Customer Reviews

Dead Body Language

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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As a deaf person, I was hesitant to pick up this book because many books written about deaf individuals are inaccurate. However, this book is a very accurate portrayal of a deaf character. Not only that, Conor is a funny, gutsy and likeable character. The book ended much too soon for me and I'm off to buy her other 3 books now!

It was a wonderful surprise to discover Dead Body Language when it first came out, because we finally see a main deaf character. Reading this book, the author really gives the reader a glimpse of what it is like to be deaf. I liked the scene where Connor Westphal was trying to lipread Lacy Penzance. The plot was great and kept me guessing until the very end!

well dead body language is a very good book,i must tell you i could not put it down ,the novel was a great stump in the end on who did it,but in the end i love the book about deaf person name connorn, so as a deaf person i always enjoy a good books to read but in the end this book really heart stoping tale of a good mystery books,so now i am reading my fourth book of the series,and i tell you it was little funny and witty humor as well,so i have to thank penny warner for the books that she write i just cannot wait for her next book,thank amazon,com for having this book for me.

I was assigned to read this book when I was enrolled in a ASL Course. The story is a cute small town murder mystery, it keeps you going with twist and turns until the very end. The main character gave me a new appreciation and understanding about what a deaf person may go through on a daily basis. Above all it made me realize life may be challenging but self pity is the true handicap.

If the Mystery Writers of America had an award for "Most Unusual," Penny Warner's "Dead Body Language" is a sure-fire candidate. From the very first sentence, Warner's Connor Westphal captivates us with her unique blend of humor, mystique, and just plain weirdness: "I licked the tip of my murder weapon, then hesitantly sipped my mug of coffee as if it were strychnine." Not to worry--Connor's one of the good guys. Her "murder weapon" is a pencil (she's devising a mystery puzzle for her weekly newspaper) and the only thing wrong with her coffee is that it's a poor substitute for her beverage of choice, a Starbuck's mocha.

Connor lives in Flat Skunk, an old gold mining town near Sacramento. The town's inhabitants are engagingly eccentric--the cast of characters includes "Sluice" Jackson (a crazy old prospector), Celeste Camborne (a "grief counselor" for the Memory Kingdom, a local mortuary chain), and Beau Pascal (proprietor of the Mark Twain Slept Here Inn).

The plot of "Dead Body Language" is well-constructed and entertaining. When Lacy Penzance, a prominent citizen of Flat Skunk, turns up dead in the town cemetery, Connor decides to do a little digging around to uncover the truth. Connor's detecting skills are even more impressive when we consider that she is deaf.

All in all, "Dead Body Language" is well-paced and nicely balanced between character development and action. Warner intersperses humorous comments and situations throughout the novel, preventing it from becoming dreary or overly serious. "Dead Body Language" is definitely worth a read!

The main character, Connor, is very likeable, even though she gets herself in some pretty amazing situatiions; a very brave young woman! I enjoy the setting; California's Gold Rush country. The mystery, of course, is not solved, until the end and,rightfully,kept me guessing all along! It is a fairly short book that I did not want to end!

CONNOR TOOK OVER HER GRANDFATHER'S NEWSPAPER IN FLAT SKUNK. SHE REPORTS THE NEWS, MAKES UP LOCKED-ROOM-MYSTERIES AND REFURBISHESHER DINER-HOME AND OLD CHEVY. IF THAT ISN'T ENOUGHT,SHE HAS A HEARING DOG(CASPER), A GORGEOUS ASSISTANT(MIAH) AND A FRIEND IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.THINGS ARE GOING ALONG GREAT,WHEN A STRANGER ARRIVES IN THE OFFICE NEXT DOOR CLAIMING TO BE BOONE'S YOUNGER BROTHER. CAN CONNOR TRUST HIM? BEFORE THAT IS SORTED OUT, THE TOWN'S BEST KNOWN MATRON IS FOUND, DEAD, ON HER HUSBAND'S GRAVE.CONNOR MUST SOLVE THE MYSTERY. SHE DOES, BUT NOT BEFORE SEVERAL, VERY NEARLY SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS ARE MADE ON HER LIFE.

Connor Westphal left the fast paced city lifestyle of San Francisco to move to the restored mining town of Flat Skunk. Connor left behind a cheating lover and two doting parents to restart the local newspaper. The newspaper and the reconstructed restaurant she has turned into her living quarters are a result of a legacy from her grandmother. Although the town's pace is slow and there is little sensationalism to report, Connor is contented with her life. Her serenity abruptly ends when the town matriarch is found dead lying atop of her spouse's grave. This is one day after the woman wanted to place an ad in the paper seeking information leading to finding her missing sister. The corpse is laid out to make it seem like a suicide instead of a homicide. ..... Connor senses a sensational story, the kind she has tried to cover ever since settling in the town. Connor, who happens to be deaf, proves resourceful as she is able to get people to let their guard down and answer her inquiries. The trail is twisting with many side roads that lead to nowhere, but when the pieces click into place, she discovers that the answers may prove hazardous to her health. ..... The world as seen and heard through a hearing impaired individual is brilliantly brought into focus by Penny Warner in her cerebral novel, DEAD BODY LANGUAGE. The heroine finds being deaf is a minor nuisance to be lived with as she makes the reader believe in her abilities to interact with regular hearing individuals. The mystery is tight and complex, making it a fun puzzle to be solved. Ms. Warner tells a terrific story based on an intriguing mystery, engulfing it in a social issue that is properly balanced so that there is no preachy side effects. This new talent demonstrates how truly talented she is with winner that also servrs as an enlightening social commentary .......Harriet Klausner