Colin Fischer

After a gun goes off in the cafeteria, fourteen-year-old Colin Fischer is convinced the cops suspect the wrong guy and is determined to figure out who really brought the gun to school; having Asperger's proves both help and hindrance to the young detective. Like Siobhan Dowd's London Eye Mystery (rev. 5/08) and Francisco X. Stork's Marcelo in the Real World (rev. 3/09), this novel features a boy whose methodical brain makes him a natural at puzzle-solving but who, in order to crack the case, must venture far outside his comfort zone. The book's most obvious comparison is to Mark Haddon's Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, but unlike Haddon, who claims not to be an expert on Asperger's (the novel never uses the term), authors Miller and Stentz do have experience with the disorder, and their portrayal of differently wired Colin feels genuine and authentic. Their background in writing for TV and film results in snappy dialogue -- sharp, funny, and economically telling of character. Readers will appreciate the omniscient narration that covers Colin's point of view, the notebook entries in his voice, and the footnotes that describe the kind of details that fascinate him. Secondary characters aren't as well rounded, especially the story's villain, and the conclusion's hint at a future, tragic run-in with said villain is both frustrating and unnecessary. Still, readers will find much to like in this engaging and humorous mystery. jennifer m. brabander