Book Review: Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting.

Product details:
Publisher: Headline.
Hardcover, 389 pages.
Release date: April 16th 2013.
Rating: 4½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Series: The Body Finder  #4.
Other Books in Series: The Body Finder, Desires of the Dead, The Last Echo.
Overall Series Rating: 4½ out of 5.
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

 Note: I try to keep things spoiler free, but you should be aware that there may be spoilers for previous books in The Body Finder series in this review!

 Violet Ambrose has pretty much come to terms with her unique ability by which she can sense ‘echoes of the dead’ and track down murderers via the imprints that cling to their bodies. There are side-effects to this, sure; such as the fact that Violet now bears an imprint of her own due to events in The Last Echo. For the most part, though, Violet sees her ability as something good: something that helps catch killers and enables the dead to rest in peace. Violet is no stranger to putting herself in danger, but her friends and family are sacred to her and she would do anything to keep them safe. However, in Dead Silence, the latest and rumored final installment in Kimberly Derting’s always-thrilling Body Finder series, the stakes are higher than ever as much to Violet’s dismay things get personal – very personal. Violet faces a race against not only time, but also a deadly serial-killer in the quest to save her nearest and dearest from certain death.

But even as we read the opening pages of Dead Silence we begin to wonder if Violet is fighting a losing battle…

Right from day one The Body Finder series has been a huge, huge favorite of mine. Back in the days of insta-love, Violet Ambrose and her best-friend-turned-boyfriend Jay Heaton were a breath of fresh air, and they still are: theirs is a romance that has stood the YA test of time, side-stepped an (unnecessary) love-triangle and emerged on the other side stronger, united and more in love than ever. In the past Violet has been stubborn, secretive and foolhardy at times, but here she is a fully-realized, well-rounded character who has her priorities in check, and ever-supportive Jay always by her side. Love that guy. #BestBookBoyfriend

Of course, while the romance in this book is pretty much to-die-for, romance is not what Dead Silence is all about. No. The Body Finder books have always been a little darker than the usual YA fare, and Dead Silence ups the gore factor and then some. This time round, Violet happens upon the actual slaughter of a family, and her investigation leads her to a Charles Mason-esque killer (complete with ‘family’ of drug addled murderers) in whom she might have just met her match. Of course, Violet being Violet, she walks straight into danger, but this time, she may just have bitten off more than she can chew. This is the final book, after all. And nobody is safe.

You might think that chasing down a serial killer might take up pretty much all of Violet’s spare time, but, no: she has a whole lot of other stuff to contend with too. Such as Rafe- the third wheel in the just-not-happening love triangle who just won’t give up, even going so far as to enroll as a student at Violet’s school. What is with that guy? Okay, Okay-it’s well known that I’m not a Rafe fan. I know some of you guys are; but the love connection is (I’ll say it again) Just. Not. Happening. I will say that in Dead Silence, Rafe is a good friend and confidante to Violet and in this book he goes above and beyond the call of duty to make Violet’s world a nicer place to be. Really. Above and beyond. It’s kind of gross, actually. I’m being harsh, I know. But it’s time for Rafe to move on and maybe he does: maybe Rafe gets a love interest of his own. Maybe. Aw, shucks. I know what this boy has been through in the past. He deserves a happy ending.

As a series, The Body Finder has it all: all four books are fast-paced thrillers from start to finish with engaging characters and that to-die-for romance. I’m so sad to see the series end. I’m extra sad to say goodbye to Jay. I’ll miss him, and I’ll miss Vi.  An added bonus to this book was getting to read Violet’s Grandmother’s diary and finding out more about the ability the two share. There is a whole lot going on in Dead Silence, and I loved every minute.   Though this is currently the last-planned book in the series (as far as I’m aware) there is still so much more than Derting could explore from this multi-layered creation of hers. A spin-off series is a strong possibility (the ending of one characters story-arc in particular throws up a whole lot of OMG!) and I would love, love, love to see The Body Finder series on TV.

I bet Jay Heaton would give those Vampire Diaries boys a run for their money in the hot TV-boyfriends stakes.

If you are a fan of YA, romance, suspense and mystery, and you haven’t yet checked out The Body Finder series, I strongly urge that you do. You are really missing out!