On his return trip from Los Angeles, Aaron decides to catch up on his phone messages, ignoring most except for one from Lori Shery, the president and co-founder of ASPEN (Asperger’s Syndrome Education Network). Because Lori has been so supportive and helpful in Aaron’s learning to cope with his son’s challenges, he will do anything she asks. However, when Lori asks him to investigate the circumstances surrounding a murder by a young man who has Asperger’s, Aaron is torn. He knows his wife, Abby, although she is equally devoted to supporting the Asperger’s cause, will oppose his involvement in a murder investigation.

Initially, Aaron decides to interview the young man accused of the crime. Justin Fowler, twenty-two years old, works in a sporting goods store and has an extensive interest and knowledge of firearms. What makes the situation even graver is that Justin has confessed to the murder and had the murder weapon in his possession at the time of his arrest. Lori assures Aaron that Justin is innocent. She does not deny that someone with Asperger’s is capable of murder, but it would be a crime of emotion, done in anger. The murder in question was committed when the man was walking his dog near his house late at night. It has all the earmarks of a premeditated crime; something Lori believes is inconceivable for an Asperger’s child.

As Dog is my Witness is the third mystery by Jeffrey Cohen featuring Aaron Tucker. As with most mysteries featuring amateur sleuths, it is difficult to formulate a legitimate reason for the sleuth to be investigating the murder, which should be done by trained professional law enforcement personnel. Cohen provides some rationale for Aaron to investigate because he is familiar with Asperger’s Syndrome, having lived with it for the twelve years his son has been alive. However, he has no investigative skills or knowledge of how to conduct criminal investigations.

The fact that he also willingly involves his son in the investigation because he thinks that Ethan can better relate to the accused takes some willing suspension of disbelief. Even granting that Justin is probably innocent, the real perpetrator is not going to be happy about someone tying him (or her) to the deed. Ethan’s skills may be something the killer would not like to see put into action and would logically take steps to assure that they are not used.

Aaron is also not a particularly likable person. His favorite brand of humor, which he uses to excess, is sarcasm. He is less than conscientious about his real job, and only gets his assignments completed at the last moment. If I were his employer, I would not appreciate extending deadlines to get the work completed. These faults do make him more of a real person and less of a cardboard character.

Although the novel opened with an enticing scene in which the murder was committed for no apparent reason, the next one hundred pages provided a healthy dose of Aaron’s sarcasm without furthering the plot to any noticeable extent. Things then improved, despite the introduction of a subplot involving one of Aaron’s childhood friends. The rationale for the murder is plausible though a bit contrived, and the reader is given ample evidence with which to solve the crime. This mystery could benefit from some good editing to tighten up the plot and Aaron could spend some time on his people skills. Although Ethan’s dialogue is bluntly honest, Aaron’s sarcasm is annoying rather than humorous.

Overall, the novel has the elements of a good story with plausible, imperfect characters, but some points are belabored and the author’s descriptions of his son’s difficulties border upon the didactic.

--Andy Plonka