THE CIRCLE OF BLOOD

Who needs CSI? The intrepid teenage forensic detective Cameryn Mahoney makes her third appearance in a mystery involving the murder of a young runaway from a Mormon polygamist sect. This case is particularly complicated for Cameryn because, for most of the story, the evidence points to Cameryn’s estranged mother as the most likely suspect. Cameryn doggedly pursues the case until the perpetrator is found. The story is best when it sticks to the fast-paced sleuthing and detailed forensic procedures. Ferguson’s vivid, step-by-step descriptions of the crime scene and autopsy of the victim are gruesome but fascinating. Subplots involving Cameryn’s relationships with her mother and grandmother are less compelling. The cliffhanger ending sets readers up for the next in the series. Cameryn looks out her window and sees Kyle O’Neil, the fugitive serial killer she dated and who nearly killed her in The Angel of Death (2006). Teen readers with a taste for gory mysteries will find this suspenseful page-turner a delightful diversion. (Fiction. 12-17)