Blind Sight

By: Carol O'Connell

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

The nun was dead. Her body lay on the lawn outside Gracie Mansion, the home of New York City's mayor, and it wasn't alone. There were four of them altogether. They'd been killed at different times, in different places, and dumped there. There should have been five - but the boy was missing. Jonah Quill, blind since birth, sat in a car driven by a killer and wondered where they were going. Though he was blind, Jonah saw more than most people did. It was his secret, and he was counting on that to save his life.

Detective Kathy Mallory was counting on herself to save his life. It took her a while to realize that the missing-person case she was pursuing was so intimately connected to the massacre on the mayor's lawn. But there was something about the boy she was searching for that reminded her of herself all those years ago, when she was an orphan adrift in a world over which she had little control, and determined never to let that happen again. She would find him - she just hoped it'd be in time.

©2016 Carol O'Connell (P)2016 Recorded Books

Outstanding story and performance!

I've read all the Mallory books and this one is par for the excellent course! No better narrator to read it, either. Barbara Rosenblatt brings everything to life. Very satisfying experience, thank you!

Terrific

Blind Sight may be my favorite novel of O’Connell’s often chilling series because Mallory is left with doubts—tiny cracks in her “this world only,” “these facts are everything” worldview.

O'Connell is a master storyteller

The cloistered nun was walking on St. Mark’s Place, stopping to talk with the man at the flower stall. A young boy, blind since birth, expertly weaved his way through the crowds. Suddenly, they were both gone. Within hours, the mayor and the church had reported the nun missing, and detective Kathy Mallory was on the case. She knows something is fishy when they send a priest to report the nun missing and the mayor’s office calls as well. They skip the police unit usually in charge of missing persons and go straight to Major Crimes, where Mallory works.

The nun’s body is later found on the lawn of the New York City mayor’s home, Gracie Mansion, along with three others, all with their hearts cut out. There were supposed to be five bodies, but the young boy was with the killer. He’s been told to hold back on this one. When the boy’s uncle comes to the police to report him missing, it doesn’t take Mallory long to make the connection between the two. Once she finds the mug shot for the nun when she was arrested years earlier for prostitution, she immediately sees the resemblance to the boy.

Mallory grew up on the streets of New York City until she was fostered by a New York City detective who often brought her to work to keep her off the streets. She learned young the ins and outs of computers, interrogation, observation, procedures. She learned how to twist suspects around until they revealed what she needed to know. We have gotten to know her through the series, yet there is enough explanation in this one entry to fill the reader in. Her tactics are in evidence and her personality shines, even though she is an extremely private person.

The author twists the reader about in her fingers. As she filled in details, I began to care about Jonah, the 12-year-old boy, during his captivity. He awakens from his drugged state, and his captor finally gives him food and water. He is no longer confined to a bathroom, and he begins to learn his surroundings despite being threatened by an old pit bull. His captor has begun to care about him too.

Carol O’Connell is a master storyteller. I was manipulated, twisted, and felt as if I had been right there with the detective as she worked. This is a police procedural, but it is unlike any I have read. It is because of Mallory, the detective who seems to have a sixth sense. She can draw motives seemingly from thin air that are spot on. Then she can supply the evidence to prove her theories. She hears more from what is not said than what is said. The author also has a wicked sense of humor. Some circumstances were so outrageous they were funny, but only if you caught the humor. The story was told in snippets from various perspectives, interwoven to keep the reader off balance and create even more suspense. Narrator Barbara Rosenblat brought the story even further to life. Her inflections were compelling. At first I found her hard to follow, but when I just let myself sit back and listen to her story, it came to life. She wasn’t just reading; she was sitting in my living room telling me all about it. I dared not stop her until the very end. This novel was that good. Highly recommended, along with the entire series.

Loved this book

Mallory is back in a big way. The plot of the book is gripping, character development interesting, with enough surprises to keep me from wanting to "put the book down"--in fact l stayed up all night listening to chapters 16-33.

Narrator does poor job

The narrator's voice at times is just a jumble of words. Very hard to clearly understand. The constant rise and fall of her voice is annoying. George Guidall would have done a much job.

Love the Malory series

If you could sum up Blind Sight in three words, what would they be?

Good addition to series. Too long between books.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are old friends.

What three words best describe Barbara Rosenblat’s performance?

Rich voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Insight into Malory.

Any additional comments?

Charles is the heart.

A waste of a good credit!

This book left me bored beyond belief. I kept waiting for the storyline to grab me... But, it never did. I'm not sure if the storyline is the problem or if the narrator is the problem. I will say that the narrator makes the story sound like a sing-song fairytale!

not the usual Mallory story

What disappointed you about Blind Sight?

Mallory wasn't portrayed as her usual self. Would not recommend

What could Carol O'Connell have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

put more of Mallory's character in the book

What about Barbara Rosenblat’s performance did you like?

was okay

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The boy was good- storyline was very interesting