From Goodreads: The year is 2021. Natural forces have changed our world. As the Earth’s magnetic poles have shifted, pressure on the planet’s mantle layer is building. The bottom line…earthquakes now wreak havoc in areas they have never occurred before.

In Mexico, members of an archaeological team investigate the remains of an ancient village uncovered by a quake; racing to prove their theories about the civilization that once lived there. But, disaster strikes when the accidental destruction of an artifact unleashes a worldwide agricultural plague.

Halfway across the continent, Douglas Abledan, a blind computer technologist, embarks on a long-anticipated vacation. On the plane to Chicago, he meets world-renowned agricultural pathologist Cara Cordelia, but their chance meeting could cost them both their lives.

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I really enjoy books that deal with the future, and while Blind Traveler’s Blues isn’t too far in the future, the technological advances and changes that I enjoy so much are present, and prove to be quite epic and interesting.  I loved Bennett’s descriptions of the gadgets Douglas uses throughout the story, and his character was phenomenal as well.  Having lost his eye sight in an accident a few years prior, Douglas is a kick butt hero relying on his other four senses, that of smell, hearing, touch, and taste.  The fact that he’s not exceptionally bitter or harboring a “woe is me” attitude quickly elevated him in my opinion, making him an easily likable hero that the reader can’t help but root for as the story progresses.

In terms of his abilities, Douglas is a normal person, and I really enjoyed that about this novel.  While his other senses are heightened, he doesn’t hold any superpowers and everything he is able to do makes perfect sense, even as he determines the real cause of death of a woman he met on a plane.  This was a great mystery novel, and it’s intertwining of the future, natural disasters, plagues, and murder provided a riveting read. 

I especially enjoyed the dramatic irony Bennett provided by allowing the reader to know who the villain was throughout the story.  While it is always nice to be surprised by the villains reveal at the end of a novel, I think the fact that the reader knows who, how, and why adds to the believability of Blind Traveler’s Blues.  Through knowing the villain’s identity and thoughts, we are able to see exactly how Douglas is able to piece everything together, even though he is blind, and it’s plausibility is stunning.   

This is a very well written novel and it is, in fact, a stand-alone sequel to another of Bennett’s novels, Blind Traveler Down A Dark River.  Having not yet read the prequel, I can personally attest to this novel’s ability to keep the reader up-to-date even though it is a sequel.  Rest assured, you don’t have to read the prequel to understand events in this great novel.  Four stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.