The Question of the Dead Mistress

Copperman and Cohen’s uneven fifth Asperger’s mystery (after 2017’s The Question of the Absentee Father) finds Samuel Hoenig, owner of New Jersey’s Questions Answered agency, and his associate, Janet Washburn, on opposite sides of their latest client’s question. Virginia Fontaine claims that her husband, Brett, is in love with the ghost of his college girlfriend, Melanie Mason, who died three years earlier. Janet, who believes ghosts exist, is troubled by Samuel’s unwillingness to consider the possibility—and his entrenched position threatens their developing romance. Then, during Janet’s first day trailing Brett, he’s murdered. Meanwhile, Samuel’s father, Reuben, who has returned after a 27-year absence, wants to develop a relationship with his reluctant son. The first-person narration provides insights into the protagonist’s logical, literal thought processes and his perplexity at emotional nuances and social subtleties. Series fans will appreciate the further development of Samuel’s character, but readers should be prepared for unlikely coincidences, unresolved inconsistencies, and continuity errors. Agent: Josh Getzler, Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency. (Oct.)