Leave No Trace

Did you read Blink of an Eye? If not, I would recommend starting there. Callaghan has done an excellent job of building complex and intriguing characters and some back story from book 1 would help. BUT, if you want to jump in, there is enough included in Leave No Trace to catch you right up.

In Leave No Trace, Detective Kat Frank is still struggling with the death of her husband, her now empty nest and her assignment of working with the AI Detective. Her distrust and outright dislike for Artificial Intelligence biases her, but she is beginning to work better with AI Detective Lock and the team she leads has closed multiple cold cases.

When the body of a man is found crucified, the team has there first chance at working a live case. Callaghan pulls off an exciting thriller while still juggling the story of the AI detective and the personal issues that each detective is struggling with. This is another extraordinary book that manages to present a gripping procedural, speculative fiction and plenty of real human feelings. I loved it and you will too! I simply can't wait for the next Lock mystery.
#randomhouse #leavenotrace #jocallaghan #AIpolice

4.5 Stars. I recently read and enjoyed the highly original, thrilling and thought-provoking 'In the Blink of an Eye' by Jo Callaghan. It featured the unique team of DC Kat Frank and AIDE Lock. They are part of the four-person FPU (Future Policing Unit), which also consists of DI Rayan Hassan and DS Debbie Browne, who work under Kat's direction. I was thrilled to receive the ARC for 'Leave No Trace,' the second book in the Kat and Lock saga. The dynamics of their interactions provide a great deal of unintentional humour.

When the widowed and grief-stricken Kat returned to work, she was given the experimental pilot project to work with Lock. She was lonely and not coping well in her empty home. Her son is attending university, making friends and living an independent, content life. Kat throws herself into her detective work as a distraction. At first, she felt the pilot project would fail and tended to be impatient and rude to Lock. Taking place in the near future, the experiment was to determine the value of AI alongside regular police investigations. Lock is an AIDE (artificial intelligence detecting entity), and Kat has become aware of its value. DS Brown is heavily pregnant but refuses to take maternity leave. She constantly asks for more assignments.

Kat tends to rely on instinct, emotion, and hunches in her investigations and is considered a highly successful detective. Lock is programmed for rapid data analysis and to make almost instant connections by processing written articles, photos, etc. Professor Okenado designed it to be free of bias, work by logic, and learn from conversations with humans.

The AIDE is a monitor that Kat wears on her wrist. It comes with several human-like holographic forms that can be manifested and seen. The most commonly used is an appealing, charming detective named Lock. Because Lock is AI, Kat refers to him as IT. He is confused by human emotions, unable to understand sarcasm, and has no filter in his speech; Kat often turns him off from embarrassment.

Because the FPU team successfully solved cold cases, Kat demanded they work with a live case. The first one is grotesque. A young man has been crucified on top of a frigid garbage dump in midwinter with his ears removed. This is quickly followed by a similar death of a man crucified in a vacant lonely farmer's field in a similar manner, and his eyes are missing. So, it seems like a serial killer is at work and may strike again.

The four detectives, including Lock, are frantic about solving the murders quickly. They are not without their personal distractions. DI Hassan has a crush on Professor Okenado, the stylish black professor who designed Lock. She rejects him due to her valid reason for distrusting the police. A local reporter, Elie Baxter, has written articles that have been widely read, so the FPU has been ordered to hold a press conference to restore public confidence. The outcome is full of hateful racial slurs against Okenado and vicious statements against the AIDE. Men are warned to avoid leaving pubs alone and to be constantly aware of danger. This caution has insulted and angered men.

Lock is becoming assertive, demanding changes. He insists on being called He rather than IT and firmly suggests that Kat not turn him off at night. For an entity devoid of emotions, he seems anguished not to have a solid physical body. What does this all mean?
A word of caution if you are ordering either book. For books of brilliant originality, the titles are identical to the exact titles of other books, so be careful to choose the correct ones in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this compelling book, which will be published on January 7th, 2025.

Another winner by Jo Callaghan! I had recently read the first book in the series and was glad to be able to read an advance copy of the next installment thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. All of the characters from the first book became more fully developed. The second half of this book was particularly exciting and scary, and I couldn't put it down, having to stay up late to finish it. Once again, I enjoyed considering the ethical issues related to AI, as well as where it can best be utilized. I also appreciated the author's coverage of the dynamics of women in the workplace and in society in general. I highly recommend this book, encouraging other readers to read In the Blink of an Eye first to fully appreciate it. Because of the ethical issues, I think this book would appeal to a wide range of readers, not just mystery and thriller lovers, possibly even book discussion groups. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed “In The Blink of an Eye” and was excited to read the second in the Kat and Locke series!

Kat has been working on cold cases with AideLocke and her team. They’ve solved 3 out of 3 cases and Locke is starting to “learn” how humans think and react!

Kat is ready to take on an ongoing case with her team which includes DI Hassan and DS Browne with consulting from Professor Okenado, the creator of AideLocke.

Her Chief wasn’t quite convinced but then he gets an urgent call “. . . the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – and DCS Kat Frank are thrust into the spotlight as they are given their first live case.” This time people’s lives are at stake.

This book has absolutely ongoing action and tension - I rarely say this but I really couldn’t put this book down!! Jo Callaghan really knows how to write and the characters are well defined and highly relatable.

I found so many passages that I highlighted but I’ll share one that details the difference between AI and a human while they are racing to discover who is committing these horrific crimes and why? “Lock might be able to view thousands of images in seconds . . . but he simply wasn’t capable of making the lateral connections that a diligent, human police officer could”

The Author’s Notes are a must read - she shares some of the reasons why she is writing this series and her personal connection to the stories.

Both of these books are going to the top of my list this year – I highly recommend these to anyone who is curious about how AI might help in the future. I enjoyed this novel immensely.

If you are looking for a different slant on police procedurals - look no further than Ms. Callaghan’s books!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Leave No Trace.

Detective Kat Frank and AI Detective Lock are back and their new case is a killer.

When Kat requests a live case to put her team and Lock to the ultimate test, her superior presents her with the case of a crucified man. The case is brutal and shocking, and. when a second body is discovered, Kat realizes there may be a serial killer on the loose and it's up to her human qualities to find this person.

I enjoyed the second book in the series about the same as the first book since nothing much has changed, character development wise:

Kat is still mourning the loss of her husband and being an empty nester with her son off to college.

Debbie is heavily pregnant and using work to distract herself from the future, her life will be forever changed as a single parent.

Kat's ambitious right-hand man is determined to demonstrate he's got the skills and talents to be the first Asian detective, all the while still mooning over the professor, who created Lock.

I'm still not a fan of Kat; I understand she's a woman in a man's profession and excels as what she does but her brusque manner makes it seem like she's got a chip on her shoulder, almost resentful about her success.

After all these years as a cop, she's still naive about how women are treated in law enforcement?

Also, she almost seems too dependent emotionally and psychologically on her deceased husband and only child.

Her team seem decent, capable, but character development remains stagnant and repetitive.

I bet in the next book Debbie will spend all of her POV ruminating about her daughter and how stressful it is to manage as a single parent.

And Lock is...well, he's Lock...or is he?

I don't like the idea of Lock developing 'human' emotions so quickly, such as wanting to be friends with Kat or understanding what loneliness is.

Is the next book when Lock goes Skynet?

I believe strongly that the benefit of Kat and Lock's partnership is that he remain objective and rational, a good counterpoint to Kat's instincts, emotions, and experience only a human can provide.

I know the author has first-hand knowledge in AI and her personal experience lends credibility to her books.

Sometimes I prefer Lock over the human characters in this series. What does that say about me? 😆

"I couldn't have solved the case without my team. Or Lock, sir."

I know that some reviewers have written they liked this book less than the first. Not I. I liked Leave No Trace every bit as much as I liked In the Blink of An Eye. Are these books 100% logical or realistic? No! I'm not sure why, but I love that that about them!!

Here is one of my favorite parts:
"So you're my wild card, Lock. I want you to unsettle her by looking clever and all-knowing."
Lock turned towards her, its expression unfathomable in the fading light. "In other words, you want me to be myself?"
Kat laughed. "Was that a JOKE?"

HUGE thanks to both #RandomHousePublishing and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Leave No Trace. This book is #2 in the Kat and Lock series, and has an expected publication date of January 7, 2025.

#JoCallaghan #ScienceFiction #Mystery #Suspense

Jo Callaghan wrote a strong thriller in the Leave No Trace novel, it had that element of suspense that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. I thought the use of AI detective worked well overall in this tense atmosphere. It left me wanting to read more from Jo Callaghan and the characters in this world. The characters felt like they belonged in this type of book and was glad I got to read this. It was a strong sequel in the Kat and Lock series and I hope there is more.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the copy of Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan. I loved the first book in this series and I loved this one too. Lock has learned so much and remains intriguing. I loved how contentious it was to involve it/him, and how Kat seems to be warming up to it/him. It’s worth it to read “In The Blink Of An Eye” first to see how their relationship has developed. I’m not sure this was as good as the first book, but it was still a fast and gripping read. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock are back and taking on a new case in Leave No Trace! Kat is human and Lock is the world's first AI detective. They are quite an interesting detective duo who tackle their investigations using both logic and intuition.

When a man is found crucified, everyone is horrified. Who could do such a thing? Why? That is what Kat and Lock plan to find out. As they delve into their investigation, another man is found crucified. The public is on edge, the investigators are on edge, and the local media has been unforgiving. Kat and Lock must find the killer before the killer finds another victim!

I love the uniqueness of this investigative team. We hear about AI every day and author, Jo Callaghan, is using an AI detective in Leave No Trace to perform investigative work at an extremely fast pace. With lives on the line, this is of the utmost importance.

I love the dynamic between Kat and Lock. Kat is an experienced detective who knows how to read people, look at crime scenes, and uses intuition to help solve crimes. Lock is very black and white as he is ruled by logic. He cannot see the shades of grey and relies on Kat to explain them to him.

This is a tough case, and I enjoyed trying to do my own super sleuthing along with Kat and Lock. I loved the mystery as to who was killing the men and why. I also loved the sense of unease and dread which flowed throughout the book. I also enjoyed how the author shows how various members of the team interact with Locke and how he goes about his work.

Readers also get some glimpses of some of the characters’ private lives which we were first introduced to in the first book, In the Blink of An Eye. While this book would work as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading the first book in the series! Jo Callaghan dazzled me with her writing and the plot of In the Blink of An Eye. She continued to wow me and keep me guessing with Leave No Trace.

If you enjoy police procedurals, you may enjoy this book.

Wonderfully written, gripping, shocking, fast paced and well thought out!

Jo Callaghan’s second book definitely did not suffer from sophomore slump. I thought Leave No Trace was even better than vIn The Blink of an Eye and I loved it. Not only was Leave No Trace a super police procedural, but this time Kat and Locke were in charge of a live case involving a sadistic and ritualistic murder, which made it hard to put down. Once again Callaghan shows us how extremely helpful data analysis by AI could be, but also how instinct and an understanding of human emotions by another human was essential.

When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of a hill in the British midlands, AIDE Lock, the world’s first AI Detective and Detective Kat Frank are thrust into the spotlight as they are given their first live case. When a second body is found the police issue an extraordinary warning to local males aged between 30 and 40 years old! Fantastic read!! I have to say I did not think I would like anything to do with AI stuff! That’s just not my thing at all! But this book and series is totally different! I absolutely love the characters including the AI!! This book had great suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery, and I loved when the AI couldn’t help it kind of broke my heart!! lol I highly recommend reading this book and series! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Excellent police procedural! Don't miss this one but start with her first book In the Blink of An Eye to get the full impact. I enjoyed reading them back to back.

DCS Kat Frank of the Warwickshire Police and her team have been part of a secret pilot program called the Future Police Unit (FPU) using AI to help solve cold cases with 100% success. Now she asks her boss, Chief Constable McLeish, for a chance to handle a 'live' case. He's just received a phone call that the naked body of a dead male has just been found crucified on top of Mount Judd so he hands that over to them. But when another body is found and it becomes apparent that a serial killer is at work, the pressure is on to solve this quickly before anyone else dies.

When news of the police secretly using AI in this case leaks to the public, pressure from above is turned up and Kat's team might have to be replaced to keep the public appeased. Too many middle-aged white men are worried about women and technology taking their jobs. Can they dig deeper and find the murderer before they are replaced?

The AI in this pilot program has been designed by Professor Okonedo who leads a multi-disciplinary team at the National Institute for AI; her creation has been designated as Artificially Intelligent Detecting Entity (AIDE) Lock. 'It' is capable of wading through vast amounts of data and providing answers almost immediately that would take a human many hours or even days, such as sifting through CCTV recordings or social media for facial recognition. But 'it' can sometimes miss the nuances of human facial expressions and those are important too in an investigation.

This forward-thinking plot is quite interesting and tense but with some levity sprinkled in. I really enjoyed these characters and their interactions. Callaghan brings in several emotionally-heavy topics, such as losing a spouse and carrying on alone; or deciding whether to become a single mother. Even whether an AI can be a 'person' and have friends. And boy, the final action scene leading to the conclusion is top-notch. All-in-all, a very exciting read which I highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for offering me widgets for books 1 and 2 in his series. I dove right in and couldn't put them down. High points given for a very unique police procedural. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.