Thank you Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

SYNOPSIS

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?

MY OPINION

Okkkuurrrttttt!!!! S/O to my friend Karly for bringing this book to my attention. Even though we both are averse to sci-fi, we absolutely love police procedurals and agreed that the sci-fi element in this book seemed more "realistic" and like a literary device, not just something concocted for pure entertainment purposes with no bearing on reality. Given everything, I had legit zero expectations reading this book, but I found myself gobbling this up like a Thanksgiving dinner. This is the second time I've found myself unexpectedly vibing with a sci-fi book... do I actually like sci-fi? Ok ok let me get back on track...

So yes the sci-fi element is purely a literary device. Outside of Lock's incredible abilities, there is no futuristic tech in this book. All the hallmarks on traditional police procedurals are very much in play: trawling CCTV, social media, and devices, as well as good ole face-to-face interviews. Lock is used to demonstrate the shortfalls of humans in general such as the fact we often make judgements based on emotions and personal experiences rather than evidence. And on the flip side, we see how algorithms lack empathy, discretion, and nuance. Callaghan's approach is fair and balanced, there's clear pro and cons to each, leaving the reader to make their own decision whether AI-powered detectives are helpful.

In my not so humble opinion, I don't think we're far off. We already have Alexa/Siri/Miss Google, self-driving cars, the braziest cybersecurity solutions you could ever imagine etc... who knows maybe Mark Zuckerberg has a whole fleet of AI detectives scouring the internet for anti-metaverse individuals LOL. But you can't deny that the speed at which AI can learn and spit out info is a huge value to humans, especially law enforcement. Instead of wasting HOURS manually trawling through text messages, why not toss Lock the files and get the break down in 20 seconds? I work in cybersecurity and the industry is all about leveraging automation to replace tedious human tasks... this is naturally the next step.

ANYWAYZ I also felt the characters were well-written and distinct. Callaghan did a great job of creating backstories that shaped each character's perception and behaviours. I did find Kat a bit stubborn, but that's just part of the genre. And she certainly wasn't DD Warren's inexplicable level of stubborn, so all gucci there. The relationship between Kat and her son Cam was heartfelt and realistic (coming from a childless person though sooo?? LOL)

Although I solved the case very early, I still found myself engrossed in the story and blazing through it like Usain Bolt at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I really hope Callaghan is working on book #2 because I'm excited to see what Kat, Lock, and the rest of the gang get into next!!!

PROS AND CONS

Pros: A solid 5 stars for creativity, dimensional and diverse characters, insightfulness regarding AI replicating humans (or should humans be replicating AI??), and a well-executed plot with cheeky humour peppered throughout.

Cons: nada really, I was unbothered