Review: Most Interesting Sleuth Since Since Sherlock Holmes
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 27, 2013
Genevieve Lenard is a high-functioning autistic with a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder and one of the three leading experts in the world on nonverbal communication.Story development hinges on amassing details and character development. Genevieve not only builds a massive amount of evidence against a long-time manipulative murdered, art collector, and weapons dealer, she also learns new things about herself as she is jolted from her safe routines into a world of danger.Estelle Ryan does a stellar job of maintaining the first-person voice of Lenard, who sees and describes the world in a specific way. Even though the setting is Strasbourg, place plays little part in the story. The character-driven story not only unravels a complicated series of crime, it also shows how the characters become a sleuthing team despite their differences and mistrust of each other.I disagree with the reviewer (a male) who asked what character would look in the mirror and note that her attire was impeccable. Most any woman might do it; certainly someone with a strong ego and conviction of one’s own genius might do so.  Lenard is fully aware that she is socially awkward and a genius and of her need for things to be clean and ordered.For example, Cary Grant once commented that it was hard work being Cary Grant, and Katherine Hepburn called the persona of her Hollywood image the Monster.  Do you not believe that people engaged in image management might survey themselves to be assured of their impeccable self-presentation.  Moreover, impression management would certainly be part of Lenard’s training.I never found the conversations among the characters repetitive or boring. We readers are not only part of the mystery unfolding, but we also witness the characters’ changing feelings for each other and growth.I teach communication at the college level, and I found the details of Lenard’s descriptions fascinating. Ryan has done her homework.I am baffled by the charge in one of the low-star reviews that Ryan writes like an amateur. Even though the villain was identified as a potential suspect early in the work, Ryan does a good job of developing alternative leads. This character was never explicitly eliminated as a suspect; rather, Ryan performs the writer’s sleight of hand in drawing our attention elsewhere.The growing attraction between Genevieve and the art thief Colin Frey is one of those diversions. I am a bit proud of myself for nailing his secret before the Big Reveal. A tip-off was the heavy-handed use of the word “criminal” to describe him.I noticed the occasional grammatical errors; the typo of that when than is actually needed also recurs.All in all, I enjoyed this adventure with Dr. Lenard and look forward to further adventures with the good doctor even though, sign, I shall have to pay for these.Confidential to the sniping reviewers who believe that anyone who thinks well of the book is a friend of Ms. Ryan – I wouldn’t know her if I tripped over her on my way to my car. I wouldn’t mind meeting her someday, though.