Dead Body Language

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.

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!

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!

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!