Woah. Did we finally do another #allthebookreviews buddy read?? I think we did!
Thanks to Harper Paperbacks for the gifted copies in exchange for our honest reviews
WORDHUNTER – Stella Sands (Released August 6th, 2024)
Chandra and I agreed on this one and while it’s fun to disagree, I always like when we’re on the same wavelength with books.
Book Description:
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.
Chandra’s Thoughts: 3/5 stars
I absolutely love puzzles and was extremely excited about this read. I did have a remarkable time being inside Maggie’s head and seeing how her relationships with the detective and her professor grew with each page turn. She reminded me a bit of Spencer in Criminal Minds with her ability to bring out so much information on a variety of subjects. I absolutely love this unique take on a procedural but did think the execution needed a little bit of work. As a lover of criminal investigations and linguistics, this definitely fit right into the type of book I love to read. I’m thinking maybe there’s another book coming that may bring together the things that seemed like loose ends… even some that may not have seemed like they were… if that makes any sense!
My Thoughts: 3/5 stars
Sometimes, we’re opposite on our thoughts, but we were on the same wavelength with this book. Loved the puzzles, loved our tattooed/pierced and messy main character Maggie, and the mystery kept me engaged. There were a few things I was hoping would be more tied up at the end or at least a few more answers. Almost feels like we need a second book or short story to follow it up.
If you’re also a person who likes puzzles and mystery, I’d say give this one a read!
Jessicamap Reviews 