This was a delightful, quirky mystery. A young woman with an almost photographic memory demonstrates a talent early on for interpreting language - particularly the written word - in terms of what it reveals about the background of the speaker/writer. She soothes herself by diagramming sentences and analyzing their structure while trying to fit into the world.
In college, she is studying linguistics when she is recommended by her professor to assist the police in analyzing the notes left behind by a suspect. Her success leads to a collaboration on a kidnapping of the local mayor's daughter.
I enjoyed the book for the witty dialogue, clever use of linguistic analysis, and the ability to keep me from guessing the kidnapper. My genealogical mind appreciated how the words and phrases we use can reveal our background, geographic location and education. It also made me ponder if the use of linguistic analysis could be considered an invasion of privacy in a similar way as DNA match analysis. A good airplane read.
Published: 2024 Read: December 2024 Genre: Mystery fiction
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