None So Blind: An Inspector Green Mystery

Inspector Green Mystery #10

by Barbara Fradkin

Twenty years ago, a raw and impressionable Detective Michael Green helped convict a young professor for the murder of an attractive co-ed. From behind bars, the man continued to hound Green with letters protesting his innocence. Shortly after being paroled, he is found dead. Is it suicide? Revenge? When Green receives one last letter, posted before the man's death, in which he plans to track down the real killer, Green realizes he may have made the biggest mistake of his career a mistake which cost an innocent man his liberty and ultimately his life. To determine the truth, Green is forced to re-examine old evidence and stir up old wounds to stare down a far greater evil hiding in plain sight.

Genres: Mystery, Canada, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2014

About the author

Barbara Fradkin (nee Currie), an award-winning Canadian mystery writer and retired psychologist whose work with children and families provides ample inspiration for murder. She is fascinated by the dark side and by the desperate choices people make.

Her novels are gritty, realistic, and psychological, with a blend of mystery and suspense. She is the author of three series, including ten novels featuring the exasperating, quixotic Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green, and three short novels about country handyman Cedric O'Toole which provide an entertaining but quick and easy read. FIRE IN THE STARS is the first book in her new mystery thriller series which stars passionate, adventurous, but traumatized aid worker Amanda Doucette.

Fradkin's work has been nominated for numerous awards, and two of the Inspector Green books have won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel from Crime Writers of Canada. Fradkin was born in Montreal but lives in Ottawa.

Series:
* Inspector Green Mystery

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2005): Fifth Son
◊ Best Novel (2007): Honour Among Men

Reviews

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Green has now spent twenty years with the Ottawa Police, the last six as an Inspector and is once more navigating the transition to a new boss at the CID. Superintendent Barbara Devine moved on and this time, after several temporary replacements, he faces Inge Neufeld, an obsessive bureaucrat with a laser focus on policies and procedures, the part of his job Green hates. He never finds these periods of adjustments easy, more as potential minefields so he tries to stay out of her way. But after less than a week on the job, Neufeld throws him a shocking surprise noting the length of time he has spent in Major Crimes and suggesting it may be time for him to do something different. Green loves his job and her suggestion sends a cold chill down his spine.

Sorting through his mail, he comes across one more letter from James Rosten, a former professor at Carleton University currently in prison for murdering Jackie Carmichael, one of his students. Rosten has haunted Green for over twenty years with hand written missives protesting his innocence and challenging the evidence that led to his conviction. The latest has “He Wins” written in capital letters in the middle of a single sheet of paper. Rosten is referring to the recent death of Jackie’s stepfather Lucas Carmichael, who recently died of a heart attack. He was the man Rosten believed was Jackie’s killer and now that he was dead, he will never be convicted of his crime. Meanwhile Rosten has spent years in jail for a crime he says he did not commit, a time during which he was assaulted by fellow inmates, severely injured and in a wheelchair.

This was Green’s first homicide case and he was determined to make a good impression on his superiors. As the investigating officer he helped determined what leads were pursued, what evidence was found and what suspects were interviewed. It began as a missing person case but transitioned to a murder investigation after Jackie’s body was found. The OPP (The Ontario Provincial Police) were parachuted in to take over the high profile case, and although Green believed Rosten was guilty, he was never completely satisfied with how all the evidence fit together. he never had the opportunity to follow up on the loose threads that niggled him before the OPP closed the case. As Rosten’s letters continued year after year, Green often wondered if he had followed those threads, if he would he have found flaws in the case. However the evidence they found, although circumstantial, was damning. Jackie, a student at the university was last seen walking with Rosten on campus before she was found half naked, bound, gagged and partially buried in a forest on a remote road near Rosten’s cottage. Rosten’s car was seen in the area the afternoon she disappeared and one of her hairs was discovered on the passenger seat of his car.

Rosten is once again up for parole. In the past, he was never successful since he continued to insist he was innocent and eventually simply waived the meetings. However, this time he goes through the process, saying he now realizes he must get on with his life. Community chaplain Archie Goodfellow has helped him prepare for the hearing, arranging a transition to a supervised halfway house and getting him prepared for volunteer work as a teacher if he is released. Jackie’s mother Marilyn, who had campaigned hard to have Rosten convicted, visited him after her husband’s death and is now supporting his request for parole. When it is granted, Green is concerned. This quick turn around in Rosten’s behavior and his sudden decision to seek parole has him worried the man may be up to something.

Shortly after his release Rosten mysteriously disappears during an unsupervised appointment with his physician. The search ends when his lifeless body is found at his cottage and many believe he committed suicide.

What follows in the investigation of Rosten’s death, makes Green question much of what he did in the past. Each time he received one of Rosten’s letters, he asked himself whether he had missed something, judged Rosten too quickly and sent an innocent man to prison. Or was Rosten just continuing to insist on his innocence to mess with Green's head?

As the two cases unfold, one a re-examination of Jackie’s Carmichael’s murder and the second of Rosten’s death, readers continue to follow the overarching backstory of the series. Green and his wife Sharon have their challenges and struggle at times, but the home they have created with three children is warm and supportive. Twenty-year-old Hannah is in her first year of her criminology degree at Carleton university, Tony is now seven and tiny Aviva is eight months and has the “willpower of an Olympian and the lungs of an opera star”. Green’s wife Ashley is another story, but she lives in Vancouver. Although she took their daughter when she walked out on him years ago, Hannah has recently chosen to return and live with her father. On a sadder note, Green’s father has experienced a debilitating stroke, has stopped eating and has lost the will to live. Green gathers all his energy to support his father during this time, refusing to face the push from the social workers to have him placed in a nursing home.

This installment of the series has a broad time frame and a large cast of characters. It is steeped in loss, the loss of life, of family members and of a long-believed reality that proved false. There is also a hint of more, with Neufeld considering moving Green out of Major Crimes and one of the more colorful characters in this series possibly reaching the end of a distinguished career.

Radkin continues to produce well written mysteries and complex puzzles for her readers, always subtly but forcefully confronting social, moral or cultural issues that are in some way connected to the crime. This is now the tenth book she has added to this long running successful series.

[Linda Suter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Barbara Fradkin at a book reading she was doing in Ann Arbor for this very book about 6 years ago. It is the 10th book in a series, so wasn’t sure I could jump into the characters starting with this book, so it has been sitting on my bookshelf. But I was wrong. It was so well written, I was hooked from page 1. The character development was great, having no background from the other books, but I instantly felt I knew them. I can’t wait to read more in the series. If you like a good detective mystery, I highly recommend!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be my favourite Inspector Green novel, and I have read all of them.
Green is now much more likeable than he was 10 books ago. He has grown.
His personal struggles are still very much entwined with his cases, but he seems to be able to handle this more realistically.
While I wish he would loosen his grip and trust others to do their jobs well, I also appreciate how his mind works. His cases always involve deep dives into historical background that sets the stage for whatever crime is happening today.
In this case, it's the 20-year-old murder of Jackie Carmichael, a university student, and the professor who was accused and convicted of the crime and served his sentence before recently being released on parole. Of course the story doesn't end there, because the past always crops up in the present.
I enjoyed the fast-paced action and the psychological insights into the characters.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

None So Blind
An Inspector Green Mystery
by Barbara Fradkin
Pub Date 01 Oct 2014
Dundurn |Dundurn Press
Mystery & Thrillers


Netgalley and Dundurn Press have provided me with a copy of None So Blind for review:

What if Inspector Green jailed the wrong man?

Twenty years ago, a young and impressionable detective helped convict a young professor for murdering an attractive coed. Letters protesting Green's innocence continued to hound him from behind bars.


His body is found shortly after he is paroled. Could it be suicide? Is this revenge? Had Green made the biggest mistake of his career, one that ultimately cost an innocent man his life? In order to uncover the truth, Green must revisit old evidence and confront old wounds in order to confront a far greater evil.


I give None So Blind four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Inspector Green and this book did not disappoint. Even though he has risen in rank, he still wants to be hands on to solve a 20 year old case that he had solved then. Lots of twists and turns until the end.

[Micheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look inside at when things that seem right become wrong and things that seem wrong become right. As an outsider, the reader, you are brought into the mystery as it unfolds with another great twist that Barbara Fradkin is so good at, keeping you guessing until the very end.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dec 2017

[Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page turner. Enjoyed the Navan to Arnprior settings.
Great characters.

[Audrey Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the latest in the author's series featuring Inspector Michael Green of the Ottawa PD. Like the others, the book is a mixture of Mike's professional & personal lives. The large cast of returning characters lends the stories continuity due to shared histories & evolving personal situations.
In this instalment, a case from Mike's past comes back to haunt him. About 20 years ago, he was instrumental in the conviction of Prof. James Rosten for the murder of student Jackie Carmichael. And for 20 years, Rosten has sent Mike letters arguing his case. He never accepted responsibility for the crime but that's about to change.
Through a series of events, Rosten finally gets parole. Not long after, he's found dead. Suicide or murder?
He always said someone else killed Jackie & after his death, Mike starts to wonder. What if he made a mistake? He was aptly named in those days, a brash new detective eager to make his mark.
Mike starts to dig & puts together a team to solve Rosten's death. He has a new boss & she hovers over the investigation. If the old conviction is overturned, she makes it clear his career may be on the line.
To add to the stress, he's also dealing with some issues at home. With a new baby, neither he nor his wife are getting much sleep & his father is gravely ill.
There's much, much more to the investigative aspect of the plot. It's complex with several big twists that entirely change its' direction. The author provides details of the original case so the reader gets a sense of all the characters involved & their backgrounds.
We also spend a lot of time in Mike's head. He's a worrier, a compassionate man who cares deeply about his family & job. Guilt over possibly convicting an innocent man, his father's condition, the state of his career...no wonder he's laying awake at night.
Despite the nature of the the crimes that occur, this is closer to the cozy end of the spectrum of police procedurals as opposed to gritty. It's a very "clean" read with no sex, swearing, etc. If you're a fan of Elly Griffiths, Alex Gray or David Whellams, give this series a try.

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I have to admit I’m a bit nervous when I start to read a book by an author who’s midway through a series. I either suffer from ‘WTF is happening?’ syndrome’ there are big reveals from previous novels rendering them redundant; OR they’re really crap (which is why I haven’t stumbled across the author previously) and I haven’t missed out on anything.

I hadn’t read any of Barbara Fradkin’s novels before and hadn’t even heard of the Canadian with more than a dozen novels under her belt. So it was with some trepidation I opened her latest Inspector Green novel, None So Blind, due out in September 2014.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, I’m about to hunt down some old Inspector Green novels.

None So Blind had everything good crime fiction should offer: a cast of characters with believable and robust backstories; several plot twists and turns to keep us on our feet; and a lead character and supporting cast we come to care about.

Inspector Michael Green has a particular interest in the fate of inmate James Rosten who’s up for parole. As a ‘green’ detective (hee hee), Green was one of those responsible for putting Rosten behind bars, despite the accused's protestations of innocence which continued over ensuing years.

Finally ‘accepting’ his role without admitting guilt Rosten is now out on parole and Green again finds himself dealing with the family of Rosten’s victim - a pretty student, Jackie Carmichael - with whom it’s believed he was having an affair.

When Rosten is found dead under suspicious circumstances however and it’s obvious he hasn’t given up on his quest to find Jackie’s real killer and clear his name; Green realises it’s time to reopen the original case. With many of the key protagonists still around Green needs to work out if he’s got more than one killer on the loose or if he was wrong all of those years ago.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

None so Blind
Barbara Fradkin

Dundurn Press

pp 379



Fradkin’s murder mystery None So Blind involves the closed case file of one Jackie
Carmichael dead by the hands of convicted slayer Professor Rosten.
The story’s conflict unfolds as Rosten, who has previously worked against his own parole suddenly parrots the winning language of release and springs the bars to what
looks to be his own life. Except the wife and children he had had when convicted have
long since abandoned him, he can no longer teach at a post secondary institution and he has been badly beaten up while inside. So badly he now inhabits a wheelchair.

He has retained however his ability with words and his continual letters to Detective Green over the years have never ceased to convey Rosten’s self proclaimed innocence.

While Green struggles with the news that Rosten is about to be released, his own father, Sid Green undergoes a massive coronary which leaves the elder Green unwilling to work hard to achieve his own liberation from the stroke rendered paralysis of his body.

Likewise, Green’s emotional involvement with Jackie Carmichael’s case, and with her family will prove to have put a paralysis upon him. As a rookie, this first case crime became his career maker and at once, a kind of soul breaker.

Fradkin’s novel twists and turns as unexpectedly as the rural roads around Ottawa which serve as the story’s setting. The many characters in the story provide interest and change as each enters, then exits many scenes.

The book’s flaw is just that: too many characters, without sufficient attention paid to each to really warm this reader up.

However, the need in a “whodunnit” is to be kept on the edge of the page, guessing. And that None So Blind did accomplish.

[Alison C · Rating 4 out of 5]

In None So Blind , by Barbara Fradkin, Ottawa Inspector Michael Green finds himself revisiting his first major criminal case, which had occurred 20 years earlier. At that time, the body of a young college student was found near the summer cottage of one of her professors, and the evidence led Green to charge that professor, a charge that stuck. Now, 20 years later, the professor is finally being paroled, but not everybody is happy to see him get out - certainly not the family members of the girl he killed so long ago. When the professor apparently commits suicide, back at that old summer cottage, Green is at first content with the outcome, but then anomalies arise and he has to decide whether to pursue the death as suspicious or let sleeping dogs lie.... This is the tenth novel in Barbara Fradkin's series, and as with the earlier books, there is a mixture of Green's detective work and his private life, which in this instance centers on his ailing, Holocaust-survivor father. I felt the personal storyline was shoved aside a little bit toward the end of the novel, but then it's in the nature of police procedurals that the last few chapters in the book will be focused primarily on the outcome of the crime being investigated. A small coda or epilogue would have been nice, but I suppose it's not essential. Because this particular book in the series follows up on a crime at the beginning of Green's career, one that has not been covered in any earlier book, the reader doesn't really have to know the previous books in order to enjoy this one; and perhaps after perusing it, the reader will return to the beginning of the series! Recommended.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to me to read by the publishers though NetGalley.com

I found the beginning of the book a bit slow going. It was not until i go to chapter seven the to book started to coming alive and from then on I was unable to put this book down. It takes you on a journey with Michael Green and his investigation into the death of a convicted Murderer who had spent 20 years of his live insisting on his innocence for the murder of one of his student.He is released on Parole and a few days later He is found in his old cottage in his wheel chair with a bottle of whisky and a tablet bottle.Was he the real killer of this girl or was he set up. Could someone else be the killer? as the plot goes along we learn about all the other possible suspects and what in the end is a great twist to the story I did not see the ending coming at all the way it did do.

I think None So Blind is worth the read for anyone who like a mystery story. I have give this book an 4 star rating.Loved the book once I got into it is a book that I would be happy to read more than once. Great job Barbara Fradkin look forward to reading more of your books

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read any of the earlier mysteries in this series. Although this worked perfectly well as a stand-alone story, I am intrigued to go back and find out more of Green's history with Sharon and his daughter. This one was the revisiting of a 20 year old case of the murder of a student by her professor. Green was instrumental in building the case against the professor, Rosten, who has always maintained his innocence. Rosten is granted parole and is murdered himself and the body count continues to rise. I enjoyed the writing overall and the character of Rosten was well done. I found Green's loyalty to the murdered girl's mother hard to understand as his persistence seemed a thankless task. The twists during the course of the novel were, for me, much more satisfying than the conclusion. By the end, so many people were dead that there was only really one suspect left to be the murderer. The motive for the original murder was not explained to my full satisfaction and I wish Rosten had lived to be vindicated.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

DRC from Edelweiss

This is the second Inspector Green book by Barbara Fradkin that I've read. I like that the main character is shown as a complete person. Inspector Green reviews a case that was important to his advancement early in his career. He wonders if an innocent man was wrongly sentenced to prison in a murder case. A college professor was convicted of murdering a young co-ed and Green, then a newly promoted detective was convinced of the man's guilt. At the same time he is dealing with a new superintendent and administrative duties. At home, his three children, his wife and his ailing father also need his attention.

Great character development and the suspense builds as the book progresses.

[Brian Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good "cold case" type of police procedural. Inspector Green is haunted by the possibility that he helped to wrongfully convict an innocent man who has spent 20 years in jail for a crime he did not commit. The pressure on him grows when the man is released on parole and apparently commits suicide. Green frantically chases down some leads and another dead body turns up. It all comes together in an exciting and plausible conclusion.

This story is significantly better than the other one in the series that I read, "Honor Among Men", which was pretty good too. I think each book stands alone so it is not necessary to read them all from the beginning of the series (this one is #10).

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can get past the bit of a slow start this novel has, then you are in for a good time. This book is filled with twists, turns and (most importantly) a surprise ending that will keep you guessing the whole story through!

I do wish that there had been more time and attention paid to the various characters (it seemed that just as soon as you were starting to get to know them, they were gone), or that there hadn't been quite so many to begin with, but in the end the story was well worth this mild annoyance.

I definitely think this story will appeal to a wide range of audiences!

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has NOT altered or changed my review in any way. All thoughts expressed in this review are 100% my own.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given To Me For An Honest Review

None So Blind: An Inspector Green Mystery by Barbara Fradkin is a page turner and a must read. This is a gripping story about two families that are basically destroyed by an awful murder and the consequences, when it happened and twenty years later. I enjoyed reading about the characters, the settings and the well written storyline. Although I gave it 5 stars I feel it deserves many more. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I look for more from Barbara Fradkin.

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I love it when I "win" a book and it's really, really good! It was not just one, but two "who done it" scenarios that kept me guessing right until the end. Very well written. It was kind of nice to read a novel in which I could relate to some of the locations and scenarios....even Tim Horton's! I'll definitely be reading more books by Ms. Fradkin in the future.

I was given this book through Goodreads First Reads, and this is my honest review.

[Mahrie Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Inspector Green navigates the world of Ottawa and surrounding areas following leads, butting into related investigations and following clues and leads in an older case made new. Bodies fall and blood spatters before Green and his team recognize who the killer is. Between times, Green juggles wife, home, three children and a dad who does not want to live. A great read 0 stayed with it in one sitting.

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to read the other Inspector Green Mysteries. I really liked this book. It was my first time reading Barbara Fradkin. I would recommend her books to many of my friends. Thanks to her and Goodreads for the opportunity to enjoy this one and to now read the others.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, good plot and action, and little if any foreshadowing of outcome. Always interesting to see characters develop over time and there is lots of room for this for the next book in the series, which I am hoping comes soon.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It's an interesting twist on a police procedural. It involves a case from the past, but not a cold case, since someone was convicted and imprisoned. It was Green's first case. I wasn’t sure until almost the end if the convicted killer was innocent or guilty.

[Margaret Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got totally caught up in this book. Didn't want to put it down. I love the development of Inspector Green, his colleagues and family. And the whodunit part was really good too!

[Jenni Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. I was drawn in so quickly that I was hardly able to put it down. Any reader will be surprised at the ending. Well done.

[Ampersand Inc. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I had read in this series. Great discovery (for me) of this mystery series!

[Anita H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting beginning but didn't carry through the book. Dull. Characters were uninteresting.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good addition to the Inspector Green series, which takes place in Ottawa. A realistic police procedural, with a good mystery, character development etc.

I'll watch for the next ones.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series, set in Ottawa. The characters are well drawn and plots interesting but believable. I haven't read the earlier books so I will need to go back and fill in.