The Question of the Missing Head - Review

The Question of the Missing Head: An Aspergers Mystery by E.J. Coppernam/Jeff Cohen

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Source:  NetGalley

Description:  Samuel Hoenig uses his unique perspective to focus on the logical answers to sometimes illogical questions.  When a man in charge of Garden State Cryonics comes in with an unusual question Samuel must focus all of his logical thoughts to figure out what did happen to Rita Masters-Powell's head.

Genre: Mystery

Why I Picked This Book:  I have enjoyed the Haunted Guesthouse series written under the E.J. Copperman name and I was intrigued by the Aspergers element.
My Impression:
Pro:  I wasn't sure what to expect from this mystery as I don't think I've encountered a fiction book where the primary character has Aspergers.  What I got was Samuel Hoenig, a very intelligent man who has difficulty with reading people's expressions or understanding illogical responses. I found his ability to analyse his strengths and weaknesses fascinating as well as his ability to make logical conclusions.  I found his relationship with his mother really nice.  It would've been so easy to make her a hovering overprotective character but she really isn't.  Though we only see her through Samuel's eyes she comes off as a strong, practical woman with a sense of humor.  At one point when someone asks Samuel while he still lives with his mother he basically tells them it's because he likes her company.  We also meet Janet Washborne early in the book and she proves to be a valuable associate for Samuel.  She seems to understand his triggers and is able to calm him when something triggers what he calls a "meltdown".  They end up being very protective of each other and there felt like their was genuine warmth between the characters.  They mystery itself was interesting though the whole cryonics aspect did border on over the top.  The way that Hoenig and Washborne were included in the investigation felt natural which I liked.

Con:  The situation with Washborne's marriage seemed unnecessary unless it's a setup for the 2nd book.  The end seemed a little disjointed as most of the book was figuring out what was happening and then suddenly there was a lot of action all at once.  Also, since the book was told through Samuel's eyes the plot develops through his eyes which can be very interesting but can be repetitive.

Overall:  This was an interesting mystery and despite the few flaws I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes.  Cohen has written several books for parents of children with Apsergers and his research shows clearly in the fully fleshed out character of Samuel Hoenig.  I'm a little concerned that the mysteries will get more and more absurd but I'm hoping that it doesn't.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes.  I enjoyed this book and the mysteries written under the E.J. Copperman name.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you're looking for an unusual mystery than this is definitely worth picking up.