group of people with whom she doesn't feel like an outcast. However, Rafe, a brooding guy with secrets, confuses her by acting hot and cold toward her; when they come into physical contact they have some kind of energy that shocks them both. Do her complicated feelings about him mean that she is betraying her loyal boyfriend? The suspenseful ending will have readers tucking under blankets and imagining horror-movie scenarios. Tell them not to read this one right before bed.-Jessica Lorentz Smith, Bend Senior High School, OR (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Violet continues using her ability to sense the dead and identify their killers to solve murder cases. Here tensions build among Violet and her fellow psychic team members as they track a serial killer targeting coeds--until the killer's focus turns to Violet. Despite the intrigue of supernatural detective work, underdeveloped characters (and their simplistic relationships) detract from the novel's suspense. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Seventeen-year-old Violet returns in the third installment of the Body Finder series, this time working for a secret agency that specializes in using paranormal powers to fight crime. For the first time since she learned that she is drawn to the locations of murdered dead bodies, Violet feels less of a freak. Although she doesn't understand all the paranormal abilities of her crime-fighting teammates, she feels as though she fits with them. However, she still loves her normal boyfriend Jay, so she worries about the strong physical response she feels whenever she touches Rafe, a member of the team. Meanwhile, Violet doesn't know she's become the target of a terrifying serial killer. As in previous volumes, Violet continues to reject simple safety precautions and hides all her worries from her parents. Her personal irresponsibility does not cause the danger when the killer attacks, however, and she demonstrates maturity and courage, assisted by a few doses of deux ex machina, when she fights back. She finally emerges as a mostly sympathetic heroine, even with the flaws that Derting often highlights. As always, this author writes a gripping tale, although she takes her time getting to the final conflict. Personalities come across quite strongly, as several of the characters tend toward the eccentric. With another sequel set up, this intriguing series continues to provide great entertainment for suspense fans. (Paranormal suspense. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this latest Body Finder novel, Violet has joined others at the Center who have similar talents and cognitions. All can sense potential murders, although Violet is the only one who can see the imprints of the dead on a killer's body a skill that inevitably places her in great danger. Body Finder books are not for the faint of heart. In spite of providing a tough, likable heroine and a sweet, romantic element, Derting unflinchingly explores the twisted minds of sadistic killers. It's a combination that keeps her readers clamoring for more.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2010 Booklist
