Sign of Foul Play

I read mysteries as a way to relax in between all the serious writing and reading I do for science education for the Deaf community. So it was with great joy that I found these little gems by Penny Warner. She writes about a Deaf woman who runs a newspaper. Now first off, this is unheard of--pardon the pun, for a Deaf person to be perceived as having the intelligence to do something other than menial work. And it is with, I think, a slyness on Ms. Warner's part that she makes her heroine the owner and editor of an American English newspaper. Ms. Warner knows of what she is talking about. She isn't Deaf but has worked with them for years. So these books start out with a big difference. It is becoming more acceptable to have disabled people out and in the open, such as on Sesame Street and in other characters such as Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rime (sic). Popularizing people with differences helps those of us who are trying to make it in the 'normal' world, and we appreciate it! Karen Whitehead Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh, [email protected]

this is the first book by Penny Warner that I've read, but it's good enough to make me go out and buy her previous novel. Connor Westphal is a curious, tenacious newspaper reporter in a small town in the mountains of California. She covers the story of a fatality at a construction site that may be earthquake related - or may be murder. The book is fast-paced, the plot is interesting, and hearing-impaired Connor is a great off-beat hero. I look forward to Penny Warner's last book, and her next.

Connor Westphal, deaf journalist/sleuth, is caught up once again in the more lethal happenings of Flat Skunk, Calif. After her successful first outing in DEAD BODY LANGUAGE, the wisecracking thirty-something Connor continues to deal with her attraction to the local hunk and to search for any story other than the local frog-racing contest that will give her newspaper, THE EUREKA!, an edge over the competition. Readers will guess who the killer is and be aghast at Connor's intrepid pursuit - anything for a headline. Through Connor's spunky first-person narrative, Warner, long a sign-language and special-ed teacher, perfectly conveys all the ways a deaf person perceives and communicates, including the guessing game of oral conversation, telephone contact with hearing people, the beauty of sign language, and auditory memories. As in the first Connor mystery, it is not wise to read the last couple of chapters before bedtime; this is delicious horror from gory beginning to ghastly end, with a fun, irreverent protagonist.

Connor Westphal moved to Flat Skunk, a revitalized mining town in California's Gold Country, to run the weekly newspaper. Between the constant tremors and solving a murder mystery (see DEAD BODY LAGUAGE), the hearing impaired publisher has had no time to miss the San Francisco scene that she left behind. A quake hits the small town, leaving behind a fatality in its wake. Apparently, Cullen Delaney, a soil engineer, was accidentally impaled by a steel rod when he lost his balance during the quake. Connor decides to investigate the death, sensing that the accident seems too well timed. As she searches for answers, a malevolent presence starts to stalk her. She receives threatening notes and perilous acts of vandalism all designed to frighten her from completing her investigation of what is starting to look more and more like a premeditated murder case. Even as Connor links the deceased to the town's leading family, more deaths occur and she herself appears to be a future homicide victim. As good as Penny Warner's debut novel was, SIGN OF FOUL PLAY is much better due to the richer characterizations (including a love interest) that serve to turn the heroine into a much more complex, multi-faceted person. Though a minor leap of faith is needed to accept Connor's gut instincts, the mystery is a true who-done-it that is near impossible to figure out until the author is ready to reveal the culprit. Ms. Warner is a gifted writer, who infuses a fresh look to the amateur sleuth sub-genre. Harriet Klausner