Trueman Bradley is a fictional character in a series of

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

s written by

Alexei Maxim Russell Alexei Maxim Russell is a Canadian writer of fiction and non-fiction. He is most notable as the creator of Trueman Bradley. Trueman Bradley is a fictional character in a series of detective novels, with an international following. Bradley is cha ...

. Bradley is characterized as a genius

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

with Asperger syndrome. He first appeared in the book ''Trueman Bradley – Aspie Detective'', a novel written by

and published in 2011 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. It was the first

to feature an openly autistic detective as a protagonist and was the first work of fiction to portray Asperger syndrome as a "different way of thinking", with some advantages over the neurotypical way of thinking – and therefore, not necessarily a

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

. It was translated into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

in 2013 by Von Loeper Literaturverlag Publishers, of

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It was followed by the second book in the series, ''Trueman Bradley – The Next Great Detective'', in 2015."Alexei Maxim Russell"
''CANSCAIP Members''. Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers (canscaip.org). Archived 3 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013. With short biography.Daher, Anita(14 January 2012)

Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 22 January 2012.

Plot

In ''Trueman Bradley – Aspie Detective'': Trueman leaves his hometown of

Heartville, Illinois Heartville is an unincorporated community in Effingham County, Illinois. It is located about two miles northeast of Watson, Illinois Watson is a village in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 668 at the 2020 census. Wa ...

, and arrives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, hoping to fulfil his dream of becoming a private detective, like his

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

heroes. He is soon told that a man with AS could not possibly succeed as a detective. Undeterred, Trueman uses his exceptional mathematical skills to invent a crime-fighting

equation In mathematics, an equation is a formula that expresses the equality of two expressions, by connecting them with the equals sign . The word ''equation'' and its cognates in other languages may have subtly different meanings; for example, in ...

, and with the help of his new friends and some amazing inventions, sets out to test his skills against the criminal world of New York. He is determined to show the police, his friends, and himself, that a person with AS can become as good a detective as anyone else, maybe, even, one of the best. In ''Trueman Bradley – The Next Great Detective'': Trueman Bradley visits

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and sets up shop on Baker Street, in the hopes of becoming the next

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

. Using hints he has derived from the original Sherlock stories, Trueman uncovers the mysterious methods of "The Great Detective" and uses them to solve the mystery of how his grandfather acquired his fortune, as well as helping

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

to capture a notorious

cat burglar Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

. With the help of new wearable technology, called Sension (created by Catalin Voss), a small army of drones and the inspiration of Yuri Nakagawa (the Japanese model whose

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

he is doggedly obsessed with) – along with the help of a few new friends, Trueman learns the value of deduction,

imagination Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...

and

instinct Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a v ...

, in detective work, and proves that he has what it takes to become "The Next Great Detective.Parkhill, Cynthia(23 January 2012)
"On the Spectrum: Trueman Bradley advocates, entertains"
Lake County Record-Bee. Retrieved 23 January 2012.

Reception

BFK Books described Trueman Bradley as "a genius detective with a difference."Van Der Post, Anna (31 July 2011)

BFK Books. Retrieved 20 November 2011. According to BFK Books: "Russell's writing style is pleasant and easy, reminiscent of the simplicity and innocence of Alexander McCall Smith." ''CM Magazine'' wrote, "Asperger's Syndrome (AS) makes him a complex protagonist in a novel centred around a young man trying to make it as a private detective."Brenna, Beverly(2 March 2012)
"Trueman Bradley, Aspie Detective"
''CM'' Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2012. CM Magazine goes on to describe it as "Somewhat reminiscent of the simplistic and formulaic episodes of Sobol's

Encyclopedia Brown ''Encyclopedia Brown'' is a series of books featuring the adventures of boy detective Leroy Brown, nicknamed "Encyclopedia" for his intelligence and range of knowledge. The series of 29 children's novels was written (one co-written) by Donald ...

mystery series in combination with the bold private detective genre of Hammett's '' The Maltese Falcon'', along with a nod to Haddon's central character in ''

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Its title refers to an observation by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes (created by Arthur Conan Doyle) in the 1892 short story ...

'', the book also has its own unique style".Kulkarni, Nitish(20 October 2015)
"Stanford Researchers Treat Autism With Google Glass"
Tech Crunch. Retrieved 20 October 2015."Someone Like Me"
Department of Justice and Equality. Retrieved 20 October 2015. Trueman Bradley has gained a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

and

educational Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

circles. Including being added to the book lesson plan for

grade 6 Sixth grade (or grade six in some regions) is the sixth year of schooling. Students are typically 11–12 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs. Different terms and numbers are used in other parts of the world. It is commonly the firs ...

students A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...

, by the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness, of Portland, Maine, in 2015. Being officially adopted, in that same year, by

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Department of Justice and Equality The Department of Justice ( ga, An Roinn Dlí agus Cirt) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Justice who is assisted by a Ministers of State. The department's mission is to maintain and enhance community ...

, as official teaching material for their "Someone Like Me" program, for

primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

– designed to encourage understanding of disabilities in their students and encourage and instil the "celebration of difference" in children."TRUEMAN BRADLEY, Aspie Detective"
The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness. Retrieved 20 October 2015.Violeta, Althea (21 October 2015
"Stanford researchers hope to treat autism with Google Glass"
Autism Daily Newscast. Retrieved 22 October 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Trueman Literary characters introduced in 2011 Fictional private investigators Characters in British novels of the 21st century Fictional characters from Illinois Books about autism Fictional characters on the autism spectrum