A review by etinney
The Christopher Killer, by Alane Ferguson
3.0
3 out of 5 stars
I think the one sentence summary of this book would be "The author tried too hard."
I love forensics. I want to be an criminal investigator after school, but I do not like crime fiction that much. I don't know why, but the fake crime stories don't appeal to me. Maybe because of the CSI Effect (which is a huge pet peeve of mine). I cannot stand the fake crime fiction stuff. That being said, this is one of the more realistic crime books I have read, but it still missed the mark for me.
Ferguson tried really hard to be in the mind of a teenager, but she didn't quite hit it. First of all, I have never seen that many exclamation points in one novel. No one speaks like this! in a normal tone! Second of all, she is unrealistic when it comes to language. While she is driving, something happens and she says "Dang it!" Dang it? I can tell you that I have some more colorful language while I am driving. Lastly, Cameryn (had to look that up, I didn't care about her name) is one of the most stand-offish and pretentious characters I have ever met. She is that know-it-all that raises her hand to answer every question in class and is obnoxious when she gets something wrong.
The side plots with Justin and her mom were annoying and not pursued enough to be considered whole plots. Everything just seemed unfinished, and the main plot seemed to be wrapped up too quickly. Lastly, WHY IS A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE? She picked up on obvious things but for some reason, seasoned professionals overlooked them. I just did not find that plausible.
I won't be reading the rest of the series. I think if the crime parts of the novel had been combined with another author's characterization and plot building skills, this could have been a successful novel.
I think the one sentence summary of this book would be "The author tried too hard."
I love forensics. I want to be an criminal investigator after school, but I do not like crime fiction that much. I don't know why, but the fake crime stories don't appeal to me. Maybe because of the CSI Effect (which is a huge pet peeve of mine). I cannot stand the fake crime fiction stuff. That being said, this is one of the more realistic crime books I have read, but it still missed the mark for me.
Ferguson tried really hard to be in the mind of a teenager, but she didn't quite hit it. First of all, I have never seen that many exclamation points in one novel. No one speaks like this! in a normal tone! Second of all, she is unrealistic when it comes to language. While she is driving, something happens and she says "Dang it!" Dang it? I can tell you that I have some more colorful language while I am driving. Lastly, Cameryn (had to look that up, I didn't care about her name) is one of the most stand-offish and pretentious characters I have ever met. She is that know-it-all that raises her hand to answer every question in class and is obnoxious when she gets something wrong.
The side plots with Justin and her mom were annoying and not pursued enough to be considered whole plots. Everything just seemed unfinished, and the main plot seemed to be wrapped up too quickly. Lastly, WHY IS A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE? She picked up on obvious things but for some reason, seasoned professionals overlooked them. I just did not find that plausible.
I won't be reading the rest of the series. I think if the crime parts of the novel had been combined with another author's characterization and plot building skills, this could have been a successful novel.