Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Blind Spots by Thomas Mullen Narrator: Gary Tiedemann
Published by MacMillan Audio, Minotaur Books on April 4, 2023
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction
Pages: 320
Length: 10 hours, 23 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Seven years ago, a mysterious virus blinded everyone in the world in a matter of months. Technology helped people adjust to the new normal, creating a device that approximates vision, downloading visual data directly to people’s brains. But what happens when someone finds a way to manipulate it and change what people see?
Homicide detective Mark Owens has been on the force since before The Blinding. When a scientist is murdered, and the only witness insists the killer was blacked out of her vision, Owens doesn’t believe her—until a similar murder happens in front of him. With suspects ranging from tech billionaires to anti-modernity cultists, Owens must conduct an investigation that hinges as much on what goes unseen as what happens before his eyes...
There are a lot of bases covered in Blind Spots. There is a police procedural mystery but also a science fiction thriller. I enjoy all of these genres and the technological aspects in the story were interesting.
Basically a virus caused The Blinding 7 years ago. Technology was developed so that people would be able to see again. Police and other essential services got the new technology first. Now most people have it. There are some people who won’t have it because they feel it is giving too much control to others as to what they see. Also they can be tracked with them.
One layer of the story is the technology. There is the current product and a new product that lets people change their appearance. There is a company that was trying to develop a product to selectively obscure sight. Another company wanted to do a more natural improvement to restore sight more organically.
Another idea developed is what sight means to our lives. How much is determined by our visual sense and how much do other senses inform us? I thought the discussion on this was interesting as it wove through the story.
We also learn about Owens and his personal life. He was married to a women, an artist, who committed suicide. He feels badly because he had unkind words with her before she died. Now he is dating a police officer, not in his same role. Owens is in homicide. She goes through some insecurities about their relationship.
Owens, and his partner, end up investigating homicides where people say they can’t describe the killer because they were a black blur. They just didn’t see them well enough. The police have heard this a few times over the past few years and see it as a lie. The person either committed the crime themselves or are protecting someone. Then Owens sees a killing with a black blur and has to face his fellow officers seeing him as having lost it or lying.
The pace was brisk. There was plenty of action and events. The problem was clear but Owens had a lot of work to define who the criminals and actual killers were. He finds out who he can really trust.
Narration:
This was my first time listening to this narrator. I was comfortable with his voices. Most of the story was withthe perspective of Owens and that felt like the voice expressing well his emotions. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 23-COYER
Ok first, what an awful virus! But it sounds like a great set up for a story, especially a police procedural. Thanks for sharing😁
yes it was intriguing and how people dealt with things. Many jobs were hard to do without sight so things were chaos at first and people died from starvation even.
“Another idea developed is what sight means to our lives. How much is determined by our visual sense and how much do other senses inform us?”
Agreed. This sounds like an interesting part to weave into the story.
That part was fascinating. I’ve enjoyed stories where blind people had extremely developed other senses that astonished others with what they knew without sight. This had some of that happening.
Oooo, this does sound good. Thanks for putting it on my radar, Anne!
It’s quite intriguing. I hope you enjoy it.
I like the sound of this one.
It’s quite interesting. The whole blinding is something thoughtful to consider.
This has such a fascinating and unique premise! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you.
I forgot I was offered this one but after seeing your review I went and downloaded the audio. It sounds unique and interesting! Glad you enjoyed it, Anne! Wonderful review.
Thanks Rachel. I hope you enjoy it.
This sounds like such an interesting and unique book. I am really curious about the blinding not to mention the mystery.
yes it’s very interesting with a lot of science / tech type viewpoints but also the very emotional aspect of how much vision impacts our lives.
This sounds like one I need to add to my wishlist. I love that the investigation was well done.
yes I liked this because it was very different, had science/tech issues and still a police procedural.
Ooh, sounds like an interesting premise with the blindness. I do like when detective stories also have the science in them, makes me think of CSI. Glad you enjoyed this one. Great review!
Thank you Lisa. It seems like there are more of these scifi mysteries which have all kinds of stuff I enjoy.