In The Blink of An Eye: A BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick

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Everything I love in a police procedural but with an imaginative and fresh perspective. Clever and warm, it’s one of the best debuts I’ve read in years’ Jo Jakeman The introduction of AI into policing is an interesting concept and Callaghan offers both sides - seen through the characters' lenses but with balance. Kat and her boss are cynical about politicians' intention to cut resources / officers and replace them with technology not capable of nuance and intuition. Whereas the technology's creator is distrustful of police for those very 'human' reasons.

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Member Reviews

I was immediately drawn into In The Blink of an Eye, Jo Callaghan’s debut book. I was intrigued by the premise, drawn in by the writing and strong characterisation.

Firstly I really liked the characters in this book who were on the whole a very likeable bunch and not your average stereotypical detectives. I like that they all seemed to actually like each other and it was good to see each of them bringing something different to the investigation. Kat was an interesting main character that I sympathised a lot with not least because I’m dreading the day my children are teenagers. I admired her for her strength and passion for her job but she also frustrated me at times with her absolute conviction she was right. Jo Callaghan makes her entry into the crowded police procedural genre with a fresh take on the buddy-buddy cop trope . . . Provocative and compelling' Vaseem Khan Fresh, innovative and very, very clever. Flawlessly paced, plotted and researched, it's laugh out loud, heart-achingly sad and doesn't have a dull moment. I raced through it. Simply sensational' M. W. Craven Kat’s just returning to work when we meet her. We soon learn she’d cared for her dying husband. I initially suspected he was a cop who died by some nefarious means, but it’s nothing like that. Less dramatic, if you like. But of course no less tragic.

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Everything you could hope for in a thriller: heartbreaking, intelligent, deftly plotted and so original’ FIONA CUMMINS Crime fiction is full of detectives who have been paired up with someone they don’t like. Few have to get used to a bossy hologram, which is what happens in Jo Callaghan’s entertaining and thought-provoking novel . . . Callaghan grounds her novel in real life, challenging her unusual team to investigate the unsolved disappearances of two students. The moral dilemmas created by artificial intelligence are brilliantly explored in this altogether very human novel’ Sunday Times

I’d been hearing lots of great things about In The Blink Of An Eye so when I was approved to read it on netgalley I was naturally very excited, though nervous as to whether it would live up to the hype but it completely does. In fact I’d say that it’s one of the most original, gripping and thought provoking thrillers I’ve ever read! Now I don’t normally listen to the hype but the premise of the book sounded very intriguing; an Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity teaming up with a seasoned DCS to review cold cases sounds like science fiction but I’ve been to see ABBA Voyage 3 times in the past few months and seen how technology is evolving so in my mind “anything is possible”. A very well put together and entertaining police drama. I highly recommend it. You will feel all the emotions. Daring and original, heartbreaking and heart-stopping, this study of what it means to be human is destined to not only be a big success, but a classic crime novel of our times. Loved it’ Caz FrearThe characters already are well established and you know exactly who they are and what they’re about which I liked. Fresh, innovative and very, very clever. Flawlessly paced, plotted and researched, its laugh out loud, heart-achingly sad and doesnt have a dull moment. I raced through it. Simply sensational M. W. Craven The kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore. Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling. Take a bow, Jo Callaghan' CHRIS WHITAKER Thank you Simon & Schuster UK for a digital copy of this debut novel to read and review. I loved the synopsis and early reviewers thoughts suggested this was a book not to be missed. So would I agree.

Idő kérdése volt, hogy a mesterséges intelligencia a krimiben is felüsse a fejét. Jo Callaghan történetében egy pilot projektet figyelhetünk meg, amelyben a rendőrök munkáját egy Okos Detektív Asszisztens segíti. Nem is az az ijesztő, hogy ez valakinek eszébe jut, hanem az, hogy ettől igazából annyira nem is állunk már messze. It’s phenomenal . . . Perfect blend of police procedural and techno thriller and kept me guessing right to the end!’ Steph BroadribbEssentially In the Blink of an Eye is a police procedural, Kat and her squad conduct interviews, investigate clues and gather evidence to explain the fate of the missing men. Callaghan develops a solid mystery and I thought it played out well. There’s plenty of tension, enhanced by the anonymous perspective of a young man suffering at the hands of shadowy figures, and effective twists in the plot. As a mum of two young people this was a frightening read in places and I think this was handled with sensitivity. This is is a non spoiler review so I’m not going to say too much about the conclusion other than I enjoyed the tension and the result. I’d like to thank Netgalley UK, Simon & Schuster UK, and Jo Callaghan for such a thought-provoking e-ARC. It's so much more than a dystopian police procedural and asks questions about who we are and what it means to be human. Brilliant' NIKKI SMITH