Like a lot of readers, and authors, I follow a range of book bloggers. In a way, I probably shouldn’t, because there are so many books being reviewed and recommended and I only have so much time to read. When In the Blink of an Eye was first published a couple of years ago, I remember reading several reviews of it. All of them were positive, though that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. What did strike me at the time, though, was the concept behind the book. Here’s the blurb, to give you a taste of it:
In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds.
Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye.
DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat’s instincts come up against Lock’s logic. But when the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal.
AI versus human experience.
Logic versus instinct.
With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic?
In the Blink of an Eye is a dazzling debut from an exciting new voice and asks us what we think it means to be human.
The weight of my TBR pile is probably what prevented me from rushing to buy it at the time, but something clearly stuck in my mind.
A couple of months ago, I was asked to take part in a crime writer’s panel and it transpired that Jo Callaghan was also going to be on it. Although it’s not always practical, I do try to read at least one book by fellow panellists so I’ve got some awareness of their writing. As soon as I looked up her name, the premise of In the Blink of an Eye came flooding back to me. This was an ideal opportunity.
If you think about the concept, it sounds like there are shades of sci-fi in there. Arguably, there are, but it definitely doesn’t read like that. It’s police procedural with a different angle. And it works. Regardless of how you feel about AI – and it’s fair to say that I have strong reservations – the balance between technology and, well, humanity is presented in a way that leaves you pondering whether there could be some merit in using it. That said, it’s certainly not an exercise in promoting AI.
Of course, it’s fiction, and it’s entertainment, and it does that well. When you’re writing about technology, there is the potential for the writing to be dry. In the Blink of an Eye gets the balance right, leaning into thriller territory in terms of pace. The prologue gives a taste – teaser even – of the crime in hand, before introducing Kat Frank and then the AI project in two strong and punchy chapters. From there, we’re off as the project is launched and an investigation is rapidly underway.
For someone who can often take a couple of weeks or more to read a novel, this was a very quick read. Frankly, I was picking it up at every opportunity to find out what happens next. I was pulled in and couldn’t let it go until I’d finished it – and if that isn’t a recommendation, I don’t know what is.
Obviously, I got the opportunity to meet and talk with Jo on the night of the panel. Sadly, not for long enough – though we’re due to be at another event in February, so hopefully we can catch up some more then. During the course of the evening, though, we were all asked which was the best book we’d read this year. Because it was a novel that stuck with me for some time after reading it, I had to say In the Blink of an Eye.
Although I didn’t know it at the outset, it is the first of a series. The TBR needs whittling down a bit, but book two in the series is in my sights. I’m looking forward to seeing where Jo Callaghan goes with this.
If I have piqued your interest in the book and you want to know more, click on the image below for the Amazon link.
