Continuing my love affair with British Crime Fiction I came upon In the Blink of an Eye through a recommendation from Tracy Fenton on The Book Club Facebook page. She’s always one to feed my addiction and she’s usually spot on for me with her recommendations and this time was no exception.

Oh how I loved DCS Kat Frank and her hilarious interactions with AI Lock as they came together to test out a new concept- police work and AI working together to solve crime. It was so entertaining to watch their interactions. And I can’t wait for the next in the series to see how their “relationship” continues.

There was some great humor but there was also a very personal and serious story with a challenging crime to solve. And I loved every moment of this fabulous police procedural. I am definitely a new fan of this author.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of British crime fiction, new AI technology and a great police procedural. This one was fantastic

Thanks to Netgalley for a chance to read an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own

Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #IntheBlinkofanEye. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I received this as an unsolicited ARC from the publisher. I'm always up for a new crime/police series and this had an interesting premise- can AI augment or replace old fashioned detective work?

Kat Frank is returning to her police job 6 months after losing her husband to cancer. Her mentor/boss asks her to head up a pilot program using AI to review cold cases of missing persons. Kat is partnered with an Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity (AIDE) named Lock. Her team selects 2 cases to review. On the surface, they seem unrelated. But Kat's gut instinct tells her they're connected. With Lock's help, can she convince the team before another person goes missing?

This is great debut novel about a topic that is clearly personal for the author (read the acknowledgements). I'm definitely going to keep reading this series.

A superb riveting detective thriller with an AI twist that’s not only in keeping with stark realism but is also informative and engaging with all sorts of technical aspects. An excellent suspenseful mystery with life-like characters at the helm.

This debut novel was published in the UK in 2023 and is now coming to the US. Kat Frank is a Detective Chief Superintendent (DCS). She is the widowed mother of her 18-year-old son, and she has a reputation as a good cop.

Her boss has chosen her to partner with AIDE Lock (an AI) to see if AI might really have value in investigations. Two cold cases are selected, and it soon becomes clear that these cases are far from cold. Kat’s instincts tend to clash with Lock’s logic (think Kirk and Spock), but the investigation moves forward until the case becomes personal for Kat.

This is well-written, and I can understand why it has a subtitle of “Kat and Lock #1”.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book! It was so interesting to read about a very different application of AI. I figured out some of the twists in here, but was still surprised by other ones. I was hoping for one final solution, but maybe this is leaving the door open for another book. I hope so! Jo Callaghan writes characters so well and I fell in love with the ones in here. Curious to see what will happen with them next. Check out this book when it’s released in early August. Definitely binge-worthy.

4.5 gladly rounded up to 5 .

In the Blink of an Eye is an outstanding read where Lock AI and Kat (human) DCS are brought together to work on a pilot project of solving the cold case of missing young people.

Present day another young man goes missing and the case is heating up.

I thought to myself I am not sure about this but I was soon fascinated by the premise and Lock became real.

I laughed at his perception and Kat's frustration.

Its not smooth sailing by any means.

The tension mounts with every page as the clock is running out to save the missing people.

Jo Callaghan does an amazing job of presenting both sides of the coin and has the reader fully involved and simply admiring and cheering on both Kat and Lock.

I cant wait for Book 2 in the series and I will be first in line.

This is an amazing read which I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Random House Trade Paperbacks for a read that will stay with me a long time.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Aug. 6, 2024
Jo Callaghan’s debut novel, “In the Blink of an Eye” is a fascinating police procedural that is as entertaining as it is modern and relevant.
Kat Frank is a single mother, recently widowed after the death of her husband, John, to cancer. As Kat tries to raise her teenage son, Cam, on her own, she also takes pride in being a DCS with the local police force. As part of a pilot project, Kat is paired with an AI investigator who goes by the name, “Lock”, to help look into cold cases and see what help, if any, an AI assistant can provide. Although Kat is reluctant to accept help from a machine, she soon realizes she will need all the help she can get when two missing persons cold cases are, all of a sudden, not so cold after all.
Callaghan’s “Eye” crosses the police procedural with science-fiction, and the combination is addicting and engaging. The story is narrated in the third person by Kat, although there are segments that are narrated by an unknown victim who is being held captive by the (also unknown) subject that the police force does not know they are supposed to be looking for. By the end of the novel, all the questions are answered but the segments where the victim tells his tale are suspenseful and only add to the mystery.
This, alone, would be enough to secure a firm plotline and an invested reader, but add to that the connection between the murder victims and the fact that Kat’s son meets the same criteria and soon becomes a victim himself and the hits just keep on coming. “Eye” was fast-paced right from the beginning, and it kept me on the edge of my seat.
There are numerous characters in this novel, which provides an ample selection from which to guess the identity of the kidnapper, but the end result was definitely unexpected. As this is a police procedural, there is at least one more book to come (and very likely more), and I found that the main characters in “Eye” were interesting enough that I want to read and learn more about them.
Callaghan’s debut novel is next-level in police investigation, and, no matter your thoughts on AI, “Eye” is captivating and thought-provoking. Creative and fresh, “In the Blink of an Eye” introduces a new police partnership that is unique and is definitely one I will be keeping my eye out for in future works!

This was quite an interesting story and interesting characters as well. Detective Kat whose husband had died not too long ago goes back to work as a detective reviewing and trying to solve cold cases. As an experiment she will be head of the team and will be working with an Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity called Lock who will be working with her and the teaml. The AIDE of course is something no one wants but they are also interested and skeptical. Lock can review cases and information in a matter of minutes compared to the actual people. No one likes it but as the story goes along and Kat herself finds out how much he can help in cutting the time for information. There will be a book 2 so I would be interested in seeing how this moves along in that vein. Give it a try. You will be surprised how interesting it is and you may like the AIDE also.

This was just an ok book . I understand the prevalence of AI but I just didn’t feel it helped this story . Overall it was good but not great . I felt the book would have been fine without this storyline’s

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

In The Blink of An Eye by Jo Callaghan is an unique story with interesting characters. Kat Frank is a detective who is returning to work after dealing with the death of her husband. She is tasked with starting a pilot program where detectives are teamed up with AI to solve missing persons cases. Kat is not happy about the situation but she takes the job. As she comes to terms with working the AI, she also has to deal with her son's depression and her own grief. The mystery of the missing persons reveals slowly but is satisfactory. The characters' relationship with the AI is the better part of the story. I enjoyed the story and would read another book starting Kat Frank.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are own.

This was pretty good. Not quite a 4 stars (3.75) but close. There were some twists that I didn’t see coming and it didn’t drag until the last couple of chapters. After everything was resolved, there were too many chapters seeming to attempt to drag the story on a bit. Also I felt the climax was too short and everything ended too quickly and easily. I really like the whole concept of an AI/Human detective team and some concerns/issues/possibilities that were addressed regarding the AI were interesting. I enjoyed the ease of Callaghan’s writing, and short chapters are my favorite! I rather read 200 short chapters than 50 long ones. I would probably read the next in the series for a quick thriller read.
*** Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Jo Callaghan for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review***

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the copy of In The Blink Of An Eye by Jo Callaghan. What a stunning debut! The immersive writing hooked me from the first page. The relationships were so well-defined and realistic I really cared about the characters. I loved how the positives and negatives of using AI were woven into the story. I can’t wait to read the second book in this amazing series.

In the Blink of an Eye is the debut crime novel by Jo Callaghan. DCS Kat Frank is tasked with testing out Lock, a new AI "personality" in a newly formed task force looking into cold case.

Kat 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.

The book includes suspense, mystery, murder, and good, relatable characters. I like Kat as a character. She's a good cop and mother. Kat and her team will make a good series.

In the Blink of an Eye is a good police procedural with sci-fi elements. I would recommend this book and this author. I look forward to reading more.

#IntheBlinkofanEye #NetGalley @randomhouse

Jo Callaghan has written the most amazing novel, In the Blink of an Eye.
Where police need to test out a new AI named Lock that learns to be more human, while the police officers learn to trust AI Lock’s intelligence.
Bringing them together through the kidnapping of young adults and working through their different styles of gathering information.
Cleverly written, had me invested quickly, and kept me enthralled all the way through.
#IntheBlinkofanEye
#JoCallaghan
#NetGalley

Two detectives: one human, one AI. And a case that will test them both! Great read! I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I admit I rolled my eyes at the AI references I’m like ugh not for me! But it was nothing like I thought it was going to be! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It had great suspense, intriguing, action, murder, mystery, a fantastic who done it great characters and I actually loved the AI character! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

It should not be news to anyone that Artificial Intelligence is the future. As a society, we are becoming more reliant on machines than ever before. But can machines learn and perform human-like tasks? Will jobs be obsolete as machines collect more data and become more efficient than us humans?

In The Blink of An Eye explores artificial intelligence in the police force. DCS Kat Franc is assigned to head a new task force investigating cold cases. The catch is she must work with a young professor eager to prove her worth. The professor’s creation: Artificially Intelligent Detecting Entities or AIDEs. DCS Franc must fight her biases to solve her first case that hits too close to home.

Police detective Kat Frank is keeping it all together after the death of her husband to cancer. She is still grieving him while she works full time and slowly lets go of her 18 year old son who is bound for university.

An opportunity is foisted upon her at work and she is paired with an Artificial Intelligence entity. She wants nothing to do with AI but is determined to make the best of it as she works some cold cases. Cold cases in this sense, however, are missing persons and not all that cold. When Kat and her team discover some threads of the cases that might take them to leads they are quick to move.

What happens next is a thrilling procedural, a glimpse of speculative fiction and a brilliant UK detective story that always includes plenty of personal interest in the police team. I sincerely home this is the first of many of Kat's adventures.
#randomhouse #randomhousetrade #intheblinkofaneye #jocallaghan

Big fan of police procedurals? Move this book to the top of your list!

After the loss of her husband months earlier, Detective Kat Frank is ready to return to policing. Her son appears to be grieving in a healthy way, so no sense just sitting around the house any longer. Back to work she goes.

On her return, her boss discloses a bold plan. He wants Kat to head up a pilot program with “AIDE.” (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) to determine the potential role of AI in detective work. Can AI work more effectively and safely than humans? Let’s find out!

This particular AIDE is named Lock. It can be brought to life, (so to speak) in a holographic form or simply a voice from the monitor she wears.

I actually grew fond of Lock as the storyline progressed. Kat on the other hand, made it known she was no fan of AI, and Lock was more trouble than it was worth. But can a successful AI identity win her over?

I absolutely loved Kat’s character. Newly widowed, and struggling with the realization she will be alone once her son leaves for university. She has her hands full, keeping her personal life together while taking on this project.

Her team of detectives, (the two of them) were distinctively different personalities, adding so much more flavor to the story. I adored them both and can’t wait to see where the author takes this team. This appears to be book one of a new series and I'm already searching for the next!

Make sure to read the author’s beautifully written acknowledgment. Thank you for sharing such a personal piece of your heart with your readers.💜

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House

Wow! Totally amazing debut! I can’t wait to follow up with Jo Callaghan and watch her hit it big. The characters were so well done. Most of them I loved (especially Kat and Lock) A few made me use lots of profanity and nearly toss my kindle across the room. The twists and turns were constant and oh my word the abundant reveals.
Really a magical book for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Jo Callaghan and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this cracker of a book.

I loved this book! I'm so glad I took a chance on reading an advance copy of this debut novel of a new author. Not only was it an exciting mystery with a unique AI twist, but it also had great insights into the dynamics of police teamwork. It took me a bit to get into the story, but by the end, I couldn't put it down. The family issues made it much more complex than the typical book, and there were all sorts of ethical issues as well. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading future installments.