Can an AI hologram be better at solving a missing person’s case than a human detective? Here is my review of In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan.
Review
I came across Jo Callaghan’s tweet celebrating the publication of In the Blink of an Eye, a thriller featuring an advanced AI helping the police solve cold cases involving missing people, I was hooked- especially given the author’s background in AI and genomics.
DCS Kat Francis, is the senior detective returning to work after nursing her terminally ill husband, chosen to lead a pilot to see if AI could help or ultimately replace traditional police to help cut costs. Kat, reluctantly, takes up the role hoping to prove the AI hologram, Lock, will never replace good old-fashioned human gut instinct but end up working together with Lock when the investigation takes a dangerous turn.
The underlying mystery was complex and difficult to guess until the end but what I really loved about the book was the interaction between the AI and Kat- humorous and sometimes touching.
The book did have an emotional resonance for me with the descriptions of bereavement and grief after loss and the highs and lows of being a parent. This makes this book so much more human than the usual police procedural.
The rest of the AI project DI Hassan, DC Browne and Professor Okonedo are interesting despite starting out as typical stereotypes ( pushy man, nervous woman, aloof Professor) but they slowly grow into more complex characters.
This would appear to be the first book in a series, and I would definitely read more books featuring Lock and DCS Francis.
Content warning
Descriptions of grief and bereavement, references to rape, racism and sexism
Source
My own
Series Book Lover 