In 1952 Daisy Hayes, blind since birth and newly wed to a pilot, took off to South America on her honeymoon. Then an engine of the Super Constellation her husband was flying broke down: was it sabotage? They were grounded in Rio for repairs, and Daisy uncovered a murderous plot, her exceptional mind pitted against that of an elusive arch-criminal.

In 1952 there were children everywhere. Or so it seemed to Daisy Hayes, blind since birth, who at the age of 29 had just tied the knot for the second time—to an intercontinental pilot. But on their first flight as a married couple an engine broke down—sabotage?—and they were grounded.

Now, there are worse places to stop over for repairs than Rio de Janeiro, especially if you’re staying at a grand hotel on Ipanema Beach. But then again, Daisy wouldn’t be our favourite blind sleuth if during her stay she hadn’t stumbled on a murderous plot that exposed her to mortal dangers.

Groping around in the dark, she found her exceptional mind pitted against that of an arch-criminal, and with her usual courage she tried to foil a devilish conspiracy that spanned three continents and threatened the very existence of the most innocent and vulnerable victims.

A Super Constellation, Rio de Janeiro at its best and at its worst, a Chinese brainteaser and T. S. Eliot’s ‘The waste Land’. Mix and shake. That is Nick Aaron’s astonishing recipe for yet another unconventional tale.