Lexicon

 This is a book about words. In this case some sort of mind control, like hypnosis, where you can get someone to do your bidding but without the hypnosis. It gets a bit complicated, as when you are good at it you can turn the tables. eg if someone says stand on one foot then while you are doing that you are actually studying them so that ipso fatso you can tell them to go jump.  Simples!  The book has an Australian setting in Broken Hill where the descriptions used here aren't too flattering.  Certainly worth a read and a different author for me. It seems he has gotten into proper scifi so maybe I can use my AI mind control to hunt down a copy of his other books.  As they said at the end of this book "Kikkhf fkattkx hfkixu zttcku"  I wonder if Max Barry just closed his eyes and banged on the keyboard to come up with some of this stuff.