London, 1927. An 'unreal city', full of fog, and cigarette smoke, and drifting shadows... Or that's how it seems to Frederick Rowlands, who works as a switchboard operator for a firm of City solicitors. With his sight badly damaged by shrapnel during the First World War, Fred is forced to rely on his other senses to understand what's going on. Being a blind man in a sighted world hasn't been easy, but with the stoicism so characteristic of his generation, he's made a life for himself. Then something happens which threatens to destroy the safe, secure world Fred has established with his wife, Edith, and their young children. A call comes into the office from beautiful socialite, Lady Celia West, and - against his better judgement - Fred finds himself beguiled. Soon, he is 'listening-in' to more and more of Celia's calls to her lover, Gerald Willoughby - who is also Fred's boss, and former commanding officer. The illicit nature of what Fred is doing - and the fact that the calls are themselves clandestine - only adds to the excitement of being, however briefly, caught up in a more elegant and sophisticated world. Then a man is murdered, and things grow very much darker. Will Fred confess what he has overheard to the police - or will he risk everything,  to protect the woman he loves...    Line of Sight is the first in a proposed series of detective stories set in late 1920s London and featuring Frederick Rowlands, the 'Blind Detective'. With shades of Hitchcock and overtones of Chandler, this is a story about secrets and lies, and about the way that the past can compromise the present. Employing the mechanisms of the classic detective story, it portrays a society deeply damaged by war, in which all certainties have been lost and nothing is as it seems.

Line of Sight

Literature & Fiction

Koning, Christina

Koning, A. C.

Literary

Arbuthnot Books

'A game was in progress: he could see the cards flash down. Ace, King, Queen, Knave. And Hearts were Trumps. He couldn't see their faces. The faces of the players, around the table, that is. But he was used to that...' It is1929. In the years since the Armistice, blind war veteran Frederick Rowlands - now running a small holding in Kent - has done his best to establish a secure existence for himself and his young family. His days of taking risks are over - or so he very much hopes. But then his old friend Chief Inspector Douglas asks for his help in tracking down the killer of a beautiful dancer, and suddenly Fred's quiet, orderly world is under threat. Plunged back into the whirl of London life, he must explore milieu as yet unknown to him, as well as confronting figures from his own past. As the weeks go by and the crime remains unsolved, he finds himself caught up in a murderous game of chance, in which nothing is what it seems, and in which everything - friendships, family loyalties, even his own life - is at stake.

Game Of Chance

Time Of Flight

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

<p><p>It is 1935. Blind war veteran Frederick Rowlands, accompanied by his wife Edith, is attending the end of term festivities at St Gertrude's College, Cambridge, when a research student is found dead in suspicious circumstances. As one of the last to see the young woman alive, Rowlands finds himself caught up in the police investigation-- discovering, in the course of this, a darker side to the university town. Another death ensues, and Rowlands must pit his wits against a formidable and ruthless opponent if he is to prevent further killing--and salvage the reputation of St Gertrude's.</p></p>

End Of Term

Genre Fiction

Out Of Shot

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