I was immediately drawn into In The Blink of an Eye, Jo Callaghan’s debut book. I was intrigued by the premise, drawn in by the writing and strong characterisation.

DCS Kat Frank returns to work, after an extended break to nurse her terminally unwell husband. Her first case back, is reviewing cold cases, with the assistance of a new pilot project. Lock is an Artificial Intelligence, with the capacity to analyse data lightening fast; which gives the capacity to revolutionise the police force, according to the Home Secretary. Warwickshire Police Force don’t necessarily agree.

The characters are interesting, fully rounded, distinct individuals, who I felt I had started to get to know within a very short time. The most unusual of these characters is Lock. Living with a Yorkshireman, I’m used to blunt language, but Lock takes this to the next level. A trait, if you can attribute a trait to AI, that Kat is infuriated by. Lock’s projection of Pikachu wearing a Deerstalker is an endearing image, that made me smile.

In The Blink of an eye is an impressive debut. Right from the start I liked Kat, her attitude, her humour, and loved her advice to the young officer, DS Browne. I found myself reading through the pages quickly, completely engrossed, losing all track of time.
Police procedurals and thrillers are my favourite genres, consequently, I read a lot of similar books. In The Blink of an Eye really really stands out for me, and I really hope this will become a series. I would love to read more of these characters, see how they develop, and learn more of their backstories.
I always read an author’s acknowledgements at the end of a book, it is interesting to hear the author speaking in their own voice. I found Jo’s words to be very moving.
Readers who aren’t fans of Sci-Fi, please don’t be put off by the AI element. This does not read or feel Sci-Fi in any way at all. It is a fantastic, gripping 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ highly recommended police procedural book.

DS Kat Frank is coming back to work after taking some time off for a family bereavement, and her old boss offers her a great opportunity to head up a new team looking into cold cases. The slight catch is that it is also a pilot for an Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity, soon known as AIDE Lock. The team select two missing persons cases to see if having the extra assistance from Lock will help them solve the cases.

This is an excellent debut. A gripping, immersive read with some great characters, particularly Kat and Lock, and it would be interesting g to see more from them!

I wish that I had enjoyed this book more. The idea was original, and I thought it sounded interesting, but I struggled to connect with it .Sorry ,not for me.

What an impressive debut this is! I have to admit that I approached the novel with a little scepticism as the police working with AI seemed somewhat implausible, but in the end I was won over by AIDE Lock. The characters, particularly the principals, are interesting, especially Kat Frank who is tasked with working alongside Lock on cold cases to test out viability. The plot is intriguing, dealing with the search for missing persons, and it is gripping from the start. I hope this is the beginning of a series.

Absolutely superb! I say this as someone who is not a regular crime / thriller / police reader - but this stands out as really breaking out of its genre. I compare to Susie Steiner Manon Bradshaw series - where its a great character driven novel that happens to also be a crime story. When A.I meets regular policing - a great cast of detectives - who are out to investigate some old missing person's cases. Traditional police think gut feel and human instinct are key - but can AI add a new dimension... there are tensions between the two camps that is brilliantly put together.
I won't say any more - just go and read it. you will love it!

DCS Kat Frank is leading a new project testing whether artificial intelligence can help investigating missing persons cold cases. When Kat realises that there is more to these cases than it seems, she has to work with the AI, Lock, to uncover the truth as soon as possible.

This a brilliantly original book that everyone should read.

The premise of this book is excellent and will immediately capture your attention. I find it quite terrifying that someone can go missing in today's world where there is so much technology and surveillance. I was gripped from the first page.

I really enjoyed how Jo Callaghan's fantastic writing had me constantly thinking and looking for clues. She has done an amazing job of incorporating an AI detective within a believable story.

Kat has a backstory that adds so much depth to her character, I felt like I had a real insight into her feelings and motivations. I constantly found myself torn between rooting for Kat to outsmart Lock and wanting to see what he was capable of.

I highly recommend this brilliant debut for a book that will get the cogs in your brain turning!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Wow! For a debut author this just stands head and shoulders above the rest. I’m all for a police procedural and with this, the genre has just had a major upgrade.

It starts off with a blindingly brilliant prologue that immediately gets you hooked and literally doesn’t stop. I read this over a few days and could not put it down.

The interaction between the two main protagonists DCS Kat and AIDE Lock starts with distrust on Kat’s side and rightly so (as you read on, you’ll discover why). It’s a clever and twisty plot, handled beautifully – and sensitively.

As the narrative progresses so too does the “relationship” between Kat and Lock progresses, as both human and AI learn vital lessons about each other and work closely to solve seemingly unconnected cold cases. Both are looking for the truth, they just have different ways of getting to it – human hunches pitted against a machine’s calculations.

It’s a great debut with just the right elements of mystery, distrust, and humour. The climax delivers everything it promised from the start and wraps things up perfectly. And who doesn’t love a wise-cracking Hologram who can read books and watch movies in a fraction of a second?

Even though it’s 400 pages long, the book is all over in the blink of an eye. It’s that good.

In The Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan is a debut book by the author, and it is a very accomplished novel. It was surprisingly excellent, ‘surprisingly’ because it was about AI and police work. It doesn’t really sound as if it would make an excellent read but I found it totally engrossing.
Not everyone could write about partners who have died early because of cancer and then made the storyline about young people whose fathers have died from cancer ,being kidnapped because of their genetic makeup. Locke the AI who is part of the pilot scheme is fascinating and how he could make a difference to police work was interesting.
I found the characters, the storyline and the writing fascinating and the subject surprisingly interesting. I would read any other books that the author may choose to write in the future.
Highly recommended

I've been really looking forward to reading this after seeing so many fantastic reviews from book friends on Instagram and Twitter. I was not disappointed. This would definitely have been in my top ten for the year if I'd finished it a day earlier!
I read a lot of thrillers but I found this one had such an original premise. It had everything; great characters and a gripping plot. It is obvious that the author has done a lot of research in this area, making this such a cleverly written book.
DCS Kat Frank is returning to work after losing her husband. On her return she I'd given the job to lead a new pilot programme in which an AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) is going to help solve cold cases for missing persons. This AIDE, named Lock, is able to analyse data and interpret results in a fraction of the time that a human could. Can a machine actually do the job of a detective? Is it possible to remove human bias and solve crimes by using a computer?
I absolutely loved the concept behind this story and found the relationship between Lock and Frank fascinating. There were some really funny parts too as Lock obviously takes everything so literally!
The plot was fast paced and I couldn't put it down, particularly towards the end! I really hope there are more books to come with these two characters.
I'm passing this to my husband to read next as his job is centered around research into AI and deep learning.

DCS Kat Frank is teamed up with AIDE Lock, an AI-powered detective, for a pilot program designed to expedite investigations. Tasked with reviewing cold cases, Frank, Lock, and the rest of the gang realize something more sinister is afoot. Will AIDE Lock prove to be a valuable resource, or is he gunning for Frank's job? Loved this original concept. Would love to see it played out on the big screen!

This is a thought provoking, thrilling blend of crime and speculative fiction set in the near future by Jo Callaghan. Detective Chief Superintendent Kat Frank of Warwickshire Police is returning to work after the harrowing loss of her husband, John, still grieving, she has poured her energies and love into supporting her teenage son, Cam, who has just completed his A level exams. Her boss, Chief Constable McLeish has her head up a pilot project working alongside an Artificial Intelligence Detecting Entity (AIDE) named Lock, who appears as a hologram, very much a character and personality in his own right, the brainchild of Warwick University's Professor Okonedo, a woman with her own agenda.

The purpose is to learn and evaluate the pros and cons of how AIDE's can support police work, with the worry that this might lead to cuts in police numbers. Kat's team includes DI Rayan Hassan, a confident, self assured officer who insists on constantly challenging Kat's decisions, and the more diffident and apologetic DS Debbie Browne, facing her own personal issues. After much discussion, the team take up two missing person cold cases, conscientious student Tyrone Walters and would be actor Will Robinson. Lock proves to be a god send when it comes to data, accessing publicly available information and analysing it at incredible speeds no human could compete with, whilst the police conduct interviews. Lock is programmed with the intention of implementing ongoing learning, there are issues that arise, such as creating a hologram of a missing son, and inappropriate information sharing of information and thinking, with his mother.

What took me by surprise was the superb development of the buddy relationship between Lock and Kat by the author, there are the natural ups and downs, but it really comes into its own when Kat's team and boss refuse to follow her lead when she finds herself in the most horrifying of positions as a mother. Kat finds the only one who believes in her turns out to be Lock, and he is instrumental in helping her solve the cold cases that have become active investigations. This is a wonderful read, and the speculative aspects do not feel so far fetched either when it comes to the use of AI and how useful it could be in the law enforcement field. I am not certain there will be a sequel, but I really hope there will be, I really loved the relationship dynamics between Lock and Kat. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

As soon as I saw this debut from Jo Callaghan being mentioned, it was one I wanted to read. My thanks to the publisher and to @likely_suspects for the proof copy to review.

Being honest, I normally run a mile from traditional science fiction but the combination of crime fiction and AI made this such a fascinating concept that I couldn’t resist. It follows the usual crime procedural in that you have a team of detectives but which includes AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock. With its different image settings and ethnicities Lock can transform into a 3D hologram of a human, a visual experience that I imagine would be quite astonishing.

Returning to the Warwickshire force after a difficult personal time, DCS Kat Frank is given the task of piloting AIDE with a review of cold cases involving missing people. This wasn’t an entirely one sided narrative and the cases that were chosen were especially intriguing, made even more so by a few anonymous chapters, both worrying and distressing.

Lock has been programmed to provide analysis and admin support which it can do in a fraction of the time it would take an officer but what it doesn’t have is that human mind. That hunch. That gut feeling. How to be empathetic when necessary – there are emotions and reactions that Lock needs to learn to be a complete success. A device is given to Kat to communicate with Lock and its fair to say that she has major issues with the whole prospect of the pilot. I know Lock didn’t have feelings but I actually winced at times at her rudeness to it. However, there is a reason for her antagonism which when revealed, adds another depth to Kat’s character.

This was such a different concept to a police procedural but it worked so well. The pacing was spot on and the development of the story was so well written I was completely invested in the outcome (which I didn’t guess correctly). Kat was a feisty character, she had 25 years of experience in the force and did not hold back on her opinions. Having said that, she was also very human and there were times during the investigation when she came close to breaking point.

I really enjoyed this pairing of detective and machine and it was fascinating to see the interactions and development of the partnership with Kat’s gut feelings and emotional responses often in contradiction with Lock’s cold hard logic. Lock was a brilliant character in its own right and produced moments of humour with its honest and unfiltered comments and I actually became quite fond of it, (I had to remember to think of Lock as an ‘it’ and not a ‘him’ – not least because of its default hologram setting being a 6ft tall male). I was delighted to see that this is the first of a series and that a book 2 is planned. There is so much promise here with this concept that I’d love to see this team return in future and will certainly be there for the next investigation!

In the Blink of an Eye is published on 19 January 2023. This is one I recommend you have on your book list.

An absolutely 5 star amazing debut that was completely different from the standard mystery thriller I couldn’t fault it.
So we have DCS Kat Frank after losing her husband to cancer reluctantly taking on a new role as she is tasked with setting up a new team with the addition of a Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity or AIDE Lock as he/it is better known. From then on in I was gripped with the story and the role of Lock and how the members of the team dealt with having an AI in their midst. The story was so well written and you could tell just how much research that Jo Callaghan had put in to it some of it sadly on a personal level.
My favourite thing about the book though was the rapport that developed between Lock and Kat and how what it is to be human became an integral part of Kat and Locks discussions, the humour also made me laugh out loud more than once.
I was sad to finish this story I desperately wanted more and I hope that Jo Callaghan will please write some further books about the team so fingers crossed and many many thanks to her for one of my favourite reads of the year.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year. AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock is such a great concept and indeed a great character and I can easily imagine the technology exists to create him (it). I have to say I didn’t immediately ‘get’ the cover image but once I started reading it made total sense. I do hope the author considers a follow up and if this book doesn’t get adapted for tv I will ‘eat my hat’.

In The Blink Of An Eye is an unusual concept, that of a human detective, Kate, working alongside an AI 'person' who undoubtedly provides insights and resources in a fraction of the time that a human being is able to do. So for that alone I give the book 10/10 and expect to see more novels using this theme in the future. I knocked off one star in my rating because I found the rather constant mention of facts and figures, while useful (and kudos to the writer for the extensive research this required) took me out of the story but the character of Lock was endearing and it is the star of the book for me.

I don't usually read many police procedurals as they are generally too alike but Kate and Lock would seem to have a lot more to offer fans of this genre. I could also see a future TV series being most watchable. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Such an interesting concept - I could see this one developing into a great series! It's very nearly a five star for me, and certainly outstanding for a debut, but like all 'first in series' novels some of the characters are not quite fully developed yet. However, overall, this is a very promising book!

Sechs Monate nach dem Tod ihres Mannes möchte DCS Kat Frank wieder arbeiten, auch weil es ihrem Sohn Cam inzwischen besser geht. Sie hat ihm aber versprochen, eine sichere Tätigkeit zu suchen und fragt nach einer Aufgabe am Schreibtisch. Um mit weniger Personal klarzukommen, soll auf Wunsch der Ministerin mehr künstliche Intelligenz eingesetzt werden. Angeblich können diese viele der grundlegenden Arbeiten in Vermisstenfällen übernehmen. Auch wenn Kat skeptisch ist, soll sie ein Pilotprojekt übernehmen, bei dem KI an Cold Cases getestet wird. Ihr Chef möchte, dass sie das Angebot annimmt, da sie erfahren, menschlich, emphatisch und sensibel ist. Wenn dann kann sie nachweisen, wie unsinnig diese Idee ist.

Kat ist einem spontan sympathisch und der Roman dreht sich um eine interessante und hochaktuelle Grundidee.

Professor Okonedo und ihr Team sind die Entwickler der KI. Sie hat mit ihren Berichten die Ministerin überzeugt. Damit die KI bei seiner Arbeit nicht kontaminiert wird und vorurteilsfrei arbeiten kann, hatten sie extra einen jungen, unerfahrenen Detective als Leitung angefordert. Aber da lässt sich der Chef nicht reinreden.

Sie stellen mit diesem Piloten das erste Mensch Maschine Team Englands auf. Kat, DI Hassan, DS Browne und die Professorin. Sie werden entscheiden welche Aufgaben die KI übernimmt und welche durch Menschen ausgeführt werden müssen. Die selbstlernende KI hört auf den Namen Lock und hat die Form eines Armbandes, damit sie leicht mitgenommen werden kann. Sie zeigt sich auch als 3D Hologramm und ist zur Interaktion fähig.

Zunächst gilt es einen ersten Cold Case auszuwählen. Dann beginnen die Ermittlungen. Bereits das erste Gespräch mit der Mutter eines der Vermissten endet unabsehbar in einem totalen Desaster. Das Leiden der Hinterbliebenen wird intensiv beschrieben, man empfindet mit. Der Roman und die Interaktionen der Beteiligten entwickeln sich rasant, unvorhersehbar und unvorstellbar. Lock mit seiner überbordenden Logik führt zu überraschenden Situationen und man muss gelegentlich auch schmunzeln.

Die Geschichte ist fesselnd, man erlebt, wie wirkliche Polizeiarbeit in England funktioniert und wie sie mit der Unterstützung einer KI aussehen könnte. Zur Hälfte des Buches gibt es eine große Entwicklung und die Spannung steigt stetig weiter an. Die eingefügten Kapitel aus Opfersicht erhöhen die Dringlichkeit der Ermittlungen.

Eigentlich muss man diesen Roman in einem Stück lesen, diese atemlose Jagd nach der Rettung und die unerwarteten Enthüllungen. Es dreht sich auch um die Fragestellung, was man in Einzelfällen bereit ist zu opfern, um vielleicht zukünftig viele Menschenleben zu retten.

Das Buch gipfelt in einem wunderbaren Ende! Lock liefert noch eine tolle Erklärung für Kats Bauchgefühl und es folgt ein absolut lesenswertes Nachwort.

Einer der besten Thriller, die ich je gelesen habe!

Kat accepts the task of leading a trial in AI technology, looking at cold cases of missing persons. As they investigate, Kat realises there is much more to to the cases than they could have imagined.
A thrilling, fast paced, race against time novel. I was hooked on the plot and characters of this amazing story! Brilliant read for all thriller fans, may there be more to follow!

I really liked the idea of this one, how can the police use AI to assist in an investigation? A bit of a fresh take on the standard police procedural.

It was a good story and the AI element was interesting if somewhat unsettling! The writing and pace are good but in several places I found the use of Lock to be a bit unbelievable and often insensitive and I felt that an experienced detective like Kat wouldn’t have allowed some instances to happen. I'm thinking in particular of having Lock appear as Tyrone in his house and letting his mum walk in

These incidents took me out of the story and I found it hard to focus and not question other elements and I started to lose interest.

Definitely in the minority as there is nothing but rave reviews for this book but sadly it just didn’t gel for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read an advance copy

My favourite reading genre is police procedural and my least favourite is sci-fi so what could possibly go wrong when you add the two together. In this case nothing. Zilch. Zero. Nada. This is an amazing read and I raced through it finishing it the same day I started it. As the blurb says “In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds. Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye.” Just a statistic until it’s someone you know.

Briefly, DCS Kat Frank is asked to run a pilot programme looking into cold cases using AI (Artificial Intelligence), working with a new partner AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock. The team choose two cases to review but when similarities are identified it appears both boys may have been the victim of the same perpetrator. Initially horrified by the idea of working with Lock, and shocked by some of the cold statements Lock makes Kat soon sees that there are some advantages.

This is an amazing debut novel, a compelling read that grabbed me from start to finish so desperate was I to see what happened. Some great characters but the matching of Kat and Lock was genius, I loved the verbal interaction, and the way he takes everything literally without a hint of empathy (yes you forget at times he isn’t real) gave some laugh out loud moments. It was also interesting to see how easily Kat’s 18 year old son Cam interacted with Lock, much more amenable to the idea of a virtual person. A great plot, nicely paced and well crafted made this an enjoyable and exciting read. Loved it.