Sight Unseen

My Thoughts

Sight Unseen is the second novel in Iris Johansen's Kendra Michaels series, featuring a protagonist with a genuinely interesting premise—blind from birth until age twenty when experimental surgery gave her sight, Kendra developed extraordinary observational skills during her years without vision and can now notice details sighted people miss. Think of a female Sherlock Holmes with a compelling backstory. Unfortunately, the execution doesn't quite live up to the concept's promise.

The plot involves a serial killer targeting young musicians, and the FBI brings Kendra in to consult given her background as a music therapist and her deductive abilities. She's partnered with FBI agent Adam Lynch (introduced in the previous book), and they navigate the competitive world of musical prodigies while trying to identify the killer before the next victim is taken.

Kendra as a character has potential. The idea of someone who learned to navigate the world through sound, smell, and touch suddenly gaining vision is fascinating. Johansen explores how Kendra still sometimes processes the world through her former senses, how her observational skills combine what she learned blind with what she sees now, and how her relationship with sight is complicated—not simply grateful but also overwhelmed and sometimes nostalgic for the clarity of her blind experience.

The music therapy background adds dimension. Kendra works with students, understands the psychological pressures of musical training, and can navigate the world of prodigies, conservatories, and performance pressure. This setting is less common in thrillers and provides interesting texture, showing the obsessive dedication and sometimes toxic competitiveness of elite musical training.

However, the book struggles with several issues that plague much commercial thriller writing. The romantic subplot with Adam Lynch feels obligatory and chemistry-free. It follows the familiar pattern of banter, resistance, reluctant attraction, and inevitable coupling without feeling organic to either character. The romance takes up space that could be used for better mystery development or character depth.

The deductive sequences where Kendra demonstrates her observational skills sometimes strain credulity. Yes, she has trained herself to notice details, but the leaps she makes occasionally feel more like authorial convenience than plausible deduction. The Sherlock comparison is apt—and shares Sherlock's occasional problem of solutions that seem obvious only once explained.

The serial killer, when revealed, is neither surprising nor particularly compelling. The motivation makes basic sense but isn't deeply explored. The climax follows familiar thriller beats—confrontation, danger, last-minute rescue, resolution. There's competent execution but little innovation or genuine suspense. Experienced thriller readers will anticipate most developments.

The secondary characters are thinly sketched. Fellow musicians, FBI colleagues, suspects—most are functional rather than fully realized. They exist to move plot forward or provide information rather than feeling like people with lives beyond their role in Kendra's story. This isn't uncommon in fast-paced thrillers but limits engagement.

The pacing is generally good—things move, scenes don't overstay, chapters end with hooks to keep you turning pages. Johansen is a professional who knows how to structure a thriller for readability. The prose is clean and functional, prioritizing clarity and pace over style. This makes for easy reading but not memorable writing.

The book's exploration of blindness and sight has moments of interest but could go deeper. Kendra's perspective on vision, her continued use of non-visual senses, and her relationship with the blind community are touched on but not fully explored. There's material here for something more substantive, but the thriller formula keeps things surface-level.

The music world setting is reasonably well-researched. The details about training, practice, repertoire, and competition feel accurate enough, and Johansen captures the pressure and sacrifice involved in reaching elite levels. However, this setting mostly provides backdrop rather than being integral to the mystery in ways that make full use of its unique aspects.

The relationship between Kendra and Adam has potential—two competent professionals with different skills and approaches—but the forced romantic tension undermines what could be effective professional partnership. The "will they/won't they" dynamic feels dated and unnecessary, like the publisher insisted on romantic subplot regardless of whether it served the story.

The plotting is adequate but predictable. Red herrings are obvious, the real threat telegraphed, and the resolution follows expected patterns. There's nothing egregiously wrong, but also nothing surprising or innovative. It's thriller by numbers—competently executed numbers, but still paint-by-numbers.

The book's length feels slightly padded. At 352 pages, it's standard thriller length, but the story could be tighter. Some scenes exist primarily to delay resolution rather than develop character or advance plot meaningfully. The romance subplot particularly feels like filler.

Why You Might Enjoy It

• Unique Premise: Blind-to-sighted detective concept
• Music World Setting: Less common thriller backdrop
• Fast Pacing: Keeps moving, easy to read
• Observational Deduction: Sherlock-style reasoning
• Professional Writing: Clean, clear prose
• Series Character: Develops ongoing protagonist
• FBI Procedure: Competent procedural elements

Perfect For

Fans of commercial thrillers looking for quick entertainment, readers who enjoyed the first Kendra Michaels book and want to continue, those interested in disability representation in genre fiction (with caveats), people who like Sherlock-style deductive characters, and anyone needing a fast-paced mystery for a plane ride or beach read. Best for readers who don't mind familiar thriller patterns and obligatory romance subplots.

Final Verdict

Sight Unseen has a genuinely interesting protagonist concept—Kendra's blend of blind-developed senses and hard-won sight creates unusual perspective. The music world setting adds less-common texture to thriller landscape. Johansen is a professional who delivers competent pacing, clean prose, and thriller structure that works. However, the book is ultimately constrained by commercial thriller formula that prioritizes familiar patterns over innovation. The romance subplot feels obligatory and undermines the professional partnership. The mystery is predictable, the killer not compelling, and secondary characters are functional rather than dimensional. The deductive sequences sometimes strain belief. The exploration of blindness and sight stays surface-level rather than going deeper. It's perfectly adequate commercial thriller—fast-paced, readable, professionally executed—but not distinctive or memorable. If you're invested in Kendra as a series character, it moves her story forward adequately. If you're looking for innovative or surprising thriller, look elsewhere. Solid three-star read: competent, entertaining in the moment, forgettable afterward.