Blind Spots

Best known for the “Darktown” trilogy centered in 1950s Atlanta, in this novel Mullen returns to policing, but with a speculative twist. Seven years ago, humans gradually went blind, and the world crumbled—murder and destruction running rampant. Detective Mark Owens wears a device implanted in his temple to allow him to see, just like everyone else who chooses to embrace the new technology and can afford to do so. Owens, who survived being a policeman during the Blinding, now welcomes the return to quasi-normalcy. But when a tech billionaire is murdered, and the witness swears that a black blur committed the crime, Owens is swept into a conspiracy involving the government, tech companies, and his friends and coworkers. Narrator Gary Tiedemann’s deep and steady voice brilliantly depicts the weariness of Owens and his coworkers in a post-virus United States but also evokes the excitement of a blockbuster movie finale in the unexpected ending. Tiedemann’s clear and precise narration takes center stage since there are no production errors, and his performance elevates the novel.