Instead, you must first establish a —how someone acts when they’re relaxed, truthful, and at ease.

No book is perfect. Some critics note that Read People Like a Book occasionally over-simplifies neurodivergent behavior. For example, avoiding eye contact is not a sign of lying for someone with autism; it is a sign of processing.

A single nose touch doesn’t mean someone is lying. But a nose touch plus a sudden throat clear plus looking away? That cluster is worth paying attention to.

Patrick King’s Read People Like a Book is dense with psychological citations. While owning the physical book is ideal for highlighting, a search for the suggests you want the algorithm of reading people, not the anecdotes.