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The Blind Detective #9
Murder in Oxford
Oxford, 1942. Frederick Rowlands receives an urgent summons to the university city from his old friend - also a blinded war veteran - Major Ian Fraser. They are to meet Professor Duncan Challoner, Fellow of Brasenose College, now working with MI5 at nearby Blenheim Palace. Challoner is about to divulge the identity of an enemy agent at Blenheim - but is murdered before he can do so. Also taking an interest in the case is MI5 agent Iris Barnes, who has her own reasons for wanting to track down the traitor. Now the race is on to find the murderer before he - or she - can kill again, and to prevent vital plans for a covert British mission to steal key components of the German radar system from under the enemy's nose being compromised. For Rowlands, the stakes could not be higher, in this deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published May 22, 2025
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About the author
Christina Koning
28 books7 followersThis author also writes under the name A.C. Koning
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 11, 2025
Crime mystery set mainly around OXFORD WW2
It is 1942 in the run up to Christmas and Oxford still feels largely untouched by the war, except that there are more women floating around the city than usual, an unsatisfactory situation according to some. Many of the men have disappeared to serve their country. Brasenose itself has army members billeted in the college, depleting the food resources although some can play bridge very well, so all is not lost. The college ‘.. feels like a world away from the war. So calm and civilised.” It was mooted that Hitler intended to spare Oxford because he thought to use it as his base once he had won the war.
Frederick Rowlands lost his sight in WW1 and now his friend and mentor, Major Sir Ian Fraser – who also has sight loss but a dog to assist him – has asked Rowlands to join him in the college because there is something that needs investigating. A German spy is mooted to be at the centre of British Intelligence.
And then someone is found stabbed with a German Army Officer’s knife, his final words imploring that the people look for the green file…. And then there is another death.
Rowlands has his work cut out and one line of enquiry takes him out to Blenheim but how can he make sense of the situation and find out who is behind the killings before national security is certainly in jeopardy.
The novel wonderfully and evocatively captures time and place and also there is quite some insight into Rowlands disability as he navigates uncharted territory. The dialogue is very much of the era and the ingrained traditions in Oxford are beautifully laid out as the characters embed in college life. There are several novels in The Blind Detective series (this is no.9), which take the reader to all kinds of locations in England and around Europe.
It is 1942 in the run up to Christmas and Oxford still feels largely untouched by the war, except that there are more women floating around the city than usual, an unsatisfactory situation according to some. Many of the men have disappeared to serve their country. Brasenose itself has army members billeted in the college, depleting the food resources although some can play bridge very well, so all is not lost. The college ‘.. feels like a world away from the war. So calm and civilised.” It was mooted that Hitler intended to spare Oxford because he thought to use it as his base once he had won the war.
Frederick Rowlands lost his sight in WW1 and now his friend and mentor, Major Sir Ian Fraser – who also has sight loss but a dog to assist him – has asked Rowlands to join him in the college because there is something that needs investigating. A German spy is mooted to be at the centre of British Intelligence.
And then someone is found stabbed with a German Army Officer’s knife, his final words imploring that the people look for the green file…. And then there is another death.
Rowlands has his work cut out and one line of enquiry takes him out to Blenheim but how can he make sense of the situation and find out who is behind the killings before national security is certainly in jeopardy.
The novel wonderfully and evocatively captures time and place and also there is quite some insight into Rowlands disability as he navigates uncharted territory. The dialogue is very much of the era and the ingrained traditions in Oxford are beautifully laid out as the characters embed in college life. There are several novels in The Blind Detective series (this is no.9), which take the reader to all kinds of locations in England and around Europe.
December 11, 2025
Number 9 of 10 in this wonderful blind detective series. I have read them all except number 10, but not in the right order. Each book can be read standalone. Fred Rowland is a very appealing protagonist who always manages to get caught up in murders, which he then proceeds to solve. Murder in Oxford is set in 1941/1942 and involves treachery within the walls of Oxford University, following on from Murder at Bletchley Park in book number 8. Winston Churchill even has a cameo appearance in this book. Highly recommended
January 4, 2026
An easy, entertaining read - set in wartime in Oxford and written in that style. The detective is a blind war veteran and some of his actions were hard to believe - hence the three stars.
October 20, 2025
This was my first foray into this series, picked up after seeing Christina Koning speak on a couple of panels at CrimeFest earlier this year in Bristol. Murder in Oxford stood out at the festival, and I’m glad - it’s an atmospheric, slow-burn mystery that reads like a BBC period drama.
Set during WWII, the novel blends espionage with traditional detective work, offering a thoughtful, almost meditative pace that allows the setting and characters to take center stage. Koning excels at creating the moody, quietly tense atmosphere so particular to British spy fiction - subtle, restrained, yet layered with intrigue.
One particularly compelling element is the protagonist’s blindness. All action, whether subtle tension or bursts of violence, is filtered through the perspective of a man without sight. It’s a bold narrative choice. The action sequences are especially interesting to read, as they rely on sound, movement, and intuition rather than visual cues. I'd find myself visualizing the scenes, nonetheless.
Although this is part of an ongoing series, I found it entirely readable as a standalone. That said, there are frequent references to earlier cases, and while these help flesh out the backstory and relationships, I occasionally wished they had been kept more ambiguous. I’d have liked the chance to discover those earlier investigations for myself.
Still, the strength of Koning’s writing and the rich period detail more than made up for that. Perfect for fans of classic espionage stories, or anyone who enjoys a more cerebral approach to the atmosphere of British crime fiction.
Set during WWII, the novel blends espionage with traditional detective work, offering a thoughtful, almost meditative pace that allows the setting and characters to take center stage. Koning excels at creating the moody, quietly tense atmosphere so particular to British spy fiction - subtle, restrained, yet layered with intrigue.
One particularly compelling element is the protagonist’s blindness. All action, whether subtle tension or bursts of violence, is filtered through the perspective of a man without sight. It’s a bold narrative choice. The action sequences are especially interesting to read, as they rely on sound, movement, and intuition rather than visual cues. I'd find myself visualizing the scenes, nonetheless.
Although this is part of an ongoing series, I found it entirely readable as a standalone. That said, there are frequent references to earlier cases, and while these help flesh out the backstory and relationships, I occasionally wished they had been kept more ambiguous. I’d have liked the chance to discover those earlier investigations for myself.
Still, the strength of Koning’s writing and the rich period detail more than made up for that. Perfect for fans of classic espionage stories, or anyone who enjoys a more cerebral approach to the atmosphere of British crime fiction.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews