A Wordhunter Mystery: Book 2
Publication Date: August 11, 2026
Maggie Moore and Detective Jackson, the genius sleuths introduced in the brain-teaser mystery Wordhunter, are back to solve another crime.
Steamy, seedy, swampy south-central Florida once again serves as the backdrop for the unlikely duo of loquacious, tattooed, trash-talking Maggie Moore and laconic Detective Silas Gabriel Jackson-linguistic genius and genius detective, respectively. Now operating their own agency and using their extraordinary skills in forensic semiotics (her), and good old-fashioned observation (him), the pair decode clues embedded in words and symbols to uncover a sadistic criminal who preys upon unsuspecting men.
The troubled and painful pasts of both Maggie and Jackson come into play as they try to track down bad guys and old friends, figure out how to trust-and whom to love. Once again, Stella Sands delivers a snappy, sharp-tongued and well observed story about life, love, and language.
Only the S and M Detective Agency would take on a case involving a man who was tattooed on his butt while unconscious.
Author Stella Sands delivers a sequel to the Wordhunter Mystery series with Codebreakers . This time around, linguistic expert Maggie Moore and Detective Silas Jackson are on the hunt to find meaning behind symbols left by a criminal preying on vulnerable men.
Because Maggie is a rather quirky character with her penchant for diagramming sentences, it’s probably a good idea to read the books in sequence.
The author’s writing style works incredibly well with these two characters. They both have secrets from the past that need to be resolved, but their unusual partnership leads to success.
Codebreakers delivers another adventure with a zany duo on a quest for answers.
Stella Sands is the bestselling author of six true-crime books: Baby-Faced Butchers, The Dating Game Killer, Behind the Mask, Murder at Yale, Wealthy Men Only, and The Good Son. She is also the author of a children’s book, Odyssea, and many educational books, and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning magazine Kids Discover for nineteen years. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including People Magazine Investigates, ABC’s 20/20, and several episodes of Investigation Discovery. Sands lives in Sag Harbor, New York.
