An Alabama official says a state agency has closed an inquiry into whether the deal to publish Harper Lee 's upcoming novel involved financial fraud . Some in Lee 's hometown of Monroeville questioned whether the 88-year-old To Kill A Mockingbird author was capable of consenting to the second novel 's publication . She has only ever released the one novel , in 1960 , which was a Pulitzer Prize-winner and resounding literary classic , and has repeatedly refused to release anything anything over the last 50 years . After publisher HaperCollins announced a second book - Go Set A Watchman , which was written before To Kill A Mockingbird but is set 20 years afterward - a longtime friend came forward claiming Lee is mostly deaf , blind and in poor health . Others questioned whether her mental health was sound enough to make such a decision . Scroll down for video . Cleared : Controversy over the mental state of author Harper Lee - which has raged since it was announced last month she would publish a second book more than half-a-century after To Kill A Mockingbird - has been quelled followed an investigation in her hometown of Monroeville , Alabama . However Alabama Securities Commission Director Joseph Borg said Thursday his agency reviewed the matter at the Department of Human Resources ' request , and that Lee answered questions to an investigator 's satisfaction . They have since closed the file . A high-ranking state official said DHR opened its investigation after the second novel 's announcement . The status of the DHR investigation was unclear . The official was n't authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity . The New York Times reported this week that investigators interviewed staff at the Meadows assisted living facility where Lee resides , as well as friends and acquaintances . A doctor who asked to remain anonymous said he had filed a complaint after knowing Lee for two years and believing her infirm . Investigator : interviewed staff at the Meadows assisted living facility where Lee resides , as well as friends and acquaintances . He said he had been told she was mostly incapable of communication . Such investigations can involve law enforcement if financial exploitation can be shown . One person speaking to the Times anonymously said Lee seemed to understand the investigators and give clear responses . As the investigation continues , people have argued for several different pictures of Lee : funny , depressed , witty , confused , or even varying from day to day . She reportedly had a stroke in 2007 resulting in health and vision problems . 'It ’ s a call only God or a doctor can make , ' attorney Philip Sanchez , who was a pallbearer for older sister Alice 's funeral , told the Times . I am more concerned that Nelle is content than the discussion of her cognizance . ' Accounts of Lee 's mental and physical state have been contradictory over the last few years , but intensified recently after HarperCollins announced her second book , . A friend of Lee , Wayne Flynt , said he visited her recently and found her mentally cogent . But he agreed she had some health issues , telling him ' I 'm not so sure anymore , ' in response to a congratulations on the new book . Lee has only given statements about the novel through her attorney , Tonja B. Carter . Carter handled the book deal and declined to respond to interview requests . Lee wrote the book , Go Set A Watchman , in the 1950s . It was first submitted to publishers before To Kill A Mockingbird and is considered her earliest work . The manuscript was presumed lost , according to reports , but was found last year . It centers around Mockingbird 's protagonist , Scout , returning to Maycomb after 20 years .
Publisher HaperCollins announced new book by Lee , 88 , last month . Many questioned whether she wanted to follow-up to her classic 'To Kill a Mockingbird ' after more than 50 years of rejecting such offers . Accounts of Lee 's health have often been contradictory . She suffered a stroke in 2007 , impairing her mental health and vision . Alabama Securities Commission launched a case . Investigators say she answered their questions satisfactorily . Go Set A Watchman was written before Mockingbird in the 1950s . The manuscript was presumed lost but turned up last year .