Death at Deacon Pond

by E.M. Alexander

A young woman's psychic ability entangles her in a chilling murder mystery that will keep teen readers guessing! Ever since her father's suicide, Kerri Langston has been tortured by visions of his violent death, leading her to believe that he was murdered. With no way to prove her theory, her psychic visions only serve to upset her mother and give her the reputation of being a "freak." When Kerri stumbles upon a body in the woods near Deacon Pond that she realizes her visions are not limited to her father's death, and that her strange connection with the dead might help solve a crime -- if she can convince the police to trust her this time. What Kerri doesn't know is that there is someone close to her who will stop at nothing to ensure that her visions remain hidden. In this small town full of skeptics, who can she trust? Readers will be drawn in by how the protagonist deals with typical teen issues like falling in love, having a dysfunctional family, losing a parent, and feeling isolated. These problems plague her almost as much as do her frightening visions of death, giving the book a strong sense of realism.

Genres: Mystery

189 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2006

About the author

E. M. Alexander began working at the age of six, delivering newspapers up a steep, and decidedly creepy, hill called Robert's Rd. She has worked as a student library aid, a pizza maker, a tee-shirt maker, as well as a receptionist and bill-collector. Currently, she is a freelance writer for a local community newspaper, The Reminder. One of the 2006 recipients for the Barbara Karlin Grant, E. M. Alexander resides in Connecticut with her husband, Phillip, and her son, Ethan. "Death at Deacon Pond" is her first novel.

Reviews

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young teenage girl who still after 3 years she can not get rid of the thought of her father commiting suicide.

[Jake S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death at Deacon Pond by E.M. Alexander was overall a pretty good book. This book was about a girl named Kerri who thinks she found information to support that her father was brutally murdered. She finds this information by connecting with the dead at her local pond. What I liked about this book is that it was a mystery and always kept me guessing what will happen next. One thing I think the author could have done better is develop the characters more with more description, maybe through in some background information so the reader feels more engaged from the start of the book. Overall, this book was decent and I would recommend it to people who are interested in murder mysteries.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kerri Langston has visions. She had them after her father died, leading her to believe he didn’t commit suicide. And now she’s having them about Mark Travers, the dead man she stumbled upon in the woods near Deacon Pond. But somehow, these new visions are connected to the ones about her father. Kerri is no longer content to let the police do their work; she wants to investigate for herself.

This choice propels her into a dangerous situation. She’s caught several times by the crime scene by Officer Roberts, the father of her best friend and her father’s partner, before her father died. Kerri’s mother is uncomfortable with Kerri’s interaction with the police because she still can’t get over her husband’s death. Seth, the son of Officer Roberts, tries to warn Kerri to stay away from the crime scene, but Kerri doesn’t listen; she wants to find the truth about everything. But what will it cost her?

Death at Deacon Pond was a very exciting murder mystery. Kerri’s visions are unusual when places out of context of the story, but they seem completely natural in this novel. I felt that there wasn’t adequate characterization for everyone except Kerri, but then again, Kerri is the main character. Many times, scenes sprung up on my which can be both good and bad: it’s good to have unpredictability in mysteries, but sometimes it just seemed implausible. Nonetheless, Death at Deacon Pond kept me on the edge of my seat; it wasn’t exactly 100% high action, but there was a good dosage of it. I loved how all the events and characters connected at the end, which is fantastic for all mysteries. I was completely engrossed during the several hours it took me to read this.

If you love a good suspenseful novel involving mystery and murder, Death at Deacon Pond is a good choice for you. Also, if you liked The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson, you will like this book too. Fans of the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz will find that Kerri has many similarities with Stacey Brown and her visions but minus the magical aspect. I definitely recommend this fast-paced and exciting book to all readers.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Kerri Langston's life is anything but trouble-free. Ever since the death of the family dog years ago, Kerri has experienced psychic visions. At the time, only Kerri's sister, Ann, seemed to understand when Kerri mentioned her "sightings" of good old Petey.

Kerri's visions have been more frequent since the supposed suicide of her father. It has been difficult for everyone in town to accept the fact that a well-liked and respected police officer would end his life by his own hand. Kerri is definitely not convinced, and repeated "visits" from her father have only encouraged her to investigate his death further.

Life for Kerri becomes even more complicated when she stumbles over a dead body in the woods surrounding Deacon Pond. When she attempts to connect the incident with her recent visions, the police and even her own mother and sister don't take her seriously. Forced to depend on herself and her instincts, Kerri embarks on her own lonely journey in search of the truth.

DEATH AT DEACON POND can be classified as a mystery/thriller since E. M. Alexander fills her plot with enough twists and turns to keep readers on their toes. Just when it seems the real killer has been discovered, the plot turns in a different direction. Although appropriate for middle grades, this book requires an attentive reader to follow and appreciate the more intricate details.

[Alliemccants]

Kerri often sees vision of her deceased father. Her father, a police officer died under mysterious conditions; however, it was believed that he killed himself. Kerri’s vision made her believe otherwise, but no one wanted to listen to her when she tried to tell about her psychic visions. Kerri’s life will soon become more difficult when she stumbles upon a dead body in the woods surrounding Deacon Pond. She decides to connect the incident with her visions, and to do it alone since no one seems to believe her.
This book is very face paced, but takes many twist and turns. Just when you think the mystery has been solved, Kerri has another vision. I would recommend this book to mystery loving young adults.

[Josh Gnat]

It sure was a interesting book. There was for sure some parts I did like and did not like. One part I did like was (spoiler) when Kerri Langston got out of the pond. One part I didn't like was right at the beginning when someone close to her dies. Another part was how some people died at that pond.

[11kososkif]

I liked this book. the reason i like this book is that it is suspence. and a good book period.

[Garria · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK WAS VERY GOOD.IT KEPT ME WANTING TO READ MORE AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.OVERALL I LOVED THIS BOOK.