there are none so blind

Detective Mark Owens is blind. But then, so is everyone else. Seven years ago, there was a wave of blindness that went through the country, slowing taking away everyone’s vision and leaving anxiety in its wake. Eventually, a tech company invented a way for people to restore their sight, with special glasses that connect to the brain to project reality in a way that feels like sight.

But the years before the vidders were especially difficult for the police. Without being able to see what was going on, the danger was everywhere. The job is better with them, but it’s still difficult. It’s still a dark and dangerous world, and Owens is still heartbroken from the loss of his wife. But he’s done what he can to move on and to keep bringing criminals to justice.

When a prominent scientist is killed, Owens is given the case. There is a witness, another scientist and a colleague to the victim. She was there when someone walked up and shot the man, so it seems like an easy case to close. But she says that she didn’t see anything. There was a black spot where the shooter was, so she can’t describe the shooter.

This is an excuse that Owens has heard for years from criminals, that there was something wrong with their vidders, some glitch, that kept them from seeing something happening. Owens wants to believe the woman when she says that couldn’t see the shooter, but the vidders don’t work that way.

And then it happened to him. His witness is killed right in front of him, and all he could see was a black blur where the person should be.

Suddenly, Owens is having to solve not just one murder but two, and to solve them blind. Clearly, someone has figured out how to hack the vidders to keep themselves hidden. But who is doing that and why? Could one of the tech billionaires be taking advantage with their superior understanding of the vidders? Or is it possible that a criminal enterprise cracked the code to help them succeed? Or is it a sabotage from one of the groups who are against the use of the vidders? All Owens knows is that the bodies are piling up and he is investigating them at a definite disadvantage. Will he be able to solve the crimes before they come for him, or will he be left in the dark?

Blind Spots is a thrilling crime novel set in a dystopian world. It blends a police procedural with a dark post-pandemic thriller and includes a hearty helping of tech on the side. It asked questions about power and control and the choices that we make when our way of life is threatened.

I listened to Blind Spots on audio, narrated by Gary Tiedemann. Listening to this story was intense, and there were some parts of the novel that were a little confusing to me (particularly the busier action sequences where there were several characters moving at the same time). But overall, I could follow the story pretty well and I thought Tiedemann did an exceptional job with the character of Owens.

I am a fan of crime novels, and I liked the crime here a lot. I thought the Blinding and the vidders brought an interesting dimension to this story, with the interplay between being able to see versus being in the dark. I’m not a huge fan of dystopian fiction, and I heard that those who were wanting to read this for the dystopian story were disappointed that it was more a crime novel, so that is something to consider before buying the book. But either way, this is an interesting book with an intriguing crime and some important questions about what it means to see the world.

A copy of the audio book for Blind Spots was provided by Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks.