Wordhunter by Stella Sands

Living in Florida, Maggie is working on her Master's in forensic linguistics and has a real gift in interpreting and finding patterns in the written word. After the local police department asks for her assistance in a stalking case and Maggie succeeds in pointing them in the right direction, she becomes part of the team when the mayor's teenage daughter goes missing. However, all of Maggie's demons lie just below the surface--her best friend Lucy's disappearance when they were teenagers, her mother's death from cancer, and Maggie numbing herself from the pain by drinking too much. Jackson, a cop in his 40's, becomes a friend and a confidant, and just might give Maggie the support she needs. An interesting debut that leaves the story open for a sequel.