In The Blink Of An Eye

Author: Jo Callaghan
Genre: Crime Thriller
416 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2023

Synopsis
Two detectives: one human, one AI. And a case that will test them both.

Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her intuition, honed through years of on-the-beat police work. Picked to lead a pilot program that has her paired with Lock, an AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity)—a hologram that is activated by a device on Kat’s wrist—Kat’s gut reactions about people and motives come up against Lock’s statistical calculations and data analysis that can be devised in seconds.

But as the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help when the case begins to target Kat personally. AI versus human experience. Logic versus instinct. With lives on the line, can the pair work together to solve the mystery in time?

My review
In The Blink Of An Eye is an exciting, brilliantly written, and thought-provoking debut crime fiction novel by Jo Callaghan. The plot is intricate and layered, with deeply emotional and well-crafted characters. Callaghan’s expertise in AI shines throughout, adding authenticity and a fresh perspective to the story. While the central investigation is gripping, the most fascinating element is the exploration of AI, the interplay between logic and human instinct and the potential collaboration between humans and AI in the near future. The narrative hooked me from the first page, and I never lost interest. This is an exceptional read, and the speculative AI elements feel strikingly plausible, particularly in the potential application to law enforcement.

When the Warwickshire police department agrees to test an AI pilot program, the goal is to explore how AIDEs (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entities) can support police work and potentially reduce biases. AIDE Lock, engineered to be the ultimate detective, features lightning-fast data analysis capable of saving the police countless hours while stripping away human emotions to focus solely on facts. But not everyone is convinced. Seasoned detective DCS Kat Frank, with 25 years of experience, is skeptical that Lock’s logic can rival human instinct and experience. To put it to the test, Frank and Lock tackle a series of cold missing person cases, pitting Frank’s instincts against Lock’s analytical precision.

Frank also has a supporting team that includes DI Rayan Hassan, a confident and outspoken officer who constantly challenges her decisions, and DS Debbie Browne, a quieter and more apologetic figure, dealing with personal struggles of her own. I can’t wait to see how this dynamic team evolves in future installments.

The plot was tense and gripping. The search for the missing young men, combined with the challenges of blending human intuition with AI logic, made for a compelling and immersive read. I thought Callaghan did an excellent job portraying the struggles, advantages, and contrasting investigative approaches, as well as the reactions of the human investigators, especially Frank, as they adapted to working alongside Lock.

In The Blink Of An Eye is a fantastic crime fiction novel. Callaghan uses her personal experience as a recently widowed wife and mother to write honest, relatable characters along with a plausible investigation which may be closer to becoming reality than we think. The second book in the series, Leave No Trace, is already available, and the third installment, Human Remains, is set to release this April. I’ll definitely be grabbing both!

My recommendation: definitely worth the read!