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Wordhunter
An utterly original and compulsively readable detective story about a woman who uses her uncanny ability to analyze words and speech patterns to help solve crimes.
Tattooed, pierced, and a bit of a mess, Maggie Moore is a surprising genius when it comes to words, a savant able to solve any linguistic puzzle. The top student in her forensic linguistics class, she’s tapped by local police to use her skills to decipher harrowing notes left by a stalker-turned-rapist—and succeeds brilliantly.
But when the daughter of a local mayor is abducted, Maggie isn’t sure she’s the right person to help the police solve the crime. Given what happened to her best childhood friend, Maggie just might be too close to this one.
Yet she knows the authorities in this rural south-Central Florida town cannot crack the case without her special skill. Along with her new best friend, a detective Jackson, Maggie begins to analyze the texts, emails, and verbal tics of various suspects . . . and comes to a disturbing conclusion that will rock this small community.
Tattooed, pierced, and a bit of a mess, Maggie Moore is a surprising genius when it comes to words, a savant able to solve any linguistic puzzle. The top student in her forensic linguistics class, she’s tapped by local police to use her skills to decipher harrowing notes left by a stalker-turned-rapist—and succeeds brilliantly.
But when the daughter of a local mayor is abducted, Maggie isn’t sure she’s the right person to help the police solve the crime. Given what happened to her best childhood friend, Maggie just might be too close to this one.
Yet she knows the authorities in this rural south-Central Florida town cannot crack the case without her special skill. Along with her new best friend, a detective Jackson, Maggie begins to analyze the texts, emails, and verbal tics of various suspects . . . and comes to a disturbing conclusion that will rock this small community.
244 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2024
389 people are currently reading
14393 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 674 reviews
September 21, 2024
Not many books, or at least not that I’ve read, that feature a main character that is a linguistic expert. I found this talent of great interest, identifying people by their handwriting or word usage. Maggie is the main character, she is a rather tough character, heavy drinking, smoking, pills, and yet she diagrams sentences from different books, as her form of stress relief. She is asked to assist the police, using her skills, to help them narrow down their list of suspects.
I very much enjoyed the premise but the execution could have been better. The writing seemed very simple, almost sophomoric at times. Still, if you love words and their meanings, give this a try.
ARC from edelweiss.
I very much enjoyed the premise but the execution could have been better. The writing seemed very simple, almost sophomoric at times. Still, if you love words and their meanings, give this a try.
ARC from edelweiss.
August 22, 2024
First, the positives: an interesting take on a procedural that had a lot of potential and was mercifully, a quick read.
The negatives: everything else. For a book that purports to be focused on a supposedly intelligent character analyzing words and communication styles, this book is so badly written. The writing is uninspired, the characters are hard to root for, and the drama is rushed. The sentence diagramming feels excessive and does not serve the plot, nor does it convince the reader of the main character's brilliance. The references are either laughably trite (Casey at the Bat, the lyrics to The Gambler) or self-important (Proust). It feels like the author had a lot of ideas and instead of building and layering a compelling story, just threw all of the tired true crime tropes into one book. I was so disappointed by a book that could have been great, but found myself asking frequently how it made it past editors.
There are also several topics that are worthy of content warning, and even these issues are not treated deftly. There's SA and also a weird attitudes about pedophilia--it's commonplace and shrugged off and also no big deal if the main character was underage having an affair with a married man but also the criminal she tracks has kidnapped young girls and photographed and assumedly abused them as well and that's obviously bad. None of the characters have a moral compass, it seems, and that leaves the story with a sense of pointlessness.
I am sure there are some readers who will love this and enjoy it, but it read more like a mass-market procedural instead of a more interesting, developed, and well-written novel.
If you want regional-flavor procedural with smart writing and characterization, read anything by S.A. Cosby instead.
The negatives: everything else. For a book that purports to be focused on a supposedly intelligent character analyzing words and communication styles, this book is so badly written. The writing is uninspired, the characters are hard to root for, and the drama is rushed. The sentence diagramming feels excessive and does not serve the plot, nor does it convince the reader of the main character's brilliance. The references are either laughably trite (Casey at the Bat, the lyrics to The Gambler) or self-important (Proust). It feels like the author had a lot of ideas and instead of building and layering a compelling story, just threw all of the tired true crime tropes into one book. I was so disappointed by a book that could have been great, but found myself asking frequently how it made it past editors.
There are also several topics that are worthy of content warning, and even these issues are not treated deftly. There's SA and also a weird attitudes about pedophilia--it's commonplace and shrugged off and also no big deal if the main character was underage having an affair with a married man but also the criminal she tracks has kidnapped young girls and photographed and assumedly abused them as well and that's obviously bad. None of the characters have a moral compass, it seems, and that leaves the story with a sense of pointlessness.
I am sure there are some readers who will love this and enjoy it, but it read more like a mass-market procedural instead of a more interesting, developed, and well-written novel.
If you want regional-flavor procedural with smart writing and characterization, read anything by S.A. Cosby instead.
September 19, 2024
Genuinely surprised I finished this book. I really, really love mysteries that rely on close reading, so a linguistic lens seemed right up my alley, and… well, I guess I kept hoping that something would click that made the book good. And it never happened.
This is one of the worst examples I’ve ever seen of an author trying and failing to make a character seem smart. Every time the character explained linguistics concepts, it sounded like she was using the most basic, obvious examples and the audience was dumbfounded by her brilliance, which just made both speaker and audience seem stupid.
The dialogue was blunt and wooden to the point of melodrama, and often characters were just… straight-up rude to each other in a way that I think was meant to come off as banter, but no effort was made into developing a relationship where that banter made sense. At times Maggie seemed like a shy/misanthropic loner who kept quiet unless she was talking linguistics, other times she was delivering witty banter, or compulsively chatting. At one point, randomly, she has friends from college and is the type to declare “group hug!”
Emotions almost never get a chance to breathe. When something dramatic happens to Maggie, it’s revealed through a series of rapid back-and-forth dialogue, then a diagram of a sentence, then a description of her drinking--there is virtually no reflection, no depth in the dialogue, no subtlety. When a major story reaches a conclusion, it just… ends. And then characters tell each other how it ended. Done.
There are at least three major plots happening simultaneously, but none of them have any sense of rising tension or urgency. The professor flips a switch from generically helpful to cartoonishly evil immediately. The missing childhood best friend plot seems to distract from the main modern-day investigation rather than being interwoven with it. And the narrator barely seems to care about the modern-day investigation at all, which might actually be in-character given that at various points she knows or suspects three men in her circle to be pedophiles and barely pays lip service to the idea that that’s a bad thing.
I think the scene that, for me, best encapsulates the problems with this book is the softball game. To begin with--a child has been missing for only 36 hours, the main character has just been recruited into the investigation, time is of the essence… and oh, while you’re here, we’re all taking tomorrow afternoon off to play softball. Really? No one even pays lip service to the idea that this is maybe not a good idea. Then, the chief of police (who has a missed career as a professional baseball player as backstory and a quote from Casey at the Bat in his office), asks Maggie if he should bat right-handed or left-handed. She tells him right-handed. He asks why. She says because statistically he will have better odds against a left-handed pitcher. He asks if there’s anything she doesn’t know.
Q) Why does he ask her for advice in the first place, when she has said she’s never played softball before? A) Because she’s a genius and no one else in this book is smart.
Q) Why does she know this fact, when sports are not an interest for her anywhere else in the book? A) See previous answer
Q) Why does the chief, with all of his baseball knowledge, NOT know that righties have better stats against lefties than against other righties when he has been playing baseball/softball for 40+ years and when this is such a common fact that it is mentioned offhandedly at least half a dozen times in every single professional baseball game? A) See previous answer
This is one of the worst examples I’ve ever seen of an author trying and failing to make a character seem smart. Every time the character explained linguistics concepts, it sounded like she was using the most basic, obvious examples and the audience was dumbfounded by her brilliance, which just made both speaker and audience seem stupid.
The dialogue was blunt and wooden to the point of melodrama, and often characters were just… straight-up rude to each other in a way that I think was meant to come off as banter, but no effort was made into developing a relationship where that banter made sense. At times Maggie seemed like a shy/misanthropic loner who kept quiet unless she was talking linguistics, other times she was delivering witty banter, or compulsively chatting. At one point, randomly, she has friends from college and is the type to declare “group hug!”
Emotions almost never get a chance to breathe. When something dramatic happens to Maggie, it’s revealed through a series of rapid back-and-forth dialogue, then a diagram of a sentence, then a description of her drinking--there is virtually no reflection, no depth in the dialogue, no subtlety. When a major story reaches a conclusion, it just… ends. And then characters tell each other how it ended. Done.
There are at least three major plots happening simultaneously, but none of them have any sense of rising tension or urgency. The professor flips a switch from generically helpful to cartoonishly evil immediately. The missing childhood best friend plot seems to distract from the main modern-day investigation rather than being interwoven with it. And the narrator barely seems to care about the modern-day investigation at all, which might actually be in-character given that at various points she knows or suspects three men in her circle to be pedophiles and barely pays lip service to the idea that that’s a bad thing.
I think the scene that, for me, best encapsulates the problems with this book is the softball game. To begin with--a child has been missing for only 36 hours, the main character has just been recruited into the investigation, time is of the essence… and oh, while you’re here, we’re all taking tomorrow afternoon off to play softball. Really? No one even pays lip service to the idea that this is maybe not a good idea. Then, the chief of police (who has a missed career as a professional baseball player as backstory and a quote from Casey at the Bat in his office), asks Maggie if he should bat right-handed or left-handed. She tells him right-handed. He asks why. She says because statistically he will have better odds against a left-handed pitcher. He asks if there’s anything she doesn’t know.
Q) Why does he ask her for advice in the first place, when she has said she’s never played softball before? A) Because she’s a genius and no one else in this book is smart.
Q) Why does she know this fact, when sports are not an interest for her anywhere else in the book? A) See previous answer
Q) Why does the chief, with all of his baseball knowledge, NOT know that righties have better stats against lefties than against other righties when he has been playing baseball/softball for 40+ years and when this is such a common fact that it is mentioned offhandedly at least half a dozen times in every single professional baseball game? A) See previous answer
February 17, 2024
Publication Date: August, 2024
Set in rural, rundown area of Florida, the author's main character is a tough, driven and very endearing lover of words and language. Her name is Maggie and I really wanted to encourage and help her, though her own toughness was exciting to see. The plot engaged me and made the book hard to put down. The information about word analysis in forensics was informative. I honestly can highly recommend this book. Enjoy!
My thanks to the author, Stella Sands, and the publisher, Harper for my ARC of this book. #Goodreads Giveaway
(Absolutely loved the diagrams)
Set in rural, rundown area of Florida, the author's main character is a tough, driven and very endearing lover of words and language. Her name is Maggie and I really wanted to encourage and help her, though her own toughness was exciting to see. The plot engaged me and made the book hard to put down. The information about word analysis in forensics was informative. I honestly can highly recommend this book. Enjoy!
My thanks to the author, Stella Sands, and the publisher, Harper for my ARC of this book. #Goodreads Giveaway
(Absolutely loved the diagrams)
February 20, 2025
3.5 rounded up to 4.
Sometimes I simply enjoy a book enough that I’m reluctant to overanalyze it. This is one of those books. Are there flaws? Yes. Did they detract from my enjoyment? No.
The main character is Maggie, a super-smart young woman studying forensics in a small graduate school in rural Florida. She is obsessed with all things related to language, most significantly for purposes of this book, the significance of choices related to words and punctuation. Early in the book she explains to someone that the Unabomber was identified in part because he consistently garbled a common idiom: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
Maggie is so talented in this area that when the local police department contacts her school asking for help with analysis of threatening emails, she, rather than one of her professors, is recommended. Her success in pointing the police toward the bad guy begins her association with law enforcement. Another case, more complicated, follows, and that sets the stage for the main plot. There are a couple of other subplots as well, maybe almost to the point of clutter, but they were easy to track, and each had its own internal validity.
Maggie’s backstory is complicated, also perhaps to an unnecessary degree, but her fascination with language structure dominates and helped keep me engaged. As a calming technique, she diagrams sentences that have meaning for her in her head during times of crisis. She also challenges herself by keeping written journals of her diagrams of more complicated sentences - working with Proust requires all of her attention. Scattered throughout the book are examples of these sentence diagrams.
An unqualified strength of the book is the marvelous sense of place Stella Sands creates as she describes rural Florida, both the area where Maggie lives and works, and the “Redneck Riviera” part of the panhandle she visits as part of one of the subplots.
Sands authored a number of true crime books before trying her hand at fiction with this book. I understand that she is currently writing a sequel to Wordhunter. I will definitely be tempted to take a look at it. Sometimes an author has to get a first book under her belt before she really understands what she wants to do with her stories and characters.
Sometimes I simply enjoy a book enough that I’m reluctant to overanalyze it. This is one of those books. Are there flaws? Yes. Did they detract from my enjoyment? No.
The main character is Maggie, a super-smart young woman studying forensics in a small graduate school in rural Florida. She is obsessed with all things related to language, most significantly for purposes of this book, the significance of choices related to words and punctuation. Early in the book she explains to someone that the Unabomber was identified in part because he consistently garbled a common idiom: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
Maggie is so talented in this area that when the local police department contacts her school asking for help with analysis of threatening emails, she, rather than one of her professors, is recommended. Her success in pointing the police toward the bad guy begins her association with law enforcement. Another case, more complicated, follows, and that sets the stage for the main plot. There are a couple of other subplots as well, maybe almost to the point of clutter, but they were easy to track, and each had its own internal validity.
Maggie’s backstory is complicated, also perhaps to an unnecessary degree, but her fascination with language structure dominates and helped keep me engaged. As a calming technique, she diagrams sentences that have meaning for her in her head during times of crisis. She also challenges herself by keeping written journals of her diagrams of more complicated sentences - working with Proust requires all of her attention. Scattered throughout the book are examples of these sentence diagrams.
An unqualified strength of the book is the marvelous sense of place Stella Sands creates as she describes rural Florida, both the area where Maggie lives and works, and the “Redneck Riviera” part of the panhandle she visits as part of one of the subplots.
Sands authored a number of true crime books before trying her hand at fiction with this book. I understand that she is currently writing a sequel to Wordhunter. I will definitely be tempted to take a look at it. Sometimes an author has to get a first book under her belt before she really understands what she wants to do with her stories and characters.
August 25, 2024
Can’t believe this was published.
Points for the diagrammed sentences. I wish the whole book, the story and characters and dialogue were as carefully constructed as those sentences.
Points for the diagrammed sentences. I wish the whole book, the story and characters and dialogue were as carefully constructed as those sentences.
July 14, 2024
CW: The main reason I gave this title three stars was that the mystery at its center is about sexual assault and disappearances of children. The author doesn't bludgeon us with horrors, but I just feel uneasy when something like this shows up in my "entertainment." There's also an explosive character prone to physical and psychological violence.
What drew me to Wordhunter was the premise of a mystery novel whose central character is a forensic linguist. I was curious to see how the author would depict that field and what kind of person she's create to embody it. Maggie Moore, our forensic linguist (actually, she's still studying forensic linguistics) is rather a hot mess outside of her area of expertise. Poor self care, alcohol and drug use, a personal history of what can best be described as mind-bogglingly poor choices in sexual partners. There's effective backstory to explain this, but, goodness, she gives a reader a lot to worry about.
Like many such novels, Wordhunter explores the pairing of a professional-amateur investigative duo. Maggie is the amateur half of that team, with hopes of working in investigation/law enforcement, but no real experience yet. Detective Jackson is a deeply committed, by-the-books sort of guy (with problems of his own), who finds Maggie's baggage overwhelming. He wants to keep her in a "civilian" box. She's itching to be a "real" investigator.
The parts involving forensic linguistics were interesting—and leave me willing to try another book by this author with this character set should one appear. I appreciate the care with which Maggie insists that she can't make definitive statements about suspects. She can just offer word-based clues that may suggest bits oabout a suspect's history or the "character" the suspect is trying to come across as to the law enforcement community. Nonetheless, Maggie is able to pull key clues from very small pieces of evidence. Would this be true in real life? I don't know, but I have my doubts.
The unabomber case is offered as an example of the kinds of conclusions that forensic linguistics can lead to—but in the unabomber case analysts had a great deal of previous writing by the suspect and a 35,000-word manifesto to work with. Over the course of this case, Maggie is working with a few brief notes and a handful of equally brief text messages. So I'm not sure I buy some central elements of the puzzle, but I am curious to see where the author can take things next.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
What drew me to Wordhunter was the premise of a mystery novel whose central character is a forensic linguist. I was curious to see how the author would depict that field and what kind of person she's create to embody it. Maggie Moore, our forensic linguist (actually, she's still studying forensic linguistics) is rather a hot mess outside of her area of expertise. Poor self care, alcohol and drug use, a personal history of what can best be described as mind-bogglingly poor choices in sexual partners. There's effective backstory to explain this, but, goodness, she gives a reader a lot to worry about.
Like many such novels, Wordhunter explores the pairing of a professional-amateur investigative duo. Maggie is the amateur half of that team, with hopes of working in investigation/law enforcement, but no real experience yet. Detective Jackson is a deeply committed, by-the-books sort of guy (with problems of his own), who finds Maggie's baggage overwhelming. He wants to keep her in a "civilian" box. She's itching to be a "real" investigator.
The parts involving forensic linguistics were interesting—and leave me willing to try another book by this author with this character set should one appear. I appreciate the care with which Maggie insists that she can't make definitive statements about suspects. She can just offer word-based clues that may suggest bits oabout a suspect's history or the "character" the suspect is trying to come across as to the law enforcement community. Nonetheless, Maggie is able to pull key clues from very small pieces of evidence. Would this be true in real life? I don't know, but I have my doubts.
The unabomber case is offered as an example of the kinds of conclusions that forensic linguistics can lead to—but in the unabomber case analysts had a great deal of previous writing by the suspect and a 35,000-word manifesto to work with. Over the course of this case, Maggie is working with a few brief notes and a handful of equally brief text messages. So I'm not sure I buy some central elements of the puzzle, but I am curious to see where the author can take things next.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
January 16, 2024
Let's start with the positives! Wordhunter is a fast, easy read that falls somewhere between a cozy mystery and a police procedural. The main protagonist is in graduate school to become a forensic linguist, and she helps the local police department solve open cases. The ending is ambiguous, so one can only assume this book is a pilot to a future series. I haven't read a book with a forensic linguist as the hero, so the author gets points for ingenuity.
Now, the big question - will I read book #2 (if there is one)? Eh. Forensic linguistics is a complex topic; for the most part, the story overestimated the reader's understanding. I love Criminal Minds, CSI, and Law & Order just as much as any other true crime junkie, but there were several parts of the book that soared over my head. And on the rare occasion when the author tried to explain the science behind linguistic analysis, the plot turned into a textbook. It read like a regurgitation of a Google search, and for being such a crucial concept in the plot, I expected more engaging (and educated) explanations.
The main character's job is to analyze written words, but ironically, the writing of this book is pretty amateur. There was a lot of rudimentary dialogue - Maggie said, Jackson said, Maggie said, Jackson said...😴 Characters were barely developed outside of basic descriptions - no one had a clear voice, and I felt zero connection to them.
Some authors can write a story and make the reader feel like an active observer - you feel right there with the characters. Others force the reader into a more passive role, and you feel like you are being talked at. This book fell into the latter category. In addition, several errant plot lines served no purpose to the story and were seemingly added for shock value and filler. For example, a good chunk of the book is spent on a conflict with a professor, but this thread had no significance to the primary plot. It was like a lost balloon floating in the wind.
If Wordhunter was a house, you'd say it had "good bones." It needs more development and a sharp editor, but it has undeniable potential.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
Now, the big question - will I read book #2 (if there is one)? Eh. Forensic linguistics is a complex topic; for the most part, the story overestimated the reader's understanding. I love Criminal Minds, CSI, and Law & Order just as much as any other true crime junkie, but there were several parts of the book that soared over my head. And on the rare occasion when the author tried to explain the science behind linguistic analysis, the plot turned into a textbook. It read like a regurgitation of a Google search, and for being such a crucial concept in the plot, I expected more engaging (and educated) explanations.
The main character's job is to analyze written words, but ironically, the writing of this book is pretty amateur. There was a lot of rudimentary dialogue - Maggie said, Jackson said, Maggie said, Jackson said...😴 Characters were barely developed outside of basic descriptions - no one had a clear voice, and I felt zero connection to them.
Some authors can write a story and make the reader feel like an active observer - you feel right there with the characters. Others force the reader into a more passive role, and you feel like you are being talked at. This book fell into the latter category. In addition, several errant plot lines served no purpose to the story and were seemingly added for shock value and filler. For example, a good chunk of the book is spent on a conflict with a professor, but this thread had no significance to the primary plot. It was like a lost balloon floating in the wind.
If Wordhunter was a house, you'd say it had "good bones." It needs more development and a sharp editor, but it has undeniable potential.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
July 16, 2025
3.5 stars
From what I can tell, this is a first novel, although the author has written a number of nonfiction true crime books. First let me warn you that there is sexual assault and child abduction, so you are forewarned.
I liked the quirky main character, Maggie, who comes from the wrong side of the tracks, but is finding her way in the academic world. Her behaviour suggests that she is on the spectrum somewhere. She is obsessed with words, sentences, and forensic linguistics. To calm herself, she diagrams sentence structures. She is an encyclopedia of random facts and statistics. Despite her intelligence, she has all the bad habits—smoking, drinking, and drug use—but still manages to keep up with school and a job.
One of Maggie's professors has suggested her to the local police to help with a case based on threatening text messages which she analyzes. She and Detective Jackson manage to solve the case and Maggie adds police work and softball to her already busy schedule.
I'm always disappointed when an author takes the easy route of using sexual assault to challenge their character. I know it happens and that many women don't report it. But surely we can find other ways to test our fictional female characters. There are different obstacles for male characters--can't we do the same for women?
This is a quick read and the author leaves enough loose threads to justify a sequel. I wouldn't be surprised if she is encouraged to continue. However, I'm unsure if I'm interested enough to read on.
From what I can tell, this is a first novel, although the author has written a number of nonfiction true crime books. First let me warn you that there is sexual assault and child abduction, so you are forewarned.
I liked the quirky main character, Maggie, who comes from the wrong side of the tracks, but is finding her way in the academic world. Her behaviour suggests that she is on the spectrum somewhere. She is obsessed with words, sentences, and forensic linguistics. To calm herself, she diagrams sentence structures. She is an encyclopedia of random facts and statistics. Despite her intelligence, she has all the bad habits—smoking, drinking, and drug use—but still manages to keep up with school and a job.
One of Maggie's professors has suggested her to the local police to help with a case based on threatening text messages which she analyzes. She and Detective Jackson manage to solve the case and Maggie adds police work and softball to her already busy schedule.
I'm always disappointed when an author takes the easy route of using sexual assault to challenge their character. I know it happens and that many women don't report it. But surely we can find other ways to test our fictional female characters. There are different obstacles for male characters--can't we do the same for women?
This is a quick read and the author leaves enough loose threads to justify a sequel. I wouldn't be surprised if she is encouraged to continue. However, I'm unsure if I'm interested enough to read on.
January 8, 2024
I am reviewing Wordhunter by Stella Sands. #Wordhunter #NetGalley
A few hints at spoilers but no REAL spoilers!!
Thank you NETGALLEY for a free preview of this book in return for an honest review!
I get why other readers think that the main character is a white-trash version of Lisbeth Salander. HOWEVER, it fits the storyline.
To me, it’s a lot like a combination of characters: the tv series LIE TO ME, Criminal Minds, The Girl With…series. Also, Jackson is reminiscent of Detective Bosch and Nick Pirog’s Thomas Prescott.
I think too many readers are focusing on the similarities and not the differences. This is where it is at for me.
The flow of the story was wonderful. There was no confusion about who was speaking. There was no confusion about the emotions of the characters. The whole book theme made me think of Reba McEntire’s FANCY. It was back woods, shady policing, sneaky shit-pile of detectives weaved in with a few phenomenal characters. From the past to the present, you could feel how a lesser socio-economic demographic is treated by those in authority.
The diagraming of sentences added to the puzzle. While some were difficult, it made you realize how intelligent Maggie is. The humour of Maggie, mixed with her intellect, really makes you appreciate the way her brain thinks.
The slow process of her and detective Jackson’s friendship and business relationship is refreshing. No sex-nor does the reader crave that relationship out of the two characters. I’m guessing that’s where it could head but the author doesn’t breathe life into that….yet. In itself, the relationship is relevant and easy.
The secondary storyline with Maggie’s school and her professor I sensed was coming. It’s like you could feel what was happening, but you were hoping one direction; it went another, darker way.
I’m hoping that this will be a well planned, long running series. It’s nice to have a true mystery/thriller series!
A few hints at spoilers but no REAL spoilers!!
Thank you NETGALLEY for a free preview of this book in return for an honest review!
I get why other readers think that the main character is a white-trash version of Lisbeth Salander. HOWEVER, it fits the storyline.
To me, it’s a lot like a combination of characters: the tv series LIE TO ME, Criminal Minds, The Girl With…series. Also, Jackson is reminiscent of Detective Bosch and Nick Pirog’s Thomas Prescott.
I think too many readers are focusing on the similarities and not the differences. This is where it is at for me.
The flow of the story was wonderful. There was no confusion about who was speaking. There was no confusion about the emotions of the characters. The whole book theme made me think of Reba McEntire’s FANCY. It was back woods, shady policing, sneaky shit-pile of detectives weaved in with a few phenomenal characters. From the past to the present, you could feel how a lesser socio-economic demographic is treated by those in authority.
The diagraming of sentences added to the puzzle. While some were difficult, it made you realize how intelligent Maggie is. The humour of Maggie, mixed with her intellect, really makes you appreciate the way her brain thinks.
The slow process of her and detective Jackson’s friendship and business relationship is refreshing. No sex-nor does the reader crave that relationship out of the two characters. I’m guessing that’s where it could head but the author doesn’t breathe life into that….yet. In itself, the relationship is relevant and easy.
The secondary storyline with Maggie’s school and her professor I sensed was coming. It’s like you could feel what was happening, but you were hoping one direction; it went another, darker way.
I’m hoping that this will be a well planned, long running series. It’s nice to have a true mystery/thriller series!
September 24, 2024
Maggie is a forensic linguist tapped to solve two missing persons cases in this made up town in central Florida by analyzing documents the kidnapper left behind. That’s where the books starts and ends being interesting. This is marketed as an “easy read,” but it was too easy because this writing was absolutely horrible. The pacing was dogshit, as was the dialogue. Things happened (the rape) just to happen and there’s pedophilia the main character turns an eye too, but she’s searching for two pedophiles…. Nothing in this story developed, from her own personal turmoil to her missing friend to the actual kidnappings. The kidnapping in question was solved within the span of 3 pages which was odd???
September 11, 2024
…. What was this
September 20, 2024
Maggie, a graduate student in linguistics forensics is enlisted by the local police to analyze writing by a potential criminal. One of her favorite pastimes is diagramming sentences of her favorite book and movie quotes; the diagrams are included here, which I really liked. Unfortunately, the writing and characters were pedestrian to poor, when they weren't problematic. The problematic: a rape subplot that really added nothing to the plot, except to maybe make an already cartoonishly evil character more evil. Also, the main character encounters a pedophile pretty much in the act and does nothing (after almost joking about their tendencies earlier in the book). Disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2023
After reading the synopsis, I had high hopes for this book. The idea of a linguistic savant assisting the police to solve crimes excited my inner geek-love for puzzles. It was a quick and easy read with an interesting storyline and a quirky main character, but the portrayal missed its mark for me. The dialogue was extremely disjointed and lacked any kind of emotion. It felt like I was reading in monotone, like someone was just stating a list of facts. There were parts where I should have cared or empathized with Maggie, but I didn't feel a connection to her or any of the characters at all. And to my disappointment, there weren't many puzzles to solve. Maggie was more obsessed with diagramming and analyzing sentence structure. This was kind of cool for what it was, but the diagrams were very hard to read on my Kindle. They would have been much easier to decipher if the sentences were written out prior to or above the diagram. The ending was cut and dry. All my questions were answered but summed up too neatly. I was hoping for a bit more elaboration and a more satisfying ending on the Ditmore issue. The storyline was left wide open, so I'm guessing that there will be a sequel. Overall, it was a decent read, it just didn't WOW me.
Thank you to the author, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and NetGalley for granting me early digital access in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to the author, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and NetGalley for granting me early digital access in exchange for my honest review!
January 17, 2024
ARC for review. To be published August 6, 2024. Maggie Moore of Cypress Haven, Florida is a university student studying forensics. Her film professor (?) recommends that she consult with detective Silas Jackson on a cyber stalking case because of her prowess in word analysis. It goes well which leads to her work on the case of the kidnapped mayor’s daughter. She’s also searching for a missing childhood friend, Lucy.
Lots going on in this mystery/thriller, maybe a few too many threads. Maggie is an interesting main character. The constant sentence diagramming got a bit old, though I can see a wordsmith doing this in real life, I guess. I would have like to have seen more of Maggie’s actual work with words and fewer tangents. Overall, good though.
Lots going on in this mystery/thriller, maybe a few too many threads. Maggie is an interesting main character. The constant sentence diagramming got a bit old, though I can see a wordsmith doing this in real life, I guess. I would have like to have seen more of Maggie’s actual work with words and fewer tangents. Overall, good though.
October 31, 2024
A really fun ride!
I loved the main character, Maggie Moore, who's basically a genius but also a very troubled young woman. She's finishing up her studies to become a forensic linguist, and is recommended to the local PD to help decipher some notes written by a kidnapper. Her great work leads to some more interesting developments, good and bad...
Could not put this book down!
I loved the main character, Maggie Moore, who's basically a genius but also a very troubled young woman. She's finishing up her studies to become a forensic linguist, and is recommended to the local PD to help decipher some notes written by a kidnapper. Her great work leads to some more interesting developments, good and bad...
Could not put this book down!
June 28, 2024
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 6, 2024
Non-fiction author Stella Sands has taken her first foray into fiction with “Wordhunter”, a clever and engaging detective story for fans of Dan Brown and Stieg Larsson.
Maggie Moore is tattooed, pierced and a bit of a misfit, but she has a way with words and can solve just about any linguistic puzzle. Maggie has helped the local police force before, bringing a stalker-turned-rapist to justice so when the young daughter of a small-town mayor goes missing, Maggie is again asked to assist. However, Maggie feels that this case strikes a little close to home, bringing back reminders of the day when her childhood friend disappeared, and she is reluctant to help. But a little girl’s life may be at stake and everyone is desperate- can Maggie put her own past behind her to save a child’s life?
“Wordhunter” is smart and well-formed and Maggie gives off solid Lisbeth Salander vibes, with her tattoos and her brilliance. Right away, I was pulled into this novel, trying to solve the crimes alongside Maggie, and rooting for her eccentricities and talents.
I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle solving component of this novel, as well as the police investigation and the kidnapping. There is a storyline that revolves around Maggie’s professor, which, although suspenseful and powerful, seemed irrelevant to the story. Socially awkward loner Maggie is recruited by two female friends who we haven’t before met, to go after a professor for reasons I won’t give away. Right around this part of the novel, Maggie’s conversational style changed, and it seemed that “Wordhunter” was going on an entirely different path. Once this storyline had been solved, I was pleased to return to the puzzle and crime solving aspect.
The novel hints that a second story, and possibly more, are incoming and I hope that that is the case. Although some of the conversations are simplistic and rudimentary, and some of the plotlines don’t quite fit, I think with some careful tweaking, Maggie and her wordhunting ways would be something I’d keep reading!
Expected publication date: Aug. 6, 2024
Non-fiction author Stella Sands has taken her first foray into fiction with “Wordhunter”, a clever and engaging detective story for fans of Dan Brown and Stieg Larsson.
Maggie Moore is tattooed, pierced and a bit of a misfit, but she has a way with words and can solve just about any linguistic puzzle. Maggie has helped the local police force before, bringing a stalker-turned-rapist to justice so when the young daughter of a small-town mayor goes missing, Maggie is again asked to assist. However, Maggie feels that this case strikes a little close to home, bringing back reminders of the day when her childhood friend disappeared, and she is reluctant to help. But a little girl’s life may be at stake and everyone is desperate- can Maggie put her own past behind her to save a child’s life?
“Wordhunter” is smart and well-formed and Maggie gives off solid Lisbeth Salander vibes, with her tattoos and her brilliance. Right away, I was pulled into this novel, trying to solve the crimes alongside Maggie, and rooting for her eccentricities and talents.
I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle solving component of this novel, as well as the police investigation and the kidnapping. There is a storyline that revolves around Maggie’s professor, which, although suspenseful and powerful, seemed irrelevant to the story. Socially awkward loner Maggie is recruited by two female friends who we haven’t before met, to go after a professor for reasons I won’t give away. Right around this part of the novel, Maggie’s conversational style changed, and it seemed that “Wordhunter” was going on an entirely different path. Once this storyline had been solved, I was pleased to return to the puzzle and crime solving aspect.
The novel hints that a second story, and possibly more, are incoming and I hope that that is the case. Although some of the conversations are simplistic and rudimentary, and some of the plotlines don’t quite fit, I think with some careful tweaking, Maggie and her wordhunting ways would be something I’d keep reading!
September 29, 2024
This book wasn't what I expected. It was much darker and grittier than I anticipated. But that wasn't the problem for me. I found the ending just too impossible to believe. I'd figured out the identity of the kidnapper pretty early on, but his motivation for writing the notes didn't ring true to me.
The treatment of sexual assault and pedophiles in this book is beyond disturbing. On one hand, Maggie is desperate to find her missing childhood friend and livid at the abduction of Heidi. On the other, she knows the bookseller she frequents in an active pedophile and even catches him with a child and doesn't mention it to the police?! WTF is wrong with you woman?? Also we have two girls who are supposed to be at least passing friends with Maggie who have been assaulted by the same professor and who see him grooming Maggie and they don't bother to be like, "Hey, just be careful. He can be kind of a creep." So much for sisterhood.
And finally, the 2nd kidnapped girl, being Lucy's friend and her still being alive, was just one coincidence too far. The whole story of what actually happened to Lucy didn't make sense.
The treatment of sexual assault and pedophiles in this book is beyond disturbing. On one hand, Maggie is desperate to find her missing childhood friend and livid at the abduction of Heidi. On the other, she knows the bookseller she frequents in an active pedophile and even catches him with a child and doesn't mention it to the police?! WTF is wrong with you woman?? Also we have two girls who are supposed to be at least passing friends with Maggie who have been assaulted by the same professor and who see him grooming Maggie and they don't bother to be like, "Hey, just be careful. He can be kind of a creep." So much for sisterhood.
And finally, the 2nd kidnapped girl, being Lucy's friend and her still being alive, was just one coincidence too far. The whole story of what actually happened to Lucy didn't make sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2025
Тема мені здавалася просто блискучою, я вже готова була поставити купу зірочок лише за те, про що буде ця історія, але виявилося, що все насправді дуже й дуже погано.
- Всі герої говорять короткими, рваними реченнями, як ніби в них ліміт на кількість знаків (може, слухати таке ще якось можна, але читати це дуже незручно).
- Діаграми. Головна героїня розбирає всі речення в своїй голові на діаграми і більшість тих речень не мають жоднісінького стосунку до історії, просто думки, які їй десь там влетіли в голову і треба їх озвучити. Це якби я зараз якесь із речень в цьому відгуку проаналізувала по Universal dependancies. Більшість моїх друзів дупля не відстрілюють, що таке ті dependancies, тому це тільки заважає читанню (на Kindle ті діаграми були мікроскопічні).
- Історія дуже погано прописана, абсолютно незрозуміла мотивація героїв.
- У головної героїні сильні проблеми з алкоголем, це треба точно вказувати як trigger warning на початку книжки.
Загалом, у мене склалося враження, що авторка просто дуже хотіла написати щось на цю тему, але особливо не досліджувала що воно взагалі таке (бо оці факти в стилі "а ви знали, що в цьому реченні два присудки і один зворот?" були дуже недоречні). Розумію, що моя планка трохи відрізнятиметься від пересічного читача, бо я вчу лінгвістику вже десять років, але тим не менш, радити цю книжку друзям я точно не буду. Таке.
- Всі герої говорять короткими, рваними реченнями, як ніби в них ліміт на кількість знаків (може, слухати таке ще якось можна, але читати це дуже незручно).
- Діаграми. Головна героїня розбирає всі речення в своїй голові на діаграми і більшість тих речень не мають жоднісінького стосунку до історії, просто думки, які їй десь там влетіли в голову і треба їх озвучити. Це якби я зараз якесь із речень в цьому відгуку проаналізувала по Universal dependancies. Більшість моїх друзів дупля не відстрілюють, що таке ті dependancies, тому це тільки заважає читанню (на Kindle ті діаграми були мікроскопічні).
- Історія дуже погано прописана, абсолютно незрозуміла мотивація героїв.
- У головної героїні сильні проблеми з алкоголем, це треба точно вказувати як trigger warning на початку книжки.
Загалом, у мене склалося враження, що авторка просто дуже хотіла написати щось на цю тему, але особливо не досліджувала що воно взагалі таке (бо оці факти в стилі "а ви знали, що в цьому реченні два присудки і один зворот?" були дуже недоречні). Розумію, що моя планка трохи відрізнятиметься від пересічного читача, бо я вчу лінгвістику вже десять років, але тим не менш, радити цю книжку друзям я точно не буду. Таке.
August 27, 2024
**WARNING** Contains sexual *ssault and not in a typical 'true crime' way
This book had a lot of potential and a great initial concept! Sadly, the writing devolved into juvenile descriptions of how cool our main character is. I know there is certainly an audience who would love a whole page and a half dedicated to describing each and every tattoo sported by our protagonist, but I am not part of such in crowd. There were too many unnecessary subplots that I felt added nothing and went nowhere. The main story is laughably predictable, there is absolutely no chemistry among any characters - most of which are at best, closer related to caricatures than anything near a real human being - and we are constantly told our narrator is a genius despite not being shown. I was completely prepared to put this down to something that just wasn't for me and call it a day, until the author decided to use a completely unnessacry r*pe as a plot device, which I find to be in extremely poor taste.
This book had a lot of potential and a great initial concept! Sadly, the writing devolved into juvenile descriptions of how cool our main character is. I know there is certainly an audience who would love a whole page and a half dedicated to describing each and every tattoo sported by our protagonist, but I am not part of such in crowd. There were too many unnecessary subplots that I felt added nothing and went nowhere. The main story is laughably predictable, there is absolutely no chemistry among any characters - most of which are at best, closer related to caricatures than anything near a real human being - and we are constantly told our narrator is a genius despite not being shown. I was completely prepared to put this down to something that just wasn't for me and call it a day, until the author decided to use a completely unnessacry r*pe as a plot device, which I find to be in extremely poor taste.
January 8, 2025
horrible. only good parts were the sentence diagrams and that it was mercifully short. every single character in this book is a shitty caricature, no one acts like a real human, and the “twist” is telegraphed after about 50 pages. entirely too many subplots, too many coincidences, and wayyy too many scenes that were just torture porn. strong contender for worst book i will read this year, i am annoyed that i spent money on it and doubly annoyed i bought it full price at barnes and noble.
the logistics of the diner and the bookstore made zero sense to me, there are not nearly enough workers mentioned for them to both be 24 hours. i refuse to believe that any bookstore could be open 24 hours in central florida, especially one that openly deals drugs and other illicit things.
the logistics of the diner and the bookstore made zero sense to me, there are not nearly enough workers mentioned for them to both be 24 hours. i refuse to believe that any bookstore could be open 24 hours in central florida, especially one that openly deals drugs and other illicit things.
September 28, 2025
Such an interesting story and the crime/mystery aspect was super compelling. The ending felt really rushed though and like the author was trying to tie everything up in a few pages. Also so many questions left unanswered like whether she finds Lucy… maybe for another book? Maggie’s character was multi-faceted, but the rest were a bit 1-dimensional. Fun read and loved the sentence diagramming.
January 15, 2025
A unique angle for a mystery and I learned a lot about language and forensic linguistics (which I really didn’t know was a thing prior to reading this book)….but I have major problems with the plot and the insufferable main character. Alas I would probably still read a sequel.
November 23, 2024
I had such high hopes for this book. The premise immediately intrigued me, especially since I have read a lot about Zodiac and Berkowitz and find forensic linguistics fascinating. However, this book book was just bad. For a book about words, their use, and what we can learn from it, it was so poorly written (I found several spelling/ grammatical errors) and ricocheted between half-formed storylines at the pace of a pinball machine. None of the characters are likeable, probably because they are all just cliché stereotypes. Even the plot and "twists" seemed were like checking boxes trying to fit in every crime drama trope into a single book. There's so much going on in this book that I didn't know what was important (spoiler: most of it isn't) and half of it never gets resolved anyways. And that which does get resolved is hastily wrapped up in the last few chapters.
TW for rest of this review: rape, pedophilia
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There's also a weird fixation on rape throughout the book. The mayor's daughter: kidnapped and raped, along with another girl she was held captive with. Maggie, the main character, is raped by her college professor, and we find out he is a serial rapist when we meet two of his other victims. (This really served no purpose other than to be a reason for Maggie to overdose, which also really didn't serve much of a purpose). While Maggie acts all high-and-mighty while trying to bring a pedophile to justice, we learn that at like 15 or 16 she was "having sexual relations with" (raped by) a grown, married man. Now perhaps you'd think that later in life she is appalled by this and is what drives her to bring another pedophile to justice. But nope! She's still friends with the man who raped her on account of ger being underage and seemingly jokes with himself about it. There's also the creepy bookstore guy who she believes is a pedophile, and who later in the book is basically caught by Maggie after raping a 13 year old girl. Is this the guy she's trying to brung to justive? Nope! She doesn't even report it because apparently there's nowhere else she can get books from. Near the end of the book we even find out that Maggie was the product of a rape. It's all really weird and I'm not sure what the point of it was.
TW for rest of this review: rape, pedophilia
.
.
.
There's also a weird fixation on rape throughout the book. The mayor's daughter: kidnapped and raped, along with another girl she was held captive with. Maggie, the main character, is raped by her college professor, and we find out he is a serial rapist when we meet two of his other victims. (This really served no purpose other than to be a reason for Maggie to overdose, which also really didn't serve much of a purpose). While Maggie acts all high-and-mighty while trying to bring a pedophile to justice, we learn that at like 15 or 16 she was "having sexual relations with" (raped by) a grown, married man. Now perhaps you'd think that later in life she is appalled by this and is what drives her to bring another pedophile to justice. But nope! She's still friends with the man who raped her on account of ger being underage and seemingly jokes with himself about it. There's also the creepy bookstore guy who she believes is a pedophile, and who later in the book is basically caught by Maggie after raping a 13 year old girl. Is this the guy she's trying to brung to justive? Nope! She doesn't even report it because apparently there's nowhere else she can get books from. Near the end of the book we even find out that Maggie was the product of a rape. It's all really weird and I'm not sure what the point of it was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2025
Maggie is a twenty-something train wreck who has been told that she is a genius. As readers, we are told in every chapter how brilliant she is. She is currently a student of forensic linguistics (ooh!) and she diagrams sentences for fun in her spare time (wowee).
Having myself taken linguistics course work, I thought the sentence diagramming would add to the mystery but instead they were not at all significant and could be skipped over, like illustrations.
Because she's such a brainiac, Maggie is given an opportunity to help the local police solve a missing persons case in which the perpetrator leaves handwritten notes. She is able to figure out where a criminal is from just by reading their messages. Incredible. The case is solved. Crikey. She's a genius.
Please Stella! Stop telling me she's a genius and get her to do something ~anything~ smart. All she did was drink, do drugs, drink & drive, sexually harass others, eat junk, refuse sleep, chatter inanely and fantasize about her next cocaine hit.
The key issue I had with the novel was the flippant attitude towards rape. It felt like Oprah was handing out a rape to every woman mentioned. (You get one and you get one and, you in the back ... you get one too!)
I surprised myself by carrying on to the end, despite this sensational take on a life-altering trauma.
No need to add this to your list.
Having myself taken linguistics course work, I thought the sentence diagramming would add to the mystery but instead they were not at all significant and could be skipped over, like illustrations.
Because she's such a brainiac, Maggie is given an opportunity to help the local police solve a missing persons case in which the perpetrator leaves handwritten notes. She is able to figure out where a criminal is from just by reading their messages. Incredible. The case is solved. Crikey. She's a genius.
Please Stella! Stop telling me she's a genius and get her to do something ~anything~ smart. All she did was drink, do drugs, drink & drive, sexually harass others, eat junk, refuse sleep, chatter inanely and fantasize about her next cocaine hit.
The key issue I had with the novel was the flippant attitude towards rape. It felt like Oprah was handing out a rape to every woman mentioned. (You get one and you get one and, you in the back ... you get one too!)
I surprised myself by carrying on to the end, despite this sensational take on a life-altering trauma.
No need to add this to your list.
January 19, 2024
I was intrigued to find out how word forensics or forensic linguistics is used in crime solving, by analyzing written evidence, papers, letters, email, etc. to find the authors and possibly a criminal. Maggie Moore has always been fascinated by words, and as a college student she was recommended by her prof to help the police track down a cyber stalker.
Looking at word choice, dialect, syntax, spelling, use or misuse of punctuation, writing style, and more, Maggie analyzes emails to find traits leading to the stalker and with Detective Jackson, goes on to another case of finding the kidnapper of the mayor's missing daughter.
I liked how the relationship between the detective and Maggie develops into one of trust and reliance during the events, some of them life threatening, that take place during their investigations.
A delightful read with an unusual, quirky character Maggie, who learns to stand up for herself in both her work and personal life.
Looking at word choice, dialect, syntax, spelling, use or misuse of punctuation, writing style, and more, Maggie analyzes emails to find traits leading to the stalker and with Detective Jackson, goes on to another case of finding the kidnapper of the mayor's missing daughter.
I liked how the relationship between the detective and Maggie develops into one of trust and reliance during the events, some of them life threatening, that take place during their investigations.
A delightful read with an unusual, quirky character Maggie, who learns to stand up for herself in both her work and personal life.
August 20, 2025
I did i, i found it: the worst book ive ever read! it would be a crime to make someone else read this (i read it for a bookclub). if the author photo wasn’t on the back of the book, id have thought this was written by the worst man in the world. wow. i’m stunned by how bad it was written. 1 star is 1 too many for this book.
January 15, 2025
Alot to unpack with this one, will sum it up by saying the concept was really interesting but there ended up being too much I didn't enjoy about the plot and characters.
(although somehow I still want to know what happens next...)
(although somehow I still want to know what happens next...)
August 25, 2024
Very cool inclusion of diagrams of famous lines from books!!
November 15, 2024
“Florida never fails to disappoint, she thought.”
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