The Christopher Killer (Forensic Mystery #1) - Alane Ferguson
Are you a fan of CSI or Bones? If so, this series is for you. Alane Ferguson has written a good forensic mystery. Cameryn Mahoney is a seventeen-year-old with dreams to become a forensic pathologist. She is in a great position to do so with her father being the county coroner. The budget problems have prevented the county from hiring an assistant for him and the work load has been too much. So, he asks Cameryn to be his assistant and she accepts, even though her Mammaw (Irish way of referring to grandmother) doesn't want her to. Mammaw thinks that her focus on death and forensics is a danger to her soul and will lead her down a dark path in life. Cameryn simply wants to use science to allow the dead to tell the tale of their death.

Silverton, Colorado is a silent, sleepy town where nothing much happens. There hasn't been a case of murder in years, but all that changes when a serial killer decides to make a resident of Silverton his next victim. Rachel is a friend of Cameryn's, they even worked together at a local diner. Losing a friend is hard enough, but for Cameryn it is even harder. She not only has to feel the loss, but has to suffer through the details of processing her body as a crime scene and participate in the autopsy.

Cameryn decides to investigate the murder with the help of a few friends, but mostly on her own. She is a strong and clever character and a wonderful role model for girls. Alane Ferguson sets up a possible love interest for Cameryn with the new sheriff's deputy as well as a long running story line that can continue throughout the entire series. The sequel is titled The Angel of Death. This book is appropriate for upper middle school grades and above. The only determining factor will be how well you can stomach the details of the stages of a decomposing body and of course the procedures of an autopsy.