The Final Solution, A detective Story by Michael Chabon

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon is set in a village in the South of England in 1944.
Linus, a nine-year old refugee from Nazi Germany, is placed in the home of a Malayan minister.
Linus, a clever youngster, is mute. His constant companion is an African parrot, Bruno, who mouths long
strings of numbers in German interspersed with little songs and bits of poetry. Mr. and Mrs. Paniker
and their obnoxious son have other boarders sharing the house. When the parrot disappears and one
of the boarders is murdered, the local police enlist the help of an old, pipe-smoking beekeeper who is
referred to as "the old man". "The old man" has a formidable reputation as a detective. Could it be a
beloved, well-known, retired sleuth? The detective who sympathizes with Linus ,agrees to help but
only to find the parrot. Is national security involved? The old man must use all his analytical skills to
solve the mystery. Chabon is a fine writer. One of the chapters tells the story from the parrot's
point of view and it works. This novella is great fun.