The Unresolved Seventh — Richard Helms

Ben Long never intended to practice forensic psychology again after his sudden retirement four years earlier. His friend Sidney Kingsley, the new DA, had other plans. Junior Torrence has been charged with murder. His attorney has hired a psychologist to prove Torrence mentally ineligible for a capital trial. Kingsley wants Long to do a separate evaluation. Kingsley assigns law clerk Paula Paige to assist Long in his evaluation. She finds Long quirky, distant, and even a little frightening, until Kingsley explains that--besides being brilliant--Long has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. As their evaluation brings Torrence's competency into question, they begin to question whether he was even capable of committing the crime! Have the police arrested the wrong man? The clock is ticking. A hearing that will determine Junior Torrence's fate draws near, and Ben Long and Paula Page race against time to untangle the puzzle of The Unresolved Seventh.