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 knew it would be hard to return to work after the death of her husband, but she was not expecting the challenges to include heading up a pilot programme testing the the introduction of technology intended to put her out of a job. Partnered up with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, a state-of-the-art virtual detective, Frank is convinced that Lock's logic can never replace the gut instincts she has developed over her twenty-five years in the police force - and as her small team begin to look into cold case missing person files, she sees little to change her opinion.

Frank, Lock, Lock's creator Professor Okonedo, and Frank's handpicked officers, DI Hassan and DS Browne, get stuck into reviewing the cases of two missing young men, settling into a working relationship that seems fraught with difficulties - not least due to Frank and Lock's inability to concede that each of them might have something to teach each other. But when, against the odds, they uncover new information that brings these cases back to life, Frank and Lock find themselves unexpectedly on the same side - and Lock is the only person Frank can rely on when a twist of fate brings danger to her own door.

In the Blink of an Eye is an astonishingly accomplished debut novel, in a near future setting that is so real you can almost taste it. Callaghan's quite brilliant premise is to bring together two detectives whose views on what each other bring to the table could not be more different - the very human DCS Frank and the AI detective- of-the-future Lock - and let the sparks fly.

The story unfurls through two separate cases that that highlight a whole parcel of preconceptions on the part of individual members of the team - including Lock. As the threads of the investigations twist and turn, the plot hinges on a series of moments that starkly contrast and compare Frank and Lock's firmly held beliefs in instinct and logic. Frank's crippling grief and her worries for her son are palpable things, central to the relationship that develops between her and Lock, but Callaghan also takes great care to fill out all her human characters through glimpses of their personal lives, to powerful effect when the threads collide in spectacular style.

This cracking crime novel thrums with emotion, especially when it comes to loss, which I think comes very much from the place Callaghan was in when she wrote it (I promise you an Acknowledgment chapter at the end which will make you cry). There are so many relatable moments, and some lovely flashes of humour too. It touches on so many issues around modern policing; tight budgets; the pitfalls and benefits of AI technology; reliance on hard statistics; how unconscious bias plays a part in our thought processes; and rooting out prejudice and racism - as well as offering a really thought provoking look at cutting edge experiments in more than one sphere. But more than anything, it is a superb exploration of what it means to be human.

My heart was in my mouth throughout this super slick, original police procedural. I absorbed it in one delicious bite, and had a little cry at the surprisingly touching ending. It has real legs to run and run as a series, and I cannot wait to read book two, Leave No Trace, which is out at the end of March. More please!

Asks interesting questions

Thank you to the publisher @randomhouse and @netgalley for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

I loved this book so much. It was a fast paced amazingly well-done police procedural with a nice tech tie in. I loved how the futuristic, though not too unrealistic or futuristic AI was incorporated into this book. It was interesting as I was reading this book, I was reading about how our government agencies are currently looking at using AI. While this book is based in the UK, I couldn’t help but wonder if we would get to the point that our police force carried around AI devices like described in this book. Its quite the interesting topic.

The plot was very unique and well thought out. I kept wondering how all the characters could tie together and the breadcrumbs leading up to the reveal was just *chefs kiss* absolute perfection. The main character, Kat Frank was likeable and utterly human. I enjoyed that we got to see many different emotions from her and I’m a sucker for a strong female main character and she was just that.

This book is incredibly well written and will not only leave you on the edge of your seat because of the thriller aspect, but it will make you stop and think about the line between technology and policing and where we are going as a society.

I highly recommend you pick this one up.

An interesting concept.
The collaboration between experienced police personnel and technology. Also points to the problem of personal biases that interfere with the process.

The psychopathy of the bad guys was off the charts.
Some of the plot points were too predictable. As soon as one is restricted from interviewing someone, they become super suspicious.

AI and humans try to solve the crimes of a serial killer.
This was a great thriller which follows DCS Kat Frank who after the untimely death of her husband, becomes part of a pilot with LOCK and AIDE.
It is about human emotions, hunches and instincts versus facts and probability.
When the case takes a personal turn for Kat she relies on LOCK to help uncover the perpetrator.
Some trigger warnings - cancer, death, kidnapping but I loved the fast pace of the book, the relationships in her team and her working with LOCK.
I loved LOCK - a robot that made you feel there was emotions and feelings but it was learning all the time so its role in the plot was excellent.
A great thriller.

4☆

Picked this up for no reason other than it being Waterstones’ Thriller of the Month and I’m so glad I did!

In the Blink of an Eye follows DCS Frank as she leads a pilot to assess the feasibility of using AI in the police force to cut costs. Focusing on cold cases as a means to generate data without risking the progress of a live investigation, the team are propelled into action when discovering links between two cases that change each investigation status to active.

I’m picky with police procedurals because they’re either a) over the top or b) boring af. Although the case reveal itself was predictable, I was hooked the whole way through.

The plot highlights medical misconduct in a highly impactful way. For the most part, the case is realistic and something you’d expect to hear about on your favourite true crime podcast - somewhat far-fetched, but not completely beyond the bounds of the credibility, thus raising interesting points about technological and scientific advancement.

The protagonist is well-developed and I very much enjoyed being a part of her emotional journey.* I also appreciated the topical focus on AI and the ongoing acknowledgement of how tech will change the way we work and operate as a society.

-1☆ because the dialogue between Frank and Lock (the AI Detective Entity) was a bit cringe at times, but this was redeemed slightly before the end.

I’m looking forward to reading more by Jo Callaghan, and would love to see a DCS Frank #2.

*ps. this is even more emotional when you read the acknowledgements