The Autistic Sleuth Kickstarter!

The Autistic Sleuth Kickstarter!

 

The Autistic Sleuth has just launched a Kickstarter campaign, where you can sign up to purchase digital, paperback, and hardcover copies of The Autistic Sleuth and my other books.  Please take a look!  There are twenty-eight days left.

 

As I did my research, I realized that there are a LOT of TV shows, movies, and filmed stage adaptations that address autism through mysteries,  Here is a list of the productions being covered in the book:

 

Filmed Stage Productions

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2012)

Death Note: The Musical (2015)

 

Movies

Death Note (2006)

Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006)

Death Note 3: L: Change the World (2008)

The Girl in the Spider’s Web (2018)]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), The Girl who Played with Fire (2009), The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009))

The Night Clerk (2020)

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

 

Television Series

24 (2001-2010)

24: Live Another Day (2014)

Astrid et Raphaëlle (also released as “Astrid” and “Bright Minds”) (2019– Present) 

Bones (2005-2017)

The Bridge (2013-2014)

The Bridge (Bron/Broen) (2011-2018)

The Brief (2004-2005)

Chasing Shadows (2014)

Community (2009-2015)

Criminal Minds (2005-Present)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-2015)

Detective Sweet (2016)

Dexter (2006-2013)

Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022)

Doc Martin (2004-2022)

Elementary (2012-2019)

Elsbeth (2024-Present)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022-Present)

Hannibal (2013-2015)

IQ 246: The Cases of a Royal Genius (2016)

King & Maxwell (2013)

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001–2011)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–Present)

Law & Order: Trial By Jury (2005)

Miss Sherlock (2018)

Monk (2002–2009)

Mr. Mercedes (2017–2019)

Murdoch Mysteries (2008–Present)

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (2008)

The Outsider (2020)

Professor T (2019–Present)

Queens of Mystery (2019–Present)

Sherlock (2010-2017)

The Shield (2002-2008)

The Tunnel (2013-2018)

 

Also, here’s the table of contents for the book:

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Introduction – Autism, Crime Dramas, and Understanding               

Chapter 1 – How Mysteries Taught Me How to Connect with  Other People                                                                        

Chapter 2 – A Collection of Potentially Autistic Fictional Sleuths  

Chapter 3 – Autism: The Condition That Must Not Be Named        

Chapter 4 – How Realistic is “Realism?”                                      

Chapter 5 –  Autism: Born or Made?                                               

Chapter 6 – Wardrobe Functions                                                     

Chapter 7 – Visual Representations of Mental Processes and Observation                                                            

Chapter 8 – Love, Sex, and Autism                                           

Chapter 9 – But You’ve Got to Have Friends                              

Chapter 10 – The Autistic Perpetrator                                        

Chapter 11 – Looking Through an Autistic Lens                         

Conclusion – Personal Perspectives, Connections, and Suggestions for Improvement                                                        

Appendix: 12 Things to Know About Parishioners with Autism    

Bibliography                                                                            

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

Chris Chan’s second Funderburke and Kaiming novel, She Ruined Our Lives, was released on February 6^th.  His sequel to Sherlock’s Secretary, Nessie’s Nemesis, was published on September 3^rd by MX Publishing.  His novel Ghosting My Friend was released by Level Best Books on March 28th. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

The Temple Grandin Award and The Autistic Sleuth!

The Temple Grandin Award and The Autistic Sleuth!

 

I have two big announcements.  On Wednesday, I received a letter from Future Horizons, Inc.  It’s an organization that helps people who have autism.  The letter informed me that I was a winner of the 2023 Temple Grandin Awards!

According to Dr. Grandin’s blog: 

Future Horizons, Inc. gives a monetary award annually through the Temple Grandin Award to persons diagnosed with autism who have made individual achievements of any kind.

The Temple Grandin Award is given to individuals with autism, who have made a major accomplishment in the past year. Every accomplishment is worthy of nomination and every nominee is a winner.  

The past couple of years there have been four or five winners from around the world.  Dr. Grandin apparently donated the money for the awards, and my godmother sponsored the nomination.  

This is incredible news, and I’m deeply honored by it.  Many thanks to Dr. Grandin and Future Horizons, Inc.!

This ties in perfectly my other announcement.  MX Publishing will be publishing my latest book, The Autistic Sleuth, in September!  This is a critical analysis of a 21^st-century phenomenon: movies and TV shows creating detectives who exhibit many characteristics of being on the autism spectrum, but who (until a few years ago) were never actually diagnosed.  The full title is The Autistic Sleuth: Screen Portrayals of Detectives on the Spectrum in Sherlock Holmes Adaptations, The Millennium Trilogy, The Bridge, Death Note, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and Other Productions.  In addition to these franchises, I’m also covering shows like Bones, Murdoch Mysteries, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and many other popular– and some lesser-known– shows and movies, all of which have a major character who fans often suspect of being on the autism spectrum.  I’ll be talking more about it in the months to come.  

And we’re starting another Kickstarter campaign for The Autistic Sleuth!  Please take a look!  We’ll be launching it next week, on the evening of April 10^th (Central Time Zone).  

If you have any questions about this project, please let me know!

 

–Chris Chan

 

Chris Chan’s second Funderburke and Kaiming novel, She Ruined Our Lives, was released on February 6^th.  His sequel to Sherlock’s Secretary, Nessie’s Nemesis, was published on September 3^rd by MX Publishing.  His novel Ghosting My Friend was released by Level Best Books on March 28th. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

A Great Review of She Ruined Our Lives in Gilbert!

A Great Review of She Ruined Our Lives in Gilbert!

 

Dale Ahlquist, the president of The Society of G.K. Chesterton, just wrote a great review of She Ruined Our Lives for the most recent issue (March/April 2024) of the magazine Gilbert!  He writes:

 

“A novel is nothing without a good opening sentence. Especially a mystery novel. There has to be a reason for reading the second sentence. That reason is the first sentence. 

“Layla Dolak stopped loving her younger sister Erika three months earlier, on a humid summer day.” 

That’s a good first sentence. It is a hook. The sharp part is the phrase, “stopped loving her sister.” I read that, and I wanted to keep reading. I had just changed my mind about having someone else review this book. I wanted to know what made her stop loving her sister, and I certainly wanted to know what happened next. And I was especial­ly keen on knowing what happened after that.”

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

Chris Chan’s second Funderburke and Kaiming novel, She Ruined Our Lives, was released on February 6^th.  His sequel to Sherlock’s Secretary, Nessie’s Nemesis, was published on September 3^rd by MX Publishing.  His novel Ghosting My Friend was released by Level Best Books on March 28th. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

 

 

Sherlock & Irene Audiobook in the Top 20!

 Sherlock & Irene Audiobook in the Top 20!

 

Almost four years after its release, the audiobook of Sherlock & Irene has made its way into the top twenty on the MX Audiobooks bestseller list!  It’s at #18 for the month of February.  Thanks to everybody who made this possible!

 

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

Chris Chan’s second Funderburke and Kaiming novel, She Ruined Our Lives, was released on February 6^th.  His sequel to Sherlock’s Secretary, Nessie’s Nemesis, was published on September 3^rd by MX Publishing.  His novel Ghosting My Friend was released by Level Best Books on March 28th. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

 

An Excerpt from She Ruined Our Lives

An Excerpt from She Ruined Our Lives

 

For anybody interested in my latest novel, I’m reprinting a brief excerpt from the opening scene of She Ruined Our Lives:

 

Layla Dolak stopped loving her younger sister Erika three months earlier, on a humid summer day. Perhaps that was not entirely accurate. It was possible that underneath all of the burning anger and searing resentment some remnants of filial affection still remained. If this was the case, however, Layla was unaware of it. As far as Layla knew, all warm emotions she once felt towards Erika had been severed that sticky August afternoon, when she

had taken a nap between shifts at Grobel’s Tavern.

 

Looking back, Layla realized that she should have been warier when her sister had offered her a cookie. Erika wasn’t much of one for cooking at all, let alone baking, so Layla ought to have been suspicious. But she was both tired and hungry, so she’d gratefully devoured the cookie without thinking about the incongruity of it. It was not a particularly tasty cookie. The batter was clearly that of a prepackaged plastic-wrapped tube from a supermarket cooler, and there was a slightly medicinal taste that she didn’t detect until a

few moments after swallowing the last morsel. Normally, she might have asked questions, but she was dead on her feet, so she washed away the crumbs with a few sips of milk and collapsed on her left side upon the living room couch. She rapidly fell into a much deeper slumber than usual and stayed in dreamland for over two hours. Her usual naps lasted forty minutes on average, depending on how well she’d rested the previous night.

 

While Layla slept, Erika had silently tiptoed behind the sofa, gently graspedLayla’s silky tresses with her left hand, and, gripping a large  pair of scissors in her right hand, chopped off nearly twenty-six inches in a series of careful snips. Had she simply gathered up her sister’s locks into a ponytail and severed them, leaving Layla with a ragged bob, Layla would have been enraged, but not filled with searing hate. But Erika sought to profit as much as possible from her sister’s hair, and every fraction of an inch left attached to Layla’s scalp was money Erika was denying her own pockets, so

she ruthlessly brought the scissor blades as close to Layla’s skull as possible, tying up every flowing length of hair with a rubber band and carefully bagging them. In about fifteen minutes’ time, she had clipped away every lock of Layla’s thick mane, leaving the barest possible covering of peach fuzz over her head.

 

Erika had then rushed from the house without waking Layla, hurried

downtown to a shop that purchased human hair, and after a little negotiating and flirting with the clerk to drive up the price, accepted six hundred ten dollars for her sister’s tresses. The proprietor had originally presented a lowball offer of four hundred dollars, but Layla had done her research, and she knew the going rates for a particularly thick skein of glossy dark brown hair that had never been dyed, permed, or styled with heated instruments. The buyer, who had been willing to go as high as six fifty, paid in cash. Erika

immediately rushed to the dealer she had known since high school and spent her entire windfall on pills.

 

If you’re interested in reading more, please take a look at She Ruined Our Lives!

 

–Chris Chan

 

Chris Chan’s second Funderburke and Kaiming novel, She Ruined Our Lives, was released on February 6^th.  His sequel to Sherlock’s Secretary, Nessie’s Nemesis, was published on September 3^rd by MX Publishing.  His novel Ghosting My Friend was released by Level Best Books on March 28th. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

 

Story Profile– The Two-Line Note

Story Profile– The Two-Line Note

 

The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories, Part XLII: Further Untold Cases (1894-1922) features mysteries that are referenced in the original Canon, but Doctor Watson never got around to writing them up into full stories.  My story, “The Two-Line Note” is based on a reference to “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton,” about how a very brief document spelled the ruin of a noble family when it fell into the hands of a ruthless blackmailer.  My editor, David Marcum, keeps a list of references to untold cases in the Canon, and informed me that I’d uncovered a new one that wasn’t on the original list!  

 

–Chris Chan

 

Chris Chan’s second Funderburke and Kaiming novel, She Ruined Our Lives, was released on February 6^th.  His sequel to Sherlock’s Secretary, Nessie’s Nemesis, was published on September 3^rd by MX Publishing.  His novel Ghosting My Friend was released by Level Best Books on March 28th. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.

Story Profile– The Servant Girl Annihilator

Story Profile– The Servant Girl Annihilator

 

In the new Belanger Books anthology Sherlock Holmes: A Year of Mystery 1886, a baker’s dozen of stories explores some mysteries Holmes investigating during that year.  One for each month, plus a bonus story.  My story, set in January, is based on the real-life serial killer known as “The Servant Girl Annihilator” who terrorized Austin, Texas during the mid-1880’s.  In real life, the writer O. Henry wrote about these baffling crimes.  In my story, O. Henry writes to Holmes from Texas and asks for his advice solving the crimes.  Aside from introducing Holmes, I stuck to the facts of the case.  But in the best traditions of O. Henry stories, there’s a twist ending…

 

 

–Chris Chan

 

Chris Chan’s second Funderburke and Kaiming novel, She Ruined Our Lives, was released on February 6^th.  His sequel to Sherlock’s Secretary, Nessie’s Nemesis, was published on September 3^rd by MX Publishing.  His novel Ghosting My Friend was released by Level Best Books on March 28th. His first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released by MX Publishing, as was his anthology Of Course He Pushed Him and Other Sherlock Holmes Stories Volumes 1 & 2.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.