The Question of the Felonious Friend: An Asperger’s Mystery

Samuel Hoenig, proprietor of Questions Answered, a Piscataway, N.J., shop where one can have all sorts of questions answered, takes on a real puzzler in Copperman and Cohen’s winning third Asperger’s mystery (after 2015’s The Question of the Unfamiliar Husband). Samuel’s particular talent lies in his Asperger’s syndrome, which causes him to be especially focused in his search for proper answers, but even he’s challenged at first by Tyler Clayton’s question, because Tyler also is on the autism spectrum and has some difficulty communicating. Tyler wants to know if store clerk Richard Handy is really his friend, but neither Samuel nor his employee, Janet Washburn, foresees the murder that’s coming or that Tyler will be accused. Tyler’s sister and brother, Sandy Clayton Webb and Mason Clayton, are somewhat helpful, but it’s Samuel’s orderly and methodical investigation, with help from his mother and Ms. Washburn, that leads to a shady enterprise, a surprising killer, and the answer to Tyler’s question. [em]Agent: Josh Getzler, Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency. (Sept.) [/em]