What More Do you Desire?

When last we left Violet after Kimberley Derting's breakout novel, The Body Finder, she had foiled the plots of two serial killers working together to terrify her small town and infiltrate the police department. Violet can do this with her amazing and terrifying ability to see death echoes- the imprints a violent death leaves on both the body that wishes to be laid to rest and the person who ended their life. Violet see these echoes on all people, including police officers, doctors, nurses, and murderers. Unfortunately, the person responsible for ending the life of another isn't always who you would think it would be.

Violet survived the serial killers, but just barely. These days she prefers to take it easy and enjoy her life with her incredible and supportive parents and her attentive boyfriend, Jay. When a new family moves back into town, the brother Mike instantly becomes Jay's best friend and Violet starts to get jealous of all the time they spend together. Mike's sister Megan, however, is a different story. A couple of years younger than them, she is a quiet mousy girl who never seems to open up. When Violet finds out their mother disappeared and has possibly been murdered, she wonders if she can help.

Then an FBI agent named Sara Priest shows up and throws Violet's world upside down. Priest knows Violet is connected to the anonymous phone call that led them to finding a murdered boy, but she doesn't quite know how. When Sara introduces Violet to Rafe, a young man not much older than Violet, it becomes clear that Sara runs things a little differently- she uses "special" people like Violet to solve crimes like murder. When someone starts leaving creepy messages, calling and hanging up, and leaves a dead cat by Violet's car, she suspects Megan is the culprit. When she confides in Jay, however, he refuses to believe it and sends Violet off a cliff she might not be ready to take. While Violet explores the possibility of going public with her ability, she must also get to the bottom of Mike and Megan's mother's disappearance and find out who is stalking her. Can she do it all before it is too late?

This was a great follow up to an excellent debut novel. I was worried the story was going to get hokey after a while- I mean how many serial killers can a sleepy little town have before the national press starts sniffing around? But this story isn't cheesy and delves even further into Violet's powers. They are really advancing, whether she likes it or not. I also loved the addition of Sarah Priest, which opens up a place for Violet to grow in possible future novels and continue the series without getting ridiculous. Now she can go to work for Sara Priest and use her powers more. It gives the characters and the plot room to grow and mature.

The writing is average difficulty and would be appropriate for a range of students. The material can be dark at times, but isn't too dark- there is still a good message, supportive friends and family, and a good ending. This is a great supernatural story that will keep you enthralled from start to finish. Now I just can't wait to see what happens to Violet next!