Wordhunter    by Stella Sands Order:  USA  Can Harper, 2024 (2024) Softcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Stella Sands introduces an unusual new mystery heroine in Wordhunter. Maggie Moore is a genius on language and use of words, 'a certified weirdo nerd'. When Maggie was fourteen, her best friend Lucy disappeared. Maggie has searched for news of her ever since. As a result, Maggie now is a forensics grad student in Hyacinth, Florida. Her Language of Film prof asks her to help Olemeda Detective Silas Jackson track down a cyber stalker. He also offers her a job as his research assistant. Maggie quickly contacts the detective and analyses the text sent by the stalker, who soon morphs into a rapist. She solves the case. Tattoed, with piercings, and a biker, Maggie isn't your usual police consultant, but the Police Chief calls her 'Madame Genius'. When the Birchbrook mayor's teen daughter Heidi is kidnapped, he asks her to help. Reluctant at first, she works with Jackson once more. He starts digging into Lucy's cold case alongside his current investigation. Maggie is raped and accused of plagiarism, which could lose her her place at the university. The Chief makes an arrest for Heidi's abduction but Maggie thinks he's wrong and Jackson has her back. Their closure of the case, though it ends on a cliffhanger, even sheds light on Lucy's fate. I do hope Wordhunter is only the first in a long series. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews