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World War II. During the attacks on Berlin in the winter of 1943-44, wave after wave of British bombers swept over northern Europe and dropped their lethal loads on the German capital. A fair percentage of the bombers would fail to return from these operations, and RAF planners calculated the life expectancy of the airmen in weeks rather than months.
Therefore it did not seem strange when a Lancaster named D-Daisy landed at its base in England after a bombing run, and a member of the crew was found dead.
However, one person soon came to the conclusion that this man had been murdered. And the person who discovered this happened to be blind since birth. Her name was Daisy and she was the victim’s wife. She was very blonde and very pretty; also very young. Therefore, no one would listen to her. So she was going to have to find the murderer on her own.


“Using the carefully plotted twists and turns of the murder mystery, throwing in a highly unconventional blind sleuth with her very own take on the world, Nick Aaron lifts the genre to a more thoughtful level.” - The Weekly Banner

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2017

680 people are currently reading
535 people want to read

About the author

Nick Aaron

29 books51 followers
Nick Aaron is Dutch, but he was born in South Africa, where he attended a British-style boarding school, in Pietersburg, Transvaal. Later he lived in Lausanne (Switzerland), in Rotterdam, Luxembourg and Louvain. Currently he works for the European Parliament in Brussels, proofreading legislative texts in all 24 official languages.
Follow Nick on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Nick-Aaron-1...

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5 stars
331 (45%)
4 stars
226 (31%)
3 stars
133 (18%)
2 stars
24 (3%)
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14 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
270 reviews43 followers
April 8, 2021
This is an ownvoices review. Like the main character, I have been blind since birth, and whilst my eyes don't exactly resemble hers, the physical appearance of my face has been altered.

I felt deeply uncomfortable reading this book for many reasons. And yet there were aspects of it that I found really refreshing and a welcome change from the typical portrayals of blindness.

One thing that struck me in a positive way was that Daisy is a complex character. She isn't perfect, and sometimes her mouth gets her into trouble. But she is intelligent, she likes to study, and she's not afraid to push the boundaries set by other people. She will happily get on a train by herself, even though she is a blind young woman and the book is set in the early 1940s. She isn't afraid to tell men that they are wrong, and she is confident in her own skills. I loved that about her.

There were also some really great moments in this book, that show the best of blindness and finding people who care. Daisy is spending some of her summer holiday with friends of the family, and at first the other teens avoid her. But once they realise that actually, she is fun to be around, one of the teens creates a device that can be clipped onto a bike, that will omit a sound so Daisy can follow it. And it was so great. That moment of these kids figuring it out together.

I genuinely think the author had good intentions when writing this book, and it seems like they either have some personal experience with blindness, or put a considerable amount of effort into researching it. I liked the overarching plot, of Daisy trying to solve her husband's murder, and even when I was uncomfortable with certain aspects of the book I wanted to keep reading to find out who did it. I really can't resist a mystery! The mystery itself ended up being quite underwhelming, and the plot was really chaotic, so even that ended up letting me down, but for most of the book I enjoyed trying to figure it out.

I found the descriptions of Daisy's appearance deeply uncomfortable. And not in the good kind of discomfort, where an author is handling a difficult topic. This was the kind of discomfort where you feel like something has gone too far, and is actually unnecessary.

the major was taken aback by her eyes. All one could see were ungainly slits, and what remained of her eyeballs reminded one of very unappetising scrambled eggs. As she frowned, the empty buttonholes of Daisy’s atrophied eyes added something frightening and withering to her expression. That was what her schoolmates called “the Gorgon stare”.


Remember how, at the start of the review, I mentioned that whilst my appearance isn't exactly the same as Daisy's, my face does look different? I've also received comments about it, particularly online. The kind of comments that I know people think, and sometimes even decide to say. So it doesn't feel great to read it. There's an argument to be made that this is why it should be included in a book, to show the kinds of thoughts people have. But it happens multiple times, and after a while, I felt like the author was trying to make a point about how this beautiful girl had such disgusting eyes, like what a contrast it was. I have literally had strangers approach me in public to comment on how strange my eyes look, so forgive me if I don't particularly want to read an author wax lyrical about it in a book.

Without a word, Daisy took off her glasses and revealed the empty buttonholes of her crippled eyes in their full horror. Ralph was taken aback and fascinated at the same time. He started counting to ten in his mind while still peering intently at the ghoulish slits. Even the eyelids were atrophied; there were no eyelashes.


And you know what, this isn't just about how the character is thinking. Daisy's face, her literal fucking face, is described as "crippled," "ghoulish," and a "horror." It was totally unnecessary and it was clearly written to get a kind of shocked and horrified reaction out of a sighted audience, which just tells me that this book is not written for me.

Also, even though I've mentioned how people in real life do say and think terrible things about the appearance of a blind person, I really don't think it's everyone. Most people aren't horrified by it, and yet it seemed that every character in this book had to be shown to be disgusted by Daisy's face until they got to know her.

There was also a creepy moment when Daisy was treating a patient (she's a physiotherapist) and he was fantasising about the fact that she is blind, and there's a very detailed description about what he was thinking and how hard he was getting. Disabled people are often treated as both horrific, and also fetishized. It's actually really dangerous because we are often victims of assault, but because we're also viewed as disgusting, nobody believes us. So again, perhaps this was realistic, but it also felt so unnecessary to include in the book. This man had nothing to do with the plot, so his point of view was utterly unnecessary. It was just odd. I do understand that it was used to make a point about how, as a blind woman, she can work hard and is still treated that way. But it felt like a pretty gross way to go about it.

Also Daisy talks about sex a lot. She mentions how attractive men find her, the way her husband would talk about her breasts, and her thoughts about others. And this isn't her internal monologue. She'll be at dinner talking about it with a family friend. I am totally fine reading books with a lot of sexual content, so that isn't the issue. But here it just felt weird and really forced, like a point had to be made yet again about her body.

There were some other weird moments, unrelated to blindness. At the start of the book, Daisy is studying with some friends, and instead of having names they are referred to as girl number one, girl number two, and girl number three. I thought that was incredibly weird. Even if they hadn't appeared again in the novel, giving them names would have felt more natural.

It was a struggle to settle on a rating for this book because the bits the author did get right, he did really, really well. It was a relief to find a blind character who isn't utterly helpless, someone who is willing to go out there and force people to see her for who she is. But I'm not sure that I'll continue this series, if this is how the author chooses to describe her appearance, as if it's some kind of horror. I think you can convey how the appearance of a blind person can make others uncomfortable without going into great detail about how disgusting their face is, despite the beauty of the rest of their body.

I was going to give it 2 stars for the good moments, but the ending was honestly so ridiculous, blindness aside, that I decided it just wasn't worth it for me. I'm sorry to say this was not the book for me, partly because of the blindness representation, but partly because the plot was all over the place.
Profile Image for Susan.
7,246 reviews69 followers
June 18, 2020
1944 A Lancaster bomber D-Daisy returns from its mission, but one of the crew is dead. The victim's wife, Daisy, blind from birth, believes he was murdered and as no-one believes her decides to investigate.
The story also contains their romantic tale.
An enjoyable read and I liked the plot.
Profile Image for Jazzy Lemon.
1,154 reviews116 followers
March 15, 2024
An excellent story of a brilliant blind girl who suspects her beloved bomber pilot husband was murdered rather than a tragic victim of WWII and sets out to discover the truth.
Profile Image for Paul Hyde.
76 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2025
Very unique story including WWII pilots and a blind heroine. Went quickly. Good, easy read
198 reviews4 followers
October 1, 2019
Daisy is born blind. Not just blind but with disfigured eyes. She's grown up to be totally self-sufficient, in spite of her Mother. She meets a family group, of landed gentry, and eventually falls in love & marries Ralph. He volunteers to be a bomber pilot. At the end of one of the bomb runs, over Berlin, Ralph is discovered dead in his seat. When Daisy hears of this, she insists on "seeing" the body, and examines it. Ralph doesn't have a mark on him. Because she's blind, and a woman, and therefore blown off, nobody will do anything about the fact that Ralph was murdered. Over the years, as she investigates, on her own, with the help of the crew of the bomber, she discovers the murder. You really have to read this, because D for Daisy is not your run of the mill mystery, sleuth, or ending. Very good reading. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Barbara   Mahoney.
1,012 reviews
April 12, 2020
I enjoyed this first book in the blind sleuth series, "D for Daisy".

The setting is Britain during World War II. The main character, Daisy, is a young newly married woman. Her husband is a bomber pilot who is found dead after a flight. While this is not unusual during war time, Daisy suspects foul play and sets out to find the murderer. The twist in this story is that Daisy is blind - she was born blind. She is a strong feisty character.

I read this book for my Mystery Book Club. It was a good read!
6 reviews1 follower
May 7, 2020
A disappointing read.

I think the premise of this book was actually quite original but unfortunately poorly executed. The characters were not well developed and at some points they were entirely unbelievable. It's a shame really because it could have been a totally absorbing tale. I read it to the end purely because I hate to leave a job half done but I wish in hindsight that I'd saved myself the trouble.
164 reviews
September 28, 2019
Interesting protagonist as she is blind. Good premise and story line. Disappointed in the manner in which the guilty party was dealt with in the end. Very unusual for a cozy type mystery.
Profile Image for Mimi Davis Hopkins.
676 reviews4 followers
March 24, 2020
Murder in the Air

Great Writing, the story is easy to follow,the flow is nice and steady. Great characters, which are all well developed .
Profile Image for Lise.
1,067 reviews
January 27, 2020
3.5ish stars

Daisy's husband has died. It's Britain during World War II and normally such an event would be a sad, tragic, and common occurrence, yet Daisy is convinced that he has been murdered. No one believes her so it's only natural that she should carry out an investigation of her own, even though she is blind.

Much was made of Daisy's attractiveness, but I couldn't buy into it. When we first meet her, she was being unkind to a study partner and (to me, at least) had an air of false modesty. Everyone seemed to be in love with her, but I barely liked her. That was a problem. I ploughed through a few chapters and almost felt sorry for a character that was oppositional to her - mainly because he wasn't immediately enthralled with her either. I did persevere and finally became involved in the book. The strangest part of all of this is the fact that even though I wasn't partial to the ending, I want to read more in this series.
Profile Image for Aurora.
51 reviews
December 28, 2019
It was quite an interesting read given that I've never read a novel with a blind main character but I quite like the way the author portrayed her. She had a strong personality and never let others' perception of her dictate the way she lived. I like how her situation in life made her realise things that seeing people could not simply because as she says, they let their eyes deceive them. Makes you really think about how much we depend on sight.

I also like that this was slightly different than a regular cozy mystery. As she said herself, she's no angel. Justice was meted out in an unorthodox way for the genre but I am not at all complaining about it. It's quite believable that authorities wouldn't have taken her seriously. Although from the synopses of the other two books in the series at some point they did, albeit in a different manner. Daisy is certainly an interesting character. She's the 'hero' but she's no saint. And I wouldn't have her any other way.
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews55 followers
July 28, 2019
O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!

Terrific. A great plot with strong, forceful characters. From our beautiful but blind heroine who sets out to prove that her husband was murdered to the crew of the fighter bomber who have forged links that bind them closer then family. A murder that is carried out with precision and malice. Malice in that it tries to make the skipper of the bomber appear to lose his nerve and then finally killing him without a mark being left on his body. How can his blind wife get justice when no-one wants to believe her? However with the crews help and her own nerves of steel she manages to get the identity if the killer. But will she act on this or let sleeping dogs lie? Or will further actions goad her into taking matters into her own hands and become the judge, jury and executioner of her beloved husband's killer?
Profile Image for HAL.
425 reviews3 followers
October 16, 2023
4.5 Stars! Great Mystery!

Aaron does a fantastic job immersing us in a dark world of Daisy's blindness. More worldly people might give this 5 stars but for those who care, sex outside of marriage and a handful (I admit it was less than 10) of blasphemy matter to some readers and appreciate a heads up going into a book. The characters are likeable. This story moved too quickly to develop but a couple main characters and one is the victim! It was a little challenging keeping track of all the characters but as the story progressed they were easier to sort out. I didn't like how Daisy handled the crime in the end. Overall, A very engaging mystery, well told and offered by a talented author.
944 reviews3 followers
August 28, 2020
Interesting Ending

"D for Daisy" has an interesting plot but the characters seem a little flat and there is nothing in the story itself that puts the reader in the timeframe. Yes, they talk about the war and go on a bombing run, but the descriptions don't put you in the scene. Given that we have a blind heroine, this seems like a missed opportunity. Also, despite the serious turn the plot takes, the tone of the narrative remains decidedly lighthearted. I think this book would have benefited from a good editor.
471 reviews3 followers
October 23, 2020
Discover life via the mind's eye of a vibrant, blind woman

Intelligent, observant Daisy is capable and reasonable as she makes her way in the world and engages in friendships and marriage as a young woman.
Her blindness has sharpened her mind and senses to an extrodinarily perceptive degree. Daisy's determination to live independently on her own terms in the sighted world has nurtured a calm, implacable persistence.
I marveled at the richness of Daisy's world as she lives her life, successfully finds a murderer and brings him to justice. An amazing story!
7 reviews
May 2, 2021
D for Daisy Review

I liked this book immensely. It had a good plot and I didn't realize until the end who killed Ralph. I thought the heroine, Daisy, did the right thing because no one believed her from the beginning. If the police force was that lazy it is easy to be sure they would come to the wrong conclusion about Derricks death. He should have been happy to inherit the title and not press his luck, but as most people do when they come into wealth, they want it all and get greedy.
183 reviews
February 6, 2023
Wonderful Read

D for Daisy written by Nick Aaron is the first book in The Blind Sleuth Mysteries series. It is also the first book I have read by this author, but won't be the last. From the first page to the last this story held my attention and I read it straight through in one sitting. I enjoyed the descriptive character building as well as the detailed world building. This book includes a blind heroine, a love story, and a murder mystery set within England from just before the beginning of WWII until a few years after the war ended. This was a wonderful start to a series (loved the main character) and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Profile Image for Susan Otto.
832 reviews9 followers
July 6, 2018
An authentic British book about murder in World War II

The story begins about a pilot who is murdered and his wife who discovered his murderer and revenge. That descriptive scenario and the scenery inside the plane is very authentic as to make the reader feel like he or she is there.

Highly recommended for the main character who is blind and solved crimes. Most enjoyable reading.

bookwormsuzy
10 reviews
September 7, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Daisy is a strong independent intelligence woman who doe not let not having sight stand in her way of doing anything she sets her mind to. She does except help if and when she needs it. She greaves the los of her husband and has to get a bunch of bureaucrats to acknowledge he was murdered. The story takes place over several years. Everting that takes place in the book comes together for the great ending. I am looking forward to reading the next book.
Profile Image for Kitty Tomlinson.
1,523 reviews16 followers
November 21, 2020
Daisy, is a blind young woman in Britain on the eve of and during WWII. Her husband, Ralph, a fighter pilot on a RAF Lancaster that makes bombing runs over Berlin, dies sometimes during his last bombing run on the plane. Daisy is convinced that he was murdered because he has no wounds. on his body. Learned a lot about British aviation during WWII. Fascinating look at the world of blindness as well.
Profile Image for Corrine Cassels.
162 reviews6 followers
September 13, 2019
Great book for those who like a little historical fiction mixed with their mystery. Daisy is a unique character, she makes questionable choices at times, but does what she needs to do. The story dragged in parts for me, but quickly picked back up just when I thought I was losing interest. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
57 reviews
June 20, 2020
New inSIGHT for a mystery

I thoroughly enjoyed this murder through the 'eyes' of a young blind wife. We have the usual jumble of young people at the beginning of WW1 and then the inexplicable death of the hero. Lots of action and you are happy with the ending. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
Profile Image for Alisa.
294 reviews
July 25, 2020
Some (a lot of?) willing suspension of disbelief required: blind civilian allowed to fly along in a bombing mission during WWII, grieving widow who doesn't seem to grieve much at all, relative ease of getting in touch with high-placed officials... nonetheless, entertaining and interesting, and an unusual premise. I would read another by the author.
Profile Image for Linda.
32 reviews1 follower
September 26, 2020
Couldn't put it down!

This book was a real page turner! And I finished it in just two nights!!! The plot was wonderful and with a twist no one would expect! I would definitely recommend this story to those who love a good mystery or historical fiction. The fact that it was set during and just after WW II was a bonus!!
Profile Image for maggie duprey.
25 reviews
December 18, 2020
Nice little mystery

This was a nice little mystery to read during quarantine. While its not the great English or American novel, I found the characters pleasant and mostly likeable. I have started the next book in the series and am looking forward to some further character development and a deeper story line.
334 reviews3 followers
February 1, 2023
I gave high marks to this book because of the realist depictions of some aspects of WW2, such as a night bomber raid over Berlin, and the interesting perspective of having a blind female protagonist who repeatedly rises to meet and overcome the challenges she is presented with. The overall plot is a whodunit involving the murder of her husband, a pilot.
Profile Image for Nicole.
2,865 reviews10 followers
August 22, 2024
With a strong and often outspoken protagonist who does not let her blindness get in her way, this story was very enjoyable. I felt frustrated by the lack of respect she received from so many, but, luckily, she is stronger than I and worked through her frustration. I intend to read more books from the series.
6 reviews1 follower
October 9, 2025
Unique and enjoyable, but the ending...

Don't worry I'm not going to spoil the ending. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I'm having trouble with the ending. This is the first time I've read a book with a blind main character that is so accomplished. I enjoyed her personality (until the end) , because she wasn't sitting around letting people treat her as broken. I'm not sure I would be so accomplished if I was blind. Daisy has many fine qualities. The story moved along and it was a theme I've not read before. I have a couple of his other books, looking forward to reading them. This book isn't just a mystery or war story, it's also a love story and a story about survival. If you're looking for something a bit different, try this book. Truly think you will enjoy.
Profile Image for Lynn.
35 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2018
Unique heroine

I really enjoyed this book. A blind main character who solves a murder is enough to keep me reading but the people and the story are both well written and intriguing enough to keep me reading to the end. I look forward to the rest of the triligy.
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