SOLVED Forgotten SF Novel by Mostly Mystery Writer Lead Character is Mentally Handicapped Boy

[Bargle]

This SF book was written by a writer known more for mysteries. Came out back in the 80s or 90s, maybe even the early 2000s. Set in a dystopian future. A group of criminals, bandits or whatever, all males, numbering around 4-6. One member is needlessly violent. One is a young man or boy with retardation or some other mental handicap. I think he was the main character. The boy stops the group leader from killing the violent one at one point.
They break into a home where there's a small gap in the perimeter scanners of the home and this is where the incident of the boy stopping the violent one being killed occurs. I only read about 1/4-1/3 of the book, so I don't know how it ends or what the major story theme was. It was a full length novel, not a short story.
The setting was, I think, a wasteland with isolated pockets of modern technology. The home they break into was off by itself, I think. The book was recent or new when I read it.
I think the group leader wanted to kill the violent one because he had needlessly killed one of the people in the house they had invaded.

It's not something by
Fredric Brown
Isaac Asimov
John D. MacDonald
Donald E. Westlake

Suggestions of other authors, even if not a specific book are welcome. I keep feeling like I'll recognize the author name if I see it. ETA: Apparently I won't.

ETA: not
P.D. James
Lawrence Block
Rex Stout
Robert B. Parker
Dick Francis
Robert Crais
Ross Macdonald
Erle Stanley Gardner
Ron Goulart
Andrew Vachss
Andrew Greeley
Bill Pronzini
Loren D. Estleman
Walter Mosley
Kate Wilhelm
Iain Banks
Dana Stabenow
Caleb Carr
Philip Kerr
Jack Vance
Walter Mosely

ETA: It's not "The Tomorrow File" by Lawrence Sanders
Not Harlan Ellison

[Bargle]

A bump since I'm still looking.

[Chris]

A Clockwork Orange?

[Bargle]

No, that's been suggested before and it isn't it. Sorry, I should have included what's been eliminated. I'll add that later. Thanks for trying.

[Bargle]

Already eliminated:
A Clockwork Orange
God Game
Blue Light
Futureland
The Children of Men
The Tomorrow File
Tathea
Come Armageddon
This Perfect Day
Dark Life
More Than Human
Black August
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
Mercury Fur

[Bargle]

Back to page 1 with you.

[Cheryl]

Just brainstorming, maybe way off base, but could it be YA? Like something along the lines of one of the sequels to The Maze Runner or The Knife of Never Letting Go or even something like Margaret Peterson Haddix?

[Robert]

Can you remember anything about the bookcover? Anything will help

[Bargle]

Cheryl, no, it isn't any of the Maze Runner books, The Knife of Never Letting Go or anything by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Thanks for trying.

Robert, no, I don't remember a thing about the cover.

[Trike]

Time to try https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Bargle]

Trike wrote: "Time to try https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/..."

Already posted there, but thanks for the suggestion.

[Trike]

I’m out of ideas. Have you tried wandering through the woods and seeing if you stumble across it?😂

[Bargle]

Trike wrote: "I’m out of ideas. Have you tried wandering through the woods and seeing if you stumble across it?😂"

No, but I might. ;-)

[Bargle]

A hopeful bump.

[Jack]

I'll take a shot, I think it might be older..

Battlefield Earth
Dark is the Sun
Lucifer's Hammer
perhaps one of the Horseclan books where Milo remembers the past

The more I think about the more it seems familiar

[Trike]

The bit about “by a mostly mystery writer” keeps tripping me up. I was deep into mysteries throughout the 80s and 90s, but I haven’t read many since then. It’s hard to think of many who’ve crossed over into SF despite the readership moving between the genres.

Maybe someone like J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts)?

What’s the name of the mother-daughter team who write both mysteries and SF? Is it P.J. Tracy?

[Bargle]

Cross777 wrote: "I'll take a shot, I think it might be older..

Battlefield Earth
Dark is the Sun
Lucifer's Hammer
perhaps one of the Horseclan books where Milo remembers the past

The more I think about the more i..."

Sorry for forgetting to reply before, but it's none of your suggestions. Thanks for trying.

SF by Mystery Novelist thread.

[Bargle]

Old SF by Mystery Novelist thread bump.

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Old SF by Mystery Novelist thread bump.

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Another SF by Mystery Novelist thread bump.

[Bargle]

Stephen wrote: "This makes me think of a scene in one of Thomas Perry’s books that takes place in a deserted suburban housing development in California. I don’t remember which book, and if I’m right..."

IIRC, mine was a lone house. I looked at Perry's stuff and nothing seemed familiar.

[Rick]

The Long Walk by any chance?

[Bargle]

Rick wrote: "The Long Walk by any chance?"

No, not The Long Walk. Thanks for trying.

[Elaine]

Put the description into ChatGPT. See if that helps.

[Bargle]

Elaine wrote: "Put the description into ChatGPT. See if that helps."

Didn't help. No results. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Bargle]

Solved over at the PrintSF subreddit. It's Tom O'Bedlam by Robert Silverberg.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

yay! Glad you finally got it figured!

[Bargle]

Allison wrote: "yay! Glad you finally got it figured!"

Thanks and thanks to Chortnik over at Reddit for the solve.