Blind Spots

I requested this book based solely on Thomas Mullen's name on the cover. I absolutely loved his previous books Darktown and Lightning Men (the first two books in his Darktown historical police procedural series) and was eager to see what he had written now. 

This time out, Mullens is changing up genres and has written a dystopian/Sci-Fi/ speculative thriller. Admittedly, SciFi isn't my go-to genre but it had a very unique premise. A pandemic takes the sight of everyone on earth and now people rely on technology called Vidders that approximate vision directly into people's brains. But what if someone was able to manipulate the images people 'see'?

Within this thriller, Mullen throws in some good twists and interesting world building. The story is told by a few POVs, but the one that stood out the most for me was Homicide Detective Mark Owens who is on the hunt for the person who murdered a scientist and is still reeling from the loss of his wife. 

But I felt the thriller aspect gets a bit lost in the details, the multiple POVs and their backstories. Sci-Fi is not a genre I normally read so I appreciated that Mullen doesn't get into the nitty-gritty of the science behind how people now see with Vidders but would have loved to have known what caused The Blinding in the first place. 

Audiobook: I jumped between the eBook and the eAudiobook for this read and while Gary Tiedemann did a good job narrating, I preferred reading this book on my kindle due to the many characters. I also couldn't help but feel like Blind Spots was written more like a TV script and less with a book format in mind. 

A unique blend of genres, this dystopian story (with some social commentary for good measure), will make you wonder what your life would be like and how you would manage if you and everyone around you lost your sight. 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for the complimentary eBook and eAudiobooks that were provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Thomas Mullen

Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Type and Source: ebook and eAudio from publisher via NetGalley

Audiobook Run Time: 10 hrs, 23, min

Audiobook Narrator: Gary Tiedemann

Publisher: Minotaur Books (ebook), MacMillan Audio (eAudio)

First Published: April 4, 2023

Book Description from GoodReads: A riveting crime novel with a speculative edge about the ways our perceptions of reality can be manipulated.

Seven years ago, everyone in the world went blind 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 hack 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—and with the bodies piling up—Owens must conduct an investigation in which he can’t even trust his own eyes.

Thomas Mullen, the acclaimed author of Darktown and The Last Town on Earth, delivers an unputdownable crime novel about one man's search for truth in a world of surveillance and disinformation that’s all too recognizable.