The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is Mark Haddon's first novel written for adults, though the book does appeal to a younger audience. The story is told through the perspective of an intelligent fifteen-year-old boy with autism who includes a variety of clever visuals to enhance his narrative. But Haddon says the novel is not simply about disability: "It's about what you can do with words and what it means to communicate with someone in a book." As noted by Dave Weich of Powells.com, Haddon never actually uses the word autism in the novel.

Christopher Boone narrates this novel after finding his neighbor's black poodle, Wellington, murdered with a garden fork. The book is Christopher's account of his investigation, and as he gets closer to the truth, he begins to investigate the personal mysteries in his family and discovers that the truths his father told him about his dead mother are indeed fiction.

Haddon's unique protagonist Christopher sees the world only in black and white, but through his ultra-rational and un-ironic prism, readers experience the spectrum of the boy's vibrant and vital mind. Many people suffering from autism and related disorders, as well as those who love and care for them, have celebrated the book as an enlightening peek into a mysterious world, though some have found fault with its presentation of the socially alienated. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time also has broad appeal to fiction fans around the world who enjoy the sincere, fresh, and funny whodunit. It is an international bestseller, which garnered a multitude of awards and landed on the prestigious list of Man Booker Prize nominees in 2003.