affectation (pg. 46) -- The act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt.
we're not looking for 'Ozymandias' here (pg. 84) -- Poem by Shelley having to do with Egypt.
res gestae (pg. 90) -- Latin for "things done".
...at a workman who was serenely pruning a leggy hibiscus trellised along an archway... (pg. 175) -- The world "Hibiscus" was crossed out and "boug." penciled in. I guess someone thought a bougainvillea would be more likely to be on a trellis than a hibiscus. And from my research, I agree. But exactly is a "leggy" hibiscus?
"You have the world's most absolutely gorgeous submaxillary triangle, did I ever tell you that?" (pg. 93)
Joly emerged from the doorway of the Musée Thibault and avidly, gratefully lit up another Gitane, getting it out of the pack, into his mouth, and alight with what seemed one motion. (pg. 173)
cockamamies (pg. 182) -- Comes from the word decalcomania, temporary "tattoos".
Biscuits Mckay (pg. 260) -- Maybe some kind of cookie, but no trace on the internet. Their motto is "C'est OK!"
fusty (pg. 151) -- Impaired by age or dampness, i.e., moldy, or even saturated with dust and stale odors, i.e., musty.
THE librarian at the reference desk, a disciplinarian of the old school, looked up sharply and with a pencil to her lips sternly motioned to silence the large American gentleman at the computer.
"Ah, no," he had murmured.
cuneiform (pg. 93) -- I thought it was a form of ancient writing, but now I know there are some foot bones called that.
But no, the used Grumman Cheetah had come without a GPS in 1986--...and Gus had flown it just fine for eighteen years without seeing the need for them... (pg. 6) -- Let us see, 1986 plus 18 years equals 2004. But this chapter takes place in 1994. The Cheetah was first built in 1976, maybe it's just a typo. But then, it says "used".
SPOILER ALERT:
"So what? Just because somebody tried to kill me doesn't mean he can't help my golf game." (pg. 226)
Some notes:
Page 110 "The first of the next two bodies was one of the pilots..."
Page 112 "...Around noon a fishing boat had found the second pilot's body..."
Page 116 One of the pilots...were unaccounted for.
Page 141 Two pilots made the case for pilot error or drunkenness less likely.
Page 151 Why did they seem confused about the number of pilots?
Page 161 ...about find the second pilot's corpse yesterday...
I think the author lost track of his pilot count on that page 116 quote.
There was nothing lonelier than the shoes of a dead person, nothing quite so personal, so concrete, and useless. (pg. 195)