decafplease's review against another edition
3.0
I think I would've loved it if I had read this in...I don't know, intermediate. But after being bombarded by so many crime tv shows, this doesn't really stand out that much. Although I do have to give some credit to Alane Ferguson for doing her homework and research properly to make the procedures look real and authentic, conveying a sense of verisimilitude which must have been hard to achieve when talking about such morbid, grotesque things like cutting a head open. The autopsy scenes were very well done, I have to give her that, creating a mix of abject horror and scientific detachment. The ending did however feel rushed and the process of coming to her epiphany somewhat simplified, but the sense of disappointment was mitigated when the ending revealed a much anticipated cliffhanger that totally creeped me out. So. Good job :)
oatskf's review against another edition
4.0
This series holds mostly nostalgia for me. The first time I read them I was in middle school. They are pretty entertaining but sometimes my suspension of disbelief is tested. Not the best but still enjoyable for me.
impybelle's review against another edition
3.0
I need an option between like and really liked it, simply because the book waffled back and forth between good and so-so until the end. Which I should have seen coming, but didn't, and it creeped me out more than I should admit, considering I haven't read any of the other books in the series.
I couldn't tell you how accurate the forensic aspects of the story are, simply that they managed to gross me out and fascinate me all at the same time.
Perhaps if I'd read the previous books I'd feel something more than irritation for the interaction between Cameryn and her mother, and the subsequent guilt thrown all over the book. I'm not sure if I award points for the realistic nature of a 17 year old thinking they can single-handedly save someone suffering from severe depression/mental illness, or take them away for the stereotypical depressed/mentally ill character who could have been, and probably should have been, more complex than that.
If that wasn't enough to drive me slightly batty, she chooses to protect her mother by not doing her job, and lying, either flat out or by omission. When she's busted, she expects a pat on the head and a cookie for her good job in solving the case... ignoring the fact that she nearly got someone else killed, not to mention herself, or what would have happened to that someone else's kid. Again, realistic for seventeen, but painful to read.
The balance between her forensic prodigy side and her missteps with her parents never manages to gel, so you're left feeling horribly off-kilter.
Until the end, where you promptly forget everything that came before, slam the blinds closed, and then peek out, making sure that you really are alone.
I couldn't tell you how accurate the forensic aspects of the story are, simply that they managed to gross me out and fascinate me all at the same time.
Perhaps if I'd read the previous books I'd feel something more than irritation for the interaction between Cameryn and her mother, and the subsequent guilt thrown all over the book. I'm not sure if I award points for the realistic nature of a 17 year old thinking they can single-handedly save someone suffering from severe depression/mental illness, or take them away for the stereotypical depressed/mentally ill character who could have been, and probably should have been, more complex than that.
If that wasn't enough to drive me slightly batty, she chooses to protect her mother by not doing her job, and lying, either flat out or by omission. When she's busted, she expects a pat on the head and a cookie for her good job in solving the case... ignoring the fact that she nearly got someone else killed, not to mention herself, or what would have happened to that someone else's kid. Again, realistic for seventeen, but painful to read.
The balance between her forensic prodigy side and her missteps with her parents never manages to gel, so you're left feeling horribly off-kilter.
Until the end, where you promptly forget everything that came before, slam the blinds closed, and then peek out, making sure that you really are alone.
kellyjcm's review against another edition
4.0
I think this was my favorite so far in the series. Major cliffhanger ending.
thestarsaligned's review against another edition
4.0
Another enjoyable romp with fun characters, an interesting mystery, and a very fast pace. Again, the romance element is meh as an adult and the pacing is a bit too fast, but nice to revisit!
sarahreadsinin's review against another edition
3.0
I did not know this was the third book in the series when I picked it up, which definitely colored my enjoyment of the novel.
Cameryn is a high school senior who is some kind of forensic prodigy. As a 17-year old, she is helping her father who is the county medical examiner plus the county coroner. That’s pretty unbelievable in itself. But in this novel she also gets a bit into detecting, ultimately solving the murder of a teenager who was last seen with Cameron’s mother.
It was not a bad story, and I enjoyed the writing. I just couldn’t get over the unbelievability of the main character.
Cameryn is a high school senior who is some kind of forensic prodigy. As a 17-year old, she is helping her father who is the county medical examiner plus the county coroner. That’s pretty unbelievable in itself. But in this novel she also gets a bit into detecting, ultimately solving the murder of a teenager who was last seen with Cameron’s mother.
It was not a bad story, and I enjoyed the writing. I just couldn’t get over the unbelievability of the main character.
bkwrm127's review against another edition
3.0
17 yr old Camryn is a prodigy in forensics and assistant to her father, the coroner. When a teenage hitchhiker is found dead, and Camryn's mother, who has recently reappeared in her life, is implicated, Camryn doesn't know what to do. I didn't realize this was the third in a series when I started it...so the very last part of the ending didn't make any sense to me. My bad. And I was frustrated when Camryn knowingly withholds evidence about the case and isn't held accountable. However, the mystery and the forensic detail was interesting as was the hint of romance with Justin, the young deputy. A high interest easy read for teens who like a good mystery.
absentminded_reader's review against another edition
4.0
[b:The Circle of Blood Forensic Mystery Book 3|1335107|The Circle of Blood (Forensic Mystery, Book 3)|Alane Ferguson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182829110s/1335107.jpg|1324639] continues the adventures of Cameryn Mahoney of Silverton, CO as she works as assistant coroner to her father and continues her studies in forensics.
Unlike [b:Angel of Death Forensic Mystery Book 2|216548|The Angel of Death (Forensic Mystery, Book 2)|Alane Ferguson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172784636s/216548.jpg|3005270], Cameryn is in full control of her life and makes some very bad decisions in the misguided attempt to protect her mother from a murder investigation. As the investigation unfolds, Cameryn's lies wind her deeper and deeper in potential trouble until the real killer is exposed.
What I enjoyed about this book was the way Cameryn was allowed to botch up her life with one foolish decision after another, yet Ferguson kept Cameryn engaging and likable through the experience. I found that a pretty piece of writing. I also appreciated the distinction made between polygamists and Mormons, though the polygamists were reduced to caricatures in the rush to the end. I didn't hold that against Ferguson because I loved the image in my mind of a 17 year old skirt holding a shaky Magnum while taking on burly, chauvinistic, polygamist thugs. The cliff hanger at the end was a treat as well.
Unlike [b:Angel of Death Forensic Mystery Book 2|216548|The Angel of Death (Forensic Mystery, Book 2)|Alane Ferguson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172784636s/216548.jpg|3005270], Cameryn is in full control of her life and makes some very bad decisions in the misguided attempt to protect her mother from a murder investigation. As the investigation unfolds, Cameryn's lies wind her deeper and deeper in potential trouble until the real killer is exposed.
What I enjoyed about this book was the way Cameryn was allowed to botch up her life with one foolish decision after another, yet Ferguson kept Cameryn engaging and likable through the experience. I found that a pretty piece of writing. I also appreciated the distinction made between polygamists and Mormons, though the polygamists were reduced to caricatures in the rush to the end. I didn't hold that against Ferguson because I loved the image in my mind of a 17 year old skirt holding a shaky Magnum while taking on burly, chauvinistic, polygamist thugs. The cliff hanger at the end was a treat as well.
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