The Angel of Death

The book is a YA book. You have to remember how you viewed your world when you were 16 or 17 years old and what you imagined your possibilities were. You also, as the seasoned "grown-up" you are now, how reality is, and work a little to suspend your "big people" disbelief in the role Cameryn plays here. Cameryn's father is the County coroner, and because she has displayed an interest in forensics, he allows his 17-year-old to be his forensic assistant. Now, in reality this is probably vastly unlikely, ill-advised and impossible...especially when one of her observations was one of her teachers. Somehow, I can't remember this being a career choice on Career Day when I was 17... but hey, this is fiction, so it sets the premise for the show more adventures of this young woman. The book had some minor flaws. It's not for the squeamish reader and it did drag a little at times making me have to go back and reread something occasionally. In the plus department...I like the ongoing tension between the main character and the young deputy as well as the sub-plot about her long-lost mother. What really made me overlook the "impossibilities" and "unlikelies" in the story was Cameryn herself. She is presented as a strong young woman, very smart and she has morals. This is well worth the reading time. show less

I am a big fan of forensic science mysteries so thought I'd try out this young adult series about a 17 year old girl who is an assistant to her father the coroner. There are a few leaps in plot that are probably there just because of the shortened format but otherwise this is an enjoyable read. I did find her first book [book: The Christopher Killer] to be the better of the series as there was a tad whiff of angst throughout this one where as in The Christopher Killer it only appeared at the end. There also the required "fat" happy best friend that is a tad clichéd but still it made for a good afternoon w/ a book.

“Angel of Death”
If you enjoy reading forensic mysteries, then you will love “The Angel of Death” by Alane Ferguson. Being a coroner’s assistant means that Cameryn has seen more gore than your average seventeen-year-old has. However, even Cammie is shocked when Kyle O’Neil, the most popular guy in school, discovers the gruesome corpse of their English teacher murdered in his own bed. As Cammie gets involved in the case, she finds herself attracted to Kyle, and considers trusting him with the secret that she cannot even tell her father. However, when their relationship starts to move toward romance, the struggle to solve the case of her teacher’s death intensifies. Will Cameryn be too preoccupied to identify the killer in show more time? Read this exciting book to find out. show less

Cameryn is a teenager who lives in a small town named Silverton. Her father is the town's coroner and she is his assistant. The Angel of Death is about what happens when Cameryn's dad gets a call about the death of her teacher, Mr. Oakes. But there's something strange about the condition of Mr. Oakes' and how he died. It looks as though his eyes were blown right out of their sockets, and no one can figure out how he died. Through questioning and autopsy reports Cameryn, her father, and the Sherrif try and figure out how Mr. Oakes died, and perhaps, who killed him.

I really enjoyed reading The Angel of Death. It is a forensic mystery and a good one at that. Alane Ferguson makes the book very unpredictable and impossible to figure out. She show more gives just little clues so you can understand what's going on, but not enough to solve the mystery. show less

Oh, my: the YA version of Kay Scarpetta. Teenage Cameryn helps her dad with autopsies (would this be legal? I wonder), because she wants to be Scarpetta when she grows up. When high school heartthrob Kyle discovers a popular teacher grotesquely murdered and then seems to want to make geeky Cameryn his number one squeeze, it doesn't take a Sherlock Holmes to work out what's going on. It takes Cameryn the best part of 250 pages, though. I was annoyed that the author was sufficiently irresponsible to present as fact to impressionable adolescents that "Random killers almost never get caught" (p204); how many dimwitted teenagers are going to discover the hard way that this isn't true? Overall, the writing style is drab . . . although I was show more amused by this observation of the proprieties, lest -- gasp! -- someone accustomed to performing autopsies might see a -- shudder! -- yet another willy:

Her father shielded her view while Dr. Moore yanked off the boxer shorts, made more difficult due to the angle of the legs.
    "It's all right now," he whispered into her hair. She saw that one of the men had draped a washcloth discreetly over her teacher's groin. (pp91-2)

And then they start cutting open the corpse so Cameryn sees his lungs, brains, heart, bowels . . . show less

Cammie is back. When one of her teachers ends up mysteriously dead in his bed and the autopsy shows all his internal organs are burned, the coroners and sheriffs are working overtime to try to uncover what really happened. Meanwhile Cammie's mom is calling her and planning a visit, things between Cammie and Lyric are on the rocks, and Kyle O'Neill, local Mr. Wonderful, comes on to the scene as a love interest which is something Justin does not approve of. This book left me wanting to get my hands on book #3 in the series.

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

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 show more 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. show less