Logan Hull (Children's Literature)
Cameryn Mahoney, a brilliant seventeen-year-old girl from Silverton, Colorado, has always had a fascination with the macabre. When she asks her father, the local coroner and head forensic investigator, to allow her to assist him in his work, he makes her the assistant coroner of their small Colorado town. Despite her lack of experience, Cameryn is called to the scene of a gruesome murder, where investigators find a medallion of St. Christopher, the calling card of a serial killer known as the Christopher Killer, on the dead girl’s body. The girl happens to be one of Cameryn’s good friends. Cameryn struggles to make sense of all of the complexities of her friend’s murder, but by putting her forensic brilliance to work, she starts to unravel the mystery surrounding the death. As she inches closer to finding the answers, Cameryn positions herself in the very path of the killer she seeks. While at times, Cameryn’s intellect makes her seem much older than her peers, Ferguson reminds the readers of this character’s age as she wrestles with many common issues of adolescence--family, friends, faith, love, and trying to gain the respect she deserves from a group of adults who do not always take her seriously. Ferguson creates a well-rounded character in Cameryn, but other “main” characters who contribute much to the plot are underdeveloped and incomplete. Ferguson does a brilliant job of incorporating all the necessary pieces of authentic forensic information into the novel without making any of them seem out of place. The vocabulary and general subject matter could be challenging for the younger YA readers, but overall, the novel is a relatively quick read filled with page-turning mystery. 2006, Penguin Group, $15.99. Ages 14 to 17.

Wendy M. Smith-D’Arezzo (Children's Literature)
Cameryn Mahoney lives with her father and grandmother in a quiet Colorado town. She hangs with her best friend and studies hard so she can become a forensic pathologist. Her father just happens to be the town coroner and he finally agrees to take Cameryn on as his assistant. She nearly loses it when she sees her first dead body, but Cammy is determined to do this work, so she goes back for more. The second body proves to be more of a challenge because it is one of her friends who has been murdered. The suspects include a Goth-like school friend and a nationally known psychic who has predicted the murder and discovery of the body. Cameryn is thrown off the scent at first, but eventually figures out the tricks used by the murderer and ends up almost becoming the next victim. Characters are very likable and the author does an excellent job of developing a sub story involving Cammy’s mother and the reason for her absence from their lives. Relationships between adults and teens as well as between the teens themselves are believable. More “Cameryn Mahoney” mysteries are promised, and readers will be waiting for them. 2006, Sleuth/Viking, $15.99. Ages 16 to 18.

Barbara St. Clair (Library Media Connection, October 2006)
First in a new forensic mystery series, The Christopher Killer brings to mind an updated Nancy Drew story. Seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney aspires to a career as a forensic pathologist, and she talks her father, the coroner for a small Colorado town, into hiring her as his assistant. The second body she encounters as his assistant is that of a friend of hers who is murdered by a serial killer who leaves a St. Christopher's medal on each victim. She becomes determined to find the killer. There are some fairly graphic descriptions of dead bodies, but if the reader can get past this, Ferguson writes an engrossing page-turner. Cameryn uses what she learns at the autopsy to track down the killer. The story gets really exciting when Cameryn is hiding under the bed in the killer's hotel room, and her cell phone rings just as he is leaving the room. There is also a subplot involving a new deputy sheriff, Cameryn's runaway mother, and a dead twin sister Cameryn did not know she had. This is the start of what promises to be a realistic, entertaining series of particular interest to those with an interest in forensics. Recommended. 2006, Viking Children's Books (Penguin Young Readers Group), 288pp., $15.99 hc. Ages 14 to 18.

Kenan Metzger (The ALAN Review, Fall 2007 (Vol. 35, No. 1))
This dramatic novel revolves around a young girl named Cameryn who becomes an assistant to her father, the county coroner. After several mishaps and crime scene viewings that make her sick, she becomes entrenched in a case that will change her life. Woven into this plot is a subplot of Cameryn trying to find out who and where her mother is. The incredibly detailed descriptions of crime scenes are akin to the current Crime Scene Investigators television programs. Along the way we meet a psychic, a gothic friend of Cameryn’s, and a 1960s-style, spiritual best friend. Ferguson’s character development is so strong that you come to know and care about these people, to the point where you feel their pain and joy. It is also refreshing to see how close Cameryn is to her father, a strong role model. Readers will be taken on a thrilling ride from the beginning to the surprise ending. Category: Murder Mystery/Family Problems. YA--Young Adult. 2006, Viking by Penguin Group, 274 pp., $15.99. Ages young adult.Muncie, IN

Loretta Gaffney (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2006 (Vol. 60, No. 1))
The daughter of a Colorado county coroner, seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney has a passion for forensics; when she offers to become her father's assistant, he reluctantly agrees. Knowledge gleaned from textbooks, a gift for observation, and a strong stomach make Cameryn a valuable asset, and soon Patrick Mahoney is glad to have his daughter along. Then the job hits too close to home-a corpse found along a hiking trail turns out to be Cameryn's friend Rachel. Though local authorities suspect Adam, a troubled young man who was infatuated with Rachel, others believe Rachel's murder is the work of the Christopher Killer, a serial murderer whose signature is a St. Christopher medal hidden in the victim's clothing. As she begins uncovering clues about Rachel's death, Cameryn soon realizes that no one can be trusted-not even new deputy Justin, who has taken an interest in Cameryn but who won't tell her why her father dislikes him. When a television psychic begins making eerily accurate predictions, Cameryn must also question the strict division she has maintained all her life between fact and faith, observation and intuition. Fans of forensic mysteries will not be disappointed with this offering, which includes realistic, often graphic details about autopsies and investigative procedure. Though there are many balls in the air, Ferguson manages to catch them all by the end, while still leaving room for Cameryn's further adventures; Justin the deputy, it turns out, holds an important key to her family's past. The writing is fairly formulaic, with Cameryn's character relying overmuch upon philosophical musings, but the well-wrought elements of mystery, supported with vivid forensics detail, will make this thriller a solid hit with fans of CSI and other forensic mystery series. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Sleuth/Viking, 274p, $15.99. Grades 7-12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006)
Cameryn persuades her father, the county coroner, to hire her, just in time to assist in his next homicide investigation. While Ferguson's prose is appealingly clean, her characters take a back seat to the reader's education in forensics. Cameryn's ability to distance herself from the job's emotional strain invites disbelief, especially as the murder victim is a close friend. Category: Older Fiction. 2006, Viking/Sleuth, 279pp, 15.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 5: Marginal, seriously flawed, but with some redeeming quality.

Jenny Ingram (VOYA, August 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 3))
As the daughter of the county coroner in a peaceful Colorado mountain town, seventeen-year-old Cameryn Mahoney develops an interest in forensic pathology and convinces her father to hire her as his assistant. When a body found in the forest turns into a murder case matching the patterns of a serial killer, Cameryn experiences the roughest elements of the job against the wishes of her Irish grandmother, who believes her grandchild should learn domestic skills instead. The work of Cameryn and her father is complicated by a slick new sheriff's deputy and a famous television psychic and his entourage who come to town to assist with the case. By the end of the story, more than just the identity of the killer is revealed. Ferguson's portrait of forensic work is informative and should create interest in the field among readers. The descriptions of decomposing corpses can be gruesome, and Cameryn reacts realistically when she first faces them. She is determined to succeed and to prove herself to a skeptical medical examiner and her grandmother. At times, the book appears scattered; there are too many story lines, and they might have been better left for a sequel or developed more. Still the book is suspenseful and engrossing. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M J (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Sleuth/Viking, 288p., $15.99. Ages 11 to 15.

Rebecca Moreland, Teen Reviewer (VOYA, August 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 3))
The Christopher Killer drags the reader along a terrifying journey through the darkest parts of the human mind-and the forensic process of a murder. The book centers on an action-filled plot that follows Cameryn as she attempts to solve a high-profile murder in her small town, while addressing such issues as manipulation, suggestion, mistrust, and courage. Mainly, though, this story delves into the world of forensic pathology, adds details where it furthers the plot, and is a study of human feelings and interactions. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Sleuth/Viking, 288p., $15.99. Ages 11 to 15.