In the blink of an eye by Jo Callaghan

When I saw that In the Blink of An Eye had won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024  and 2024 CWA ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and read the blurb about artificial intelligence aiding police work, I thought it sounded original and current. I was not disappointed – the book is a compulsive read and very difficult to put down. Recently bereaved police detective Kat Frank is given a cold case featuring the disappearance of a young university student. She is chosen to lead a pilot program researching the use of artificial intelligence, and partners with AIDE Lock, AIDE meaning ‘Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity.’ She and her bosses are very sceptical about the use of Artificial Intelligence, and trust in old fashioned experience and knowledge to solve cases, but Kat soon finds that Lock’s ability to analyse data in seconds can be helpful, and when her colleagues don’t trust her instincts, it is Lock who stands by her as the cold case become live and personal.

This is a wonderful police procedure that showcases the way clever humans work a case. Kat is very experienced and has previously solved a major case. She uses her ability to read body language, her sense of smell and knowledge of human motivations to hone her investigation. Meanwhile AIDE Lock can produce predictions of probability within seconds, and analyse phone data and CCTV images in a flash, work that would take humans days to conclude. Along side the descriptions of police procedure, the background of the main characters adds a depth to the story, making it easy to relate to them. Kat’s husband has recently died from cancer, her son Cam is recovering from depression and her offsiders all have personal problems to contend with.

A fast-paced thriller that gripped me to the end, I liked the combination of Kat with her experience and Lock with its emotionless analysis so much that I immediately obtained the next in the series, Leave no trace.

Themes: Mystery, Artificial intelligence, Missing persons.

Pat Pledger