The Last Echo: A Body Finder Novel [Hardcover]

Kimberly Derting (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 17, 2012 | Series: Body Finder

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....

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As always, this author writes a gripping tale...With another sequel set up, this intriguing series continues to provide great entertainment for suspense fans."-Kirkus Reviews

"The suspenseful ending will have readers tucking under blankets and imagining horror-movie scenarios. Tell them not to read this one right before bed." -School Library Journal

"Derting is a masterful writer, expertly ratcheting up the suspense and creepy quota." -Romantic Times

"Violet's character is extremely well developed, with the supporting cast also consisting of believable teenagers dealing with their own issues...Fans of Derting will appreciate this third volume."-VOYA

About the Author

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins) and THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (April 17, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780062082190
• ISBN-13: 978-0062082190
• ASIN: 0062082191
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series, THE PLEDGE trilogy, and THE TAKING (coming Summer 2014 from HarperTeen). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy...a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Echo April 21, 2012

By princess bookie

Format:Hardcover

My Thoughts: And I thought The Body Finder and Desires Of The Dead were awesome books. The Last Echo is by far the best in the series so far.

We are back with Violet who can see imprints. Remember, she can see the imprints of dead people on the killers bodies. Jay, her super cool boyfriend is also around throughout the novel. He is there to help Violet get through life with her special abilities.

Violet is working with a group of people who have similar abilities to hers. There is Sam, Sarah, Rafe, Gemma, and Krystal. Each person contributes to the group in their own way.

The Last Echo has a few bad guys dipped in. First, there is James Nu, who killed his whole family. He and Violet run into each other and he takes a liking to her, and is drawn to her. Yuck.

Than, there is the main bad guy. I won't say his name but he is known as The Girlfriend Collector, creepy much? His goal is to find a girl who will love him. And none of them do the job to his liking so he has to move on to the next one. Just like the other novels, we see into his head and get to go through the motions with him. We get to see him pick out his victims, bathe his victims, feed his victims, and than dispose of his victims. Yuck. And the worst, we know one of the girls who becomes his victim!

As far as bad guys go, he's definitely creepy and the whole book I wanted the team to find him and fix the problem, so he can't hurt anymore girls.

A lot of people are mentioning love triangles for this book? Is there one? I won't tell! But yes, Rafe is more in this book and he is nicer around V and he actually seems like he's starting to care. He is always so aloof and keeps to himself, it's hard to really ever know what the guy is thinking.... Yes, he and V do share a bond since their abilities connect them, and they relate to each other. Am I Team Rafe or Team Jay? I honestly don't know. I like them both in their own ways.

Does the team catch the killer? Before its too late? Does Violet ever have a normal life? With normal friends, a normal family, and a normal boyfriend? Of should she just accept that she's different.

The Last Echo is the best in the series this far and I can't wait to see what Derting has in store for us next.

Overall: Loved it! I read it all in one sitting! I just can't believe how good these books are! There is just something about them that amazes me. Violet is such a likable character and I'm always rooting for her. And than all the new characters thrown in, are so wonderful and independent and mysterious! Loved this one!

Cover: Adorable! All these covers are very pretty! Love the purple!

What I'd Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes
__________
Review Based On Hardcover Edition

Taken From Princess Bookie Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good. April 20, 2012

By Sarah's

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Like her first two books, we get a better understanding of how twisted and mentally deranged these murderers are by reading their POV. In this book, Violet have two killers after her. Nothing too scary but like any victim Violet will never be able to forget that experience.
I hate Love Triangle but one thing I admired about Violet, she seem to know who she wants to be with instead of being undecided between the two boys. I was always a Jay's fan, but learning more about Rafe really made me...question things. I blame the author for this, Jay and Violet had some very sweet moment but in this book Rafe was more...interesting!?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kimberly Derting does it again! April 20, 2012

By Nereyda @

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

We are back with Violet, who can see (and feel and hear) the echoes of those that have been murdered and the matching imprints on their killers. Unlike the last books, Violet doesn't have to deal with her "gift" alone. She is now part of a top-secret group with other kids like herself who have these kinds of powers. Problem is that the more she gets closer to them-and Rafe more specifically, the farther away she gets to her boyfriend Jay. Like the last time, there is a new serial killer on the loose. This one seems crazier and more disturbing than the serial killers in the last book. He is known as "the collector", he kidnaps girls and pretends they are his girlfriends.

Once again, I LOVE the chapters we get to read from the murderers POV and I am completely blown away by how wickedly-creepy and disturbing Kimberly Derting can write these scenes. More than once, I was sure that I heard strange noises coming from outside my house and I was a little scared to go to the restroom. I have a really bad habit of biting my nails and let me tell you I have almost no nails left to bite after this book. Although this is the third time Violet is dealing using her "gift" to try to help find the killer, the story does not get boring or repetitive. Not only is Violet "the collector's" next girlfriend prospect, she is also in danger from at least two new sources that I was not expecting, and one of them leaves one heck of a cliffhanger!

I loved that we get to learn more about Rafe, Sarah and the rest of the kids in Violets top secret group. I hope we continue to learn more about them in the next book. And can I just say that it was so nice that Violet has both of her parents who are actually around.... Most of the YA main characters either have only one parent or two very inattentive parents.

Once again, Kimberly Derting surpasses all my expectations! The Body Finder series is one of my all time favorites. I was instantly hooked into the first book by its awesome creep factor and Violet and Jay relationship. Desires of the Dead was such a great follow up and also introduced us to a new world of characters with "powers" and of course Rafe. Ah, Rafe... The thing about love triangles (when they are done right) is that I hate that the authors make us fall for one guy and then once were hooked she does the impossible and makes us fall for ANOTHER guy too! I feel so torn up inside because I have no idea who I want the main character to be with. Of course, most love triangles I know which guy I want the character to choose and I usually end up hating the other guy. All the other scenes with the other guy just end up feeling forced to me. (Such as Clara and Christian in Hallowed, sorry but I am a die-hard Tucker fan!) But once in a while, a love triangle comes along that is so well done that it leaves me feeling so torn and conflicted. The Last Echo is a great example of that. I completely fell for Jay in the first book, when Rafe showed up in the second book; I tried really hard not to like him. I don't know how or when, but Rafe slowly won me over and I found myself thinking that maybe, just maybe, Violet and Rafe belong together. (Don't tell Jay I said that...)

If you are a fan of The Body Finder series, you WON'T want to miss this one! Push aside some of your other books on your TBR pile and start reading this one. I completely devoured this book in one day and I was left feeling emotionally drained. There is plenty of suspense, action, mystery, and lots of angst. My only complaint is that there wasn't nearly enough Jay in this book. He is one of my top favorite book guy characters and I felt a little bit cheated out that we didn't get to read more about him. There were a couple of instances where I thought to myself, why isn't Jay with Violet in this scene? I'm so glad that this isn't the end of The Body Finder series because I'm not ready to say goodbye, but then again I don't think I'll ever be ready. I can't wait to learn more about the next book and see what creepy villain Kimberly Derting will come up with next!

5 out of 5 sparkly stars!

Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes or scenes from The Last Echo: (unfortunately most of my favorite quotes were spoilery so there isn't many this time)
- "I got your note last night. Would've been better if I'd have found you in my bed instead." Jay groaned and grabbed her by the shoulders. There was the hint of accusation buried behind his breathy chuckle as he set her away from him.
"You're playing with fire, Vi. You shouldn't tease me at school. Besides, I think if I hid in your room, your father--check that, your mother--would skin me alive."
Violet heard the coach shouting her name, and she knew she'd be getting a demerit for slacking off. But she didn't care. She flashed him her most wolfish smile. "Next time, you should totally take that chance. It could've been fun," she promised before sauntering away.

- His breath was warm as his lips feathered over hers. Her pulse fluttered in the base of her throat. And before she knew it, they were kissing, heat uncoiling in the pit of her stomach, making her crave more. His lips and tongue moved with hers, until she felt fevered and restless. When she pulled back and looked into his dazed eyes, she felt something stir within her, something fierce and feral. She felt like a cat toying with a mouse. "I'll be at work until nine, nine thirty," he explained, his voice shaky. "Maybe you can stop by the store and visit me." And then he grinned at her, all lopsided and boyish, and Violet realized she was the mouse in this scenario. Whenever he smiled at her like that she wanted to nod stupidly, agreeing to whatever he requested of her.

-Tracking bodies was one thing-useful only after someone had already been killed. Violet would rather track killers. To find them before they could strike again.
A far more difficult task.

- "Whatever. You don't have to be such a jerk," Violet told him, her cheeks burning. "I was just thinking that maybe . . . you could," she stammered. "Maybe you might feel something?"
Rafe tipped his head closer, until it was right next to hers, and suddenly she was far too aware of him. Of his lips and the blazing blue of his eyes. He quirked an eyebrow at her, just one. "I have to actually touch something to feel something
g. Just FYI."
"Oh?" Violet said, nodding.
"Yeah. That's pretty much how it works."
"Do you want to?" she breathed. "I mean touch something?" Her heart was racing, slamming so violently it felt like a sledgehammer, and she worried it might actually crack a rib. He inched the tiniest bit closer, his breath mingling with hers.
"I do," he said softly, his voice barely a whisper as his daring blue eyes held hers . . . longer than they should have.

- His face darkened. "I wasn't really talking about what's on the outside."
"You mean, like, it's what's on the inside that counts?"
Rafe grimaced, the ghost of a smile finding his lips. "Well, when you put it that way, it sounds sort of . . ." "Sweet?"
"I was gonna say lame. But, yeah, I guess that works too."
***
Read more of my reviews and author interviews at:
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a fan of FBI December 28, 2012

By Mind Reading?

Format:Hardcover

My rating: 4/5 stars

*May contain some spoilers*
In the beginning, I had some trouble with getting in to the story. Violet is suddenly working for the FBI nonstop, so goodbye familiar scenes and familiar faces!
It was actually pretty odd! She barely went to school, almost never talked to her friends and barely ever saw Jay! Suddenly she's living someone else's life, and I just couldn't understand it. Or couldn't understand how her parents would allow that. They did get pretty pissed off like twice, but still. They hardly saw their daughter anymore!

Okay, so that really bugged me, if you didn't get it already.
And opposite to everyone else, what DIDN'T bother me.. RAFE.
I am going to be so happy if something (more) happens between those two! I know, I know, I'm one sick b*stard and lightning should strike me, but what can you do.

I still wasn't overly excited about the FBI involvement, and I'm sorry to say this: TOLD YOU SO. And what do I mean by that? Well, I was convinced there was something fishy going on, and the end of this book proves I WAS RIGHT. And not happy about it.

Overall, I eventually managed to get into the story and started liking this, but something was still little off. That's why I wasn't able to enjoy this as much as I did the first two books. I blame the FBI.

Love,
Monaliz @ Mind Reading?