The Angel of Death by Alane Ferguson

This is the sequel to The Christopher Killer that was reviewed on January 23. In this book Cameryn, still just a 17 year old coroner assistant, helps with the bizarre death of her teacher Mr. Oakes. Oakes was found in bed by one of his Eagle Scouts - Kyle O'Neil. Upon discovery the first thing of interest is the fact that his eyes exploded. When he's autopsied it turns out that his insides were cooked. The strange death leaves everyone baffled to the point that the murder doesn't take up that much of the book since there's not much they can do when cause of death is unknown and there are no clues. The remainder of the book focuses on Cameryn trying to make sense of her life. Kyle has suddenly taken a romantic interest in her, even though she was a nobody to him before the murder; her mother who'd been absent for most of her life decides to come for a visit; Deputy Justin seems to have feelings for her; and her father has a new relationship. Will the stress in her life ease up? Will they figure out how Mr. Oakes died. Will his killer be found? More than likely yes, but you need to read to find out because I'm not going to give away the ending.

This book was a little bit better than the first one part in the sense that I knew what to expect. I still hold that it would be better in first person and I'm still skeptical about a 17 year old as a coroner's assistant. That, though, might just be me. Other problems with the novel include the fact that it's a bit obvious as to who the killer is. There just aren't enough red herrings (false leads). If you only introduce two new characters, it's more than likely one of those two will be the killer, not some character who hasn't appeared in the novel. At the same time, the climax was very reminiscent of the first novel: Cameryn face to face with the killer, no help in sight. A wee bit climatic, but at the same time, been there done that; this is a series, she'll survive. Okay, maybe I am a bit jaded because I've read so many murder mysteries, but it's not exactly original, especially when the first one pulled the same trick. It's just a little too formula for my taste. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book. I liked how there was more to it with all of the conflict in Cameryn's life. It gave the novel more to work with.

If you're just starting to get into murder mysteries this is a good place to start. It gets you used to some gore involved in murder and used to mystery. If you're an old pro at these books it's an easy read if you're looking for something to pass the time with. Not bad, could be better, but worth a shot.
MMK