George Cross is a detective working for the police in Bristol. He is also a man with autism. The Dentist is the first of a series of novels by Tim Sullivan set in the same city and featuring the same characters.
Because he is neuroatypical George approaches life and his job in a particular way. He needs regular routine, he follows instructions to the letter and he is very logical in his thinking. This doesn’t always make him easy to work with and his interpersonal skills are not well developed. His colleagues and bosses, however, make adjustments and welcome his work on cases because he has a very high rate of success. In this book he is paired with a new partner who finds him challenging, although they do work well together.
When a homeless man is murdered George doesn’t accept the confession by another person who also lived on the streets. He looks into the case and links it with another killing and a car crash which took place some years ago. The plot has plenty of twists and turns and includes some police corruption but George pursues the clues doggedly and thoroughly.
I am not neuroatypical and have little knowledge of autism and how it would affect people so I cannot assess how accurate the character of George is within the story. The author is, however, consistent in his portrayal and it feels real enough to me. As I know Bristol reasonably well I was also pleased to read a book set in the city. This is a police procedural novel which is well put together and written and definitely worth a try.
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