Colin Fisher (review)

High school presents certain obstacles for Colin Fisher, whose Asperger’s means he has difficulty reading social cues despite his high intelligence. When a melee breaks out in the cafeteria one day, culminating in a gun’s going off, Colin is convinced that as the nearest person to the gun he’s likely to be suspected of being the shooter. He therefore decides to bring his inquisitive nature and love of logic to the problem and solve the mystery himself, a plan that leads to a strange partnership between Colin and one of his biggest tormentors, the bullying Wayne. While the neuro-atypical detective is now familiar casting, Colin’s an interesting character, with his logical and literal approach often serving as a shield rather than a drawback (it even allows him become an ace shooter in basketball). Inclusions of passages from his precious notebook, where he jots down his observations and questions about the world, add texture to the story. The narrative wavers between focalizing through Colin and treating him as a marvelous show, however, and the book sometimes is more adult in its references and language than the accessible format would suggest. Secondary characters are flatly drawn and difficult to keep straight, and the mystery itself is more complicated than interesting. Colin and his thought process are the appeal here, so this could interest readers looking for observations about school dynamics as well as readers who enjoyed Dowd’s The London Eye Mystery (BCCB 4/08).