Blind Sight

Carol O'Connell

Sep 2016 · A Mallory Novel Book 12 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

The extraordinary new Mallory novel from one of the most acclaimed crime writers in America.

A blind child and a Catholic nun disappear from a city sidewalk in plain sight of onlookers. There, then gone—vanished in seconds. Those who witnessed the event still cannot believe it happened.
            It was all too real. Detective Kathy Mallory and the NYPD’s Special Crimes Unit enter the investigation when the nun’s body is found with three other corpses in varying stages of decomposition left on the lawn of Gracie Mansion, home to the mayor of New York City. Sister Michael was the last to die. The child, Jonah Quill, is still missing. 
           Like Jonah, the police are blind. Unknown to them, he is with a stone killer, and though he has unexpected resources of his own, his would-be saviors have no suspect, no useful evidence, and no clue — except for Detective Mallory’s suspicions of things not said and her penchant for getting to the truth beneath lies. Behind her back, the squad’s name for her is Mallory the Machine, yet she has a dark understanding of what it is to be human. A child is waiting, time is running out, and atop her list of liars is the mayor himself…and a theory of the crimes in which no sane cop could believe.

Ratings and reviews

3.5 stars Ordinarily, I insist on reading a series in order, but when I received an ARC of Carol O'Connell's Blind Sight, the twelfth book in her Kathleen Mallory series, with a September 20 review deadline, I had no other option but to dive right in. I am quite pleased to report that Blind Sight functions very nicely as a standalone novel. The plot is self-contained, with no connections or references to prior cases, and Mallory's relationships with the other characters are straightforward enough for a first-time reader. This is not to say that Mallory and O'Connell's other characters lack depth; in fact, I am anxious to learn more about Mallory, her partner Riker, and her psychologist friend Charles. Mallory is such a strong and intriguing person, however, that she is fully capable of carrying the book on her own. In this regard, she reminds me of Taylor Stevens's Vanessa Michael Munroe, another heroine whose dysfunctional, if not downright horrific, childhood has produced a psychologically fascinating adult. My only complaint, and the reason I gave Blind Sight 3.5 stars instead of 4, was that the plot was overly convoluted. The kidnappings and murders kept my attention, but the associated financial shenanigans almost lost me completely. Many thanks to Penguin Random House for introducing me to Kathleen Mallory (and for adding her 11 previous adventures to my already overburdened TBR shelf). I received a free copy of Blind Sight from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

About the author

This is Carol O’Connell’s twelfth Mallory novel. The others are Mallory’s Oracle, The Man Who Cast Two Shadows, Killing Critics, Stone Angel, Shell Game, Crime School, Dead Famous, Winter House, Find Me, The Chalk Girl, and It Happens in the Dark. She is also the author of two stand-alones, Judas Child and Bone By Bone. O’Connell lives in New York City.