by Tim Sullivan, 2025, Atlantic Crime

George Cross is an autistic detective who lives alone and is not valued by his superiors. Nonetheless, he solves crimes using his dogged methods. His partner Josie, who is a single Black mother, tries repeatedly to be assigned to another officer because she is exasperated by George’s anti-social behavior.

This case involves the death of a homeless person. The death is initially attributed to another homeless person who confesses. Cross isn’t convinced that he did it and discovers that there is more to it than it seems.

The book sometimes is a bit slow, and Cross’s behavior can be trying, but the author does a good job of portraying the detective and his partner.