Customer Reviews

The Angel of Death: A Forensic Mystery

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The Angel of Death, The Penguin Group 2007, 256 pp., $6.99

Alane Ferguson ISBN 978-0-14-241087

Imagine you are Cameryn, the coroner's assistant (but you are his daughter too!) and you are really really good at forensic science. You are calm, thoughtful and mature in the presence of death. Then one day, you are called to the scene of your old English teacher's murder. His corpse is horrifically mangled into a weird position, which makes you loose your cool. Later on, you talk to the guy who found the body, Kyle O'Neil, who happens to be the most popular guy in school!

That is how The Angel of Death begins. As a relationship starts between Cameryn and Kyle, she struggles to find the killer while the case grows colder and colder. She begins talking to her mother who abandoned Cameryn and her father 14 years before - behind her father's back! - and her best friend won't talk to her. The stress might just make her crack! Will she be too preoccupied to identify the killer in time?

The Angel of Death is filled with suspense, drama, mystery and friendship as 17-year old Cameryn struggles to sew her life back together while searching for a killer!

I recommend girls ages 11 and up read this fantastic forensic mystery. BEWARE! This book is not for the faint -hearted! - it gets gross in some places with the forensic details.

If you are a fan of CSI, then this series is for you! THE ANGEL OF DEATH is the second book in the FORENSIC MYSTERY series by Alane Ferguson (following THE CHRISTOPHER KILLER).

Seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney is deeply involved in the investigation into the death of her high school English teacher. She is the assistant to the county coroner, who happens to be her father. They have been called to the home of her teacher to examine what the sheriff describes as the "bizarre condition" of the decedent's body.

The case is treated as a homicide, and Cameryn joins her father in everything from evidence collection to participation in the autopsy. Her future plans are to be a medical examiner, and thanks to past involvement in her father's cases, she is fairly knowledgeable.

Ferguson doesn't limit the plot to the unusual death of the teacher; Cameryn's life has other interesting complications, as well. Her mother left when she was four years old and is about to make a reappearance in their lives. Kyle, one of the most popular boys in Cameryn's school, is suddenly interested in starting a relationship with her. In addition to those problems, Cameryn's best friend, Lyric, is not exactly acting normal.

Readers who like an intriguing mystery, a good dose of "gory" detail, and a bit of romance will definitely enjoy this one.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

I ordered this and several other books by this author for my granddaughter. Alane Ferguson is one of her favorite authors and she insisted that I read several of her books. I did and was completely impressed. Her books kept me glued to her pages...and tastefully done for young formative minds. I highly recommend! Author of EXPLOSION IN PARIS, Linda Pirrung EXPLOSION IN PARIS

I ordered this book for my daughter, who is thinking about going into forensics. She has read the book and started reading it again! Must be a good book!

(spoilers ahead)

First of all, can I just say: I knew it!! I knew who the killer was this whole time!! Ha! But I wont tell who it is 'cause I'm cool like that ;) or evil...depends how you look at it :P Or maybe I'll be so tempted to mention something that I'll have to throw in some spoilers...who knows?

Oh I bet you don't even know what I'm talking about. I should probably start from the beginning, huh? (Am I still rambling, seriously?!)

As we all know (unless you haven't read The Christopher Killer--awesome book BTW) Cammie's working for her dad, the county's coroner, as his assistant. Personally, I think this is an awesome job! Would i like to do that? Sure. But I think I'd rather work with patients who are, you know, alive. OMG I'm rambling again! Sorry! lol

So Cammie's next case, unfortunately, involves someone she knows...yet again!

One morning, a teacher from Cammie's school is found dead in his bed. Mr. Oaks was Cammie's English teacher and he was also one of the boy scout leader persons. Who would want to kill him, no one has a clue. he was a great teacher, and person for that matter; he had no enemies. So they start to think that Mr. Oaks was a victim of a random killer. If so, this killer would be practically impossible to catch since the murderer would be a complete stranger, and therefore, would have no connection to Mr. Oaks and the police would not have a lead.

Everyone is trying to figure out how the teacher died, and since it was declared a murder, who killed him. (Did I mention that is brain and eyeballs completely exploded in his skull? He was also totally cooked on the inside, while the outside didn't give anything away! It was insane, gruesome, and totally cool at the same time!) Everyone including Cammie, of course. As she tries to solve this mystery, she gets real close and comfy with Kyle, the boy scout (he is also in the same grade and school as Cammie) who found the teachers body. And it seems like this guy is really into her and vice versa. Unlike me, who hated this guy from the start. But that's probably because I really like Justin ;) [spoiler #1] He's just sooo smart and good-looking and just plainly awesome! *sighs* Lili, stop swooning!! Sorry! Now, where was I? Oh, right...

So while dealing with this murder mystery (or should I say Forensic Mystery? Eh, eh ;)), Cammie also has other more complicated things going on in her life. Remember how in the last book Justin had a message for Cammie from her mom? Well, guess what! Hannah......wait for it......is coming to see Cammie!! After so many years and after no one told her that she had a twin sister that died, her mom is finally coming back. But she isn't letting her dad know about this. Why? Payback. Personally think that she should have told, but... *shrugs*

With so much stuff going on in her life, I expected Cammie to snap at any moment. but she didn't. Instead, she repressed her feelings. So much that she changed (personality wise).

There is so much going on with Cammie, I wonder how she's going to deal with it all. And will she ever realize how much Justin cares for her?? I sure hope so. It was a great story!! And all I can say is: cant wait for the next Forensic Mystery!!

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Spoiler Alert

spoiler #1- Plus, for some reason, ever since Kyle made his appearance, I thought he had something to do with his teachers murder. And OMG, guess what!! He did kill Mr. Oaks! The bastard! Anyway, I don't want to give too much away (but I probably just did, lol, and this is a spoiler to start with :P), but lets just say that Kyle is one cold, heartless mothertrucker with not a single emotion or feeling in his damn body! (Have you heard the song Robot by 3OH!3? Its new, awesome, and totally sums up Kyle!) Oh, you can tell that I hate him? Good, that's what I was going for :) And get this, Justin knew there was something wrong with this guy too!

I love this author. I usually don't give other authors a chance since I"m a Stephen King fan, but I love these kind of drama also. Give her a chance, my daughter recommended it to me and now i'm hooked.Angel of Death: A Forensic Mystery

An very easy read for the kids who have to have reading counts. A real nail bitter, once you get started you can't put it down. Very suspenseful!!!

This is a well written book that uses a teenage girl as its lead character working as a MEFA (medical examiners forensic assistant). Now you and I both know that this is vastly impossible in this day and time however, the premise give rise to the adventures of this young woman. The book was well written however it did drag a little at times. The plot and the ending was a little fanciful but if I had a child who was interested in forensics I would buy these books for her but I assure you they are written for young adults.