A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a book that annoyed me as it seemed to give wrong details about how much people would have known about what was going on at Bletchley Park during WWII.
Then I read the first by a new- to-me author - Christina Koning - that was also about Bletchley Park and in this story there is much more about how secret it was and how no one talked about what they were doing. ( I reserved it because of the title, without looking to find out about it )
The main character in this book is Frederick Rowlands a man who was blinded in WWI but is able to be a "detective" and help the police with murder enquiries because he has an excellent memory and uses all the senses that he has, noticing things that other people don't.
This is the 8th in a series.
Now I've just read another, the 7th which goes back to 1939 in the lead up to war when Frederick is asked by an old friend to go to Dublin, where her husband has been getting death threats.
What surprises me in these books is how well a man who cannot see, except to tell light from dark and to make out vague shapes, is able to move around - even in places he hasn't been before but I can't get annoyed with this because I've never known anyone blind so have no idea how real this is!
The Fantastic Fiction website has more information and from this site it looks as if the author has written 9 books in two years which would be a fairly amazing feat, but delving deeper I discovered that actually the first books were published over 10 years ago and have just been republished by different publishers in a new format, which is how and why they've only now appeared in the library.
Really it would have made much more sense for me to have started at the beginning - if I'd realised there were 7 to read before the Bletchley one! The first - The Blind Detective [Originally published as 'Line of Sight']- is now reserved and will be waiting for me at the end of the month when the mobile is next around. Then maybe I'll find out more about Frederick and his family and his blindness.
Back Tomorrow
PS............... Happy 4th of July to readers across the pond!
PPS - Guessed Cilic would beat Jack Draper - sadly. Although Cilic always seems a good bloke, nicer than some others. 19 mens seeds out leaving things to Carlos, Novak the misery and Jannik (who is the most un-Italian looking Italian - if you follow )
All on Cam Norrie today then!
This sounds like a good series to get into. Thanks for the heads up. I've been watching Covert Affairs on Amazon prime [it's about the CIA, very glitzy, absolute opposite of the seedy characters in Slow Horses] and the male lead was also blinded in a war. He hears [and smells] things and also makes brilliant deductions.
ReplyDeleteI'll make a note of the Amazon series and Slow Horses as I don't know that either
DeleteAlways interesting to try a new author - perhaps reading book one will elucidate you further.
ReplyDeleteStarting at the beginning would have been a good idea!
DeleteIt's always great to find a new series of books to get stuck into, a shame you accidentally started at the end, but beginning again from the first one will be really good.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who was totally blind, we worked together for a few years, and Alan's Mum was blind for the last couple of years of her life. They both got around brilliantly at home, in fact you wouldn't have known they were blind. They both needed some help in new places, but very quickly acclimatised.
That's good to know about people who are blind adapting well, now I don't need to get annoyed with these books
DeleteMy neighbour has been blind all his life. As people have said already of others the blindness doesn’t seem to slow him down in any way.
ReplyDeleteI still say who I am when we meet in the street but I think he knows who it is already.
I guess all other senses take over - it's good to know
DeleteThe reality of Bletchley Park and the people who worked there is quite astonishing. My late friend's parents worked and met there - extraordinary people.
ReplyDeleteStrange co-incidence that I've read two fictional crime about The Park recently
DeleteThank you for the 4th of July comment. 💕
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome!
DeleteI've known several people blind from birth who got around seemingly with ease. I used to say my name when I saw them to let them know I was there and who I was, but I'm not sure that was necessary. So there's some credibility for a blind detective.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to learn about people who are blind - something I know nothing about
DeleteForgot to thank you for the Fourth of July greetings. A somber one this year.
ReplyDeleteThere's this thought every day "what next!"
DeleteI am skipping the parade. I will celebrate family at a picnic later on. I can't celebrate my country right now.
ReplyDeleteAn odd time for the US - things must get better
DeleteI didn't know what Bletchley Park was when you mentioned it before and I finally looked it up so now I learned something new. Sounds like a good series. My library doesn't have it but I can search neighboring libraries and have it sent to mine if I can find it. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to celebrate here today but we won't give up on our democracy.
The work done at Bletchley was very important for the war
DeleteThank you for the 4th of July wishes, Sue! Love, Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteHope you had a good day
DeleteI have read and written about Bletchley Park and I absolutely agree it would have been very secret. I hate when research is sloppy. Also, when I visited three years ago I was surprised at how close it was to the train station. In the books I had read, I was sure there had been descriptions of trying to find it in the dark. I asked one of the guides and she said maybe they were staggering in the dark to their lodgings, which weren't close (and I liked that she didn't pooh-pooh my question). This series sounds worth hunting down!
ReplyDeleteConstance
I'm looking forward to reading the others now they are republished
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting series -- I'll give it a try. I'm fascinated by Bletchley Park. On the blind topic, our married friends Nino and Marie are both blind. Both have been out of their own space numerous times and into environments and homes where they know nothing of the layout. (Neither are even partially sighted.) I'm in awe of how well they maneuver around. They have a good-sized garden they tend themselves and both are cyclists (don't worry -- the back--end of the tandem!). Rick has done very long rides (several days) with both of them and he's continually amazed at how well they navigate. He said around Detroit where they live, Nino can tell you what street you are approaching and where to turn before you can see a sign. So, I suspect the character has been blind sometime and adapted. I'd love to learn more about this one. I wonder if I can find those here.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazing friends - it's good to learn more about being blind
DeleteHmmm, I hope you enjoy the rest of the series and they answer all your questions.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I'm looking forward to reading the others
DeleteSounds like an interesting series. I hate it when I find out the book I'm reading is in the middle of a series!
ReplyDeleteA silly mistake for me to make - I usually look up the books on Fantastic Fiction
DeleteI love historical fiction, particularly stories set in Britain during WW2. I've found Bletchley Park fascinating. I saw The Imitation Game--about Alan Turing's team--and also read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. I hope that's not the one you didn't like because it's one of my faves! I thought it dealt with all of the secrecy that surrounded breaking the Enigma code!
ReplyDeleteI'll have a look for The Rose Code
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