Carol Wood Reviews:

Dead Body Language
by Penny Warner

I met Penny Warner at the Jack London Conference last year in Northern California. And she amazed me with the amount of information she offered in her class. I picked up this book and carried it around with me for weeks savoring it. This is one of those mysteries that keeps you guessing all the way through. It's the first in the Connor Westphal Mystery series. Connor is a deaf woman living in the Gold country of California. She runs a newspaper and reports on local events. A local heiress, Lacy Penzance, mysteriously requests Connor's help and then disappears.

I am sure that Connor is a real woman because Penny painted her so genuinely, I can't believe she is just a character. She's quick witted, reads lips and kept me raptly attentive the entire ride. It gave me an front seat view into a deaf person's way of life.

"Oh, Connor! It's so good to see you. How are you doing, dear? Is everything all right?"
I didn't know whether this kind of gooey, condescending sympathy came naturally to Celeste or if she had been trained that way when she became a grief counselor. Even though I sort of liked Celeste, her partonizing attitude drove me batty. If she stuck that bottom leip out at me one more time I just might have to push it back in for her.
"I'm fine, Celese." I wanted to add, "There's no cure yet but we're still waiting for that ear transplant."

Every character in this book is depicted with interesting details that make you feel them come alive. That is except for the characters that are dead. No wait, even the dead characters have character. It's no wonder to me that this book was nominated for an Agatha Christy award for "Best New Mystery of 1997".

Keep a watch for this authors work. This is a MUST BUY!

Other titles by Penny Warner

Sign of Foul Play
Right to Remain Silent
A Quiet Undertaking
Blind Side
Silence is Golden

And check out her Middle Grade Mystery Featuring Girl Scouts:
Mystery of the Haunted Caves
Girls to the Rescue #7

Check out her website to find out where Penny is speaking next http://www.pennywarner.com/