I heard about In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan after it won the Theakston Old Peculier crime novel of the year award. Reading the blurb, I was intrigued to see it was about a unique crime-solving partnership – that of human police detective and AI. As it also came with such high award-winning praise, I knew I had to read it.
Opening sentence: He can’t see.
Humans verses machines
I am quite fascinated by the emergence of AI, the power of it, how it’s filtering through into our lives and how we can use it to help us rather than be afraid of it. Lots of people use ChatGPT for example, but lots dislike the idea that machines are now doing things that humans are more than capable of doing.
It’s a fine line, all about balance, and humans and machines finding their groove and working together. Which is exactly what In the Blink of an Eye is all about. With a brilliant, fast-paced crime story in the mix too.
It shows what AI can do, but also where we might still need the unique added value of human beings.
Things move in the blink of an eye
Detective Chief Superintendent Kat Frank works for Warwickshire police and (somewhat reluctantly) pilots their first ever team with an AI officer – Lock. Lock was created by professor Okonedo and the idea of the scheme is to show that AI can help the police solve crimes.
Led by Kat, the team go back to missing person cold-cases. Kat brings fresh (human) eyes to these cases and thanks to Lock’s ability to scan data in literally seconds (saving days of human man-power) relooks at some of the data, and things that were missed the first time round are spotted.
This is good as there is a breakthrough in the cases – which forms the excellent page-turning core of the plot – but causes tensions as Kat isn’t ready to admit that maybe AI can do things her police officers can’t.
Human beings do inexplicable things all of the time. In fact, it appears to be a distinguishing trait of your species.
More to explore
I read that author Jo Callaghan has experience working with AI, which is where the idea for the book came from but also why it’s done so well. The moral implications of getting AI to do jobs and tasks that humans could do is explored in a thoughtful way.
Each main character also felt really rounded and has an emotional-led back story to add depth – Even AI, Lock as Professor Okonedo has her own very personal reasons for wanting AI to lead in policing.
Years ago I read Happiness for Humans by P.Z. Reizin which featured AI computers as narrators – In the Blink of an Eye moves this theme forward, raises interesting points and delivers on an emotional and engrossing crime thriller read.
I noticed on Goodreads that this is a listed as Kat and Lock #1 which indicates another is coming – I will definitely read more from this intriguing crime-fighting duo.
- Get your copy of In the Blink of an Eye here;
- Published by Simon & Schuster 2024;
- 416 pages;
- Book review rating:
Books on the 7:47 