Point of View

The point of view of the Word is Murders is first person, exclusively through the eyes and emotions of Anthony, who is also the author of the narrative. As a result, readers emotionally invest with Anthony and his trials and tribulations. His point of view, however, is not reliable, as Anthony, the character draws conclusion and makes assumptions that create red herrings. For example, he draws attention to the hit-and-run accident making readers think that it is the reason behind the deaths. He misquotes Hawthorne’s words that lead to the clue that is the key to solving the case. He also says that Diana’ death occurs on the tenth anniversary of the hit-and-run, which is not true. Then he implies that the fact that she dies just short of the ten-year anniversary of the accident is a minor detail. His unreliability as the narrator...