4th March 2018
Warning may contain spoilers!
I have just finished reading the book “Going Underground” by Michael Leese which is a great novel with an Autistic lead character. The story revolves around a billionaire, who at the start of the book has disappeared leaving, as the back of the book says, “No body. No ransom. No clues”. Detective Chief Inspector Hooley therefore brings his old colleague Jonathan Roper onto the mystery, as he knows the positive Autistic skills he has as a detective, might just be the best resource the police has at their disposal to solve the case.
As an Autistic, Jonathan has superb analytic skills, often making connections where others do not, but he struggles with the social aspects of the case. He and Hooley therefore must work together to combine their strengths and weaknesses if they are to catch the villains behind the billionaire’s disappearance.
So, did I like this book? Yes, I enjoyed it and I think the reason behind this is that the character of Jonathan is written in the right way. It would have been so easy to make him Autistic who is a Savant. He then might have been making incredible unrealistic leaps and connections when, for example, visiting the crime scenes.
However, the author Leese gets him just right and Jonathan makes mistakes. He does not get his detective work right all the time. I think this helps the character to seem believable. True, the Autistic traits do mean that he solves things that the Neurotypical characters do not see, but it comes across as him using his talents of analysis, pattern recogniction and deduction.
The book also shows how he struggles with social aspects of having to work in a team, not always understanding humour and occasionally how he communicates his thoughts. All of these are common aspects of being on the Autism Spectrum and it is clear that Leese, is drawing on real life experiences of his own son, who has an Autistic diagnosis. Jonathan is also a brave character. He goes through several events in the book which would make a lot of people in that situation, Autistic or Neurotypical, simply quit their job. Not Jonathan Roper though, who is determined to see the events through to the end.
The other reason I really enjoyed the book, is the relationship that Jonathan has with the other main character DCI Hooley. I think that Hooley would be less of an interesting character if it wasn’t for how he interacts with Jonathan. He totally understands Jonathan as an Autistic and also as a friend.
But as a friend he does not put any pressure on him to mask as a Neurotypical. He defends Jonathan to others, helps him to develop his ideas, gives him a chance, does not force him to fit in, but at the same time tries to help him understand the others around him. I loved some of the scenes in the book that were outside the main story, for example like this one during a dinner after a hard day at the police office. Hooley wants to order his usual favourite curry dish but Jonathan just states in passing:
“You should go for a tandoori kebab. You don’t really want something with a sauce because, apart from it being calorific, at your age you need to watch out for rich, spicy food. You’ll be up half the night with indigestion. Plus, all that fat will have a negative impact on your cholesterol and combined with sugars will make you more susceptible to diabetes, cancer, heart disease or a stroke.”
Most people might be put out if somebody had told them this, just before eating. Not Hooley. He knows Jonathan is just stating the facts and means nothing by it. So he just agrees with him. Hooley just knows how to be around him, to help him with the things he finds difficult and in return he knows that Jonathan will get them the leads the police needs to solve the case.
The main story is a really good crime thriller, with twists and turns. It keeps you guessing and wondering what will happen next although it does contain some strong material. Leese just breaks this up with some of the more light hearted scenes between Jonathan and Hooley.
What I did not like about the book is that I wanted to know more about the back stories of the main characters. You do learn a little bit about Jonathan, but I really wanted to know how he had become a detective. The book is a first in a series so hopefully this will be covered in future books.
I think “Going Underground” is a great piece of fiction that revolves around an Autistic character and his Neurotypical partner, which is expressed in a gripping crime drama. Crime stories are not typically what I would read and I went into the book wondering how Autism would be covered. There is a lot online about Autism clichés with characters always being portrayed as male, Savant geniuses, “clumsy” and much more.
Well, Jonathan is male, but other than that I think he is just a great character who happens to be Autistic and uses his Autistic skills to the full. The story does have some darker elements being a crime drama so I must say there might be some trigger warnings needed (crime, murder, abuse etc.) for some people. Although, please remember it is a crime thriller.
The chapters are written short, with a single chapter being just a few pages which I find easier to read than longer ones. Therefore I would recommend this book to read and I look forward to reading the first sequel “I can see you”. I would rate it eight out of ten. Also I wonder what other people in the Autistic Community think of this as a piece of crime fiction.