cover image Asperger Sunset

Asperger Sunset

Carol Shay Hornung. CreateSpace, $14.95 paper (268p) ISBN 978-1-4827-3577-2

Russ Dante is a middle-school math teacher who has always been a little bit odd%E2%80%94he has trouble interacting with people, finds it difficult to recognize faces, and prefers sketching to human contact. But, his quiet life is disrupted when he witnesses a murder in his local park%E2%80%94and is then chased by the knife-wielding killer. Russ checks himself into a mental health facility to protect himself from the killer, and turns to sister Misty for help. Stress doesn%E2%80%99t help Russ%E2%80%94who is eventually diagnosed with Asperger%E2%80%99s syndrome%E2%80%94communicate with the police, and soon he begins to suspect that the murder may be part of a larger conspiracy. Hornung%E2%80%99s novel offers fascinating insight into Asperger%E2%80%99s, but as a murder mystery it sometimes falls flat. Fans of the genre will find that some of the plot details are tenuous at best. Still, readers will find Russ a likable and fully realized character, and the author%E2%80%99s depiction of a man with Asperger%E2%80%99s realistic and intriguing.