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

Author: Callaghan, Jo

Fiction & related items

Published on 19 January 2023 by Simon & Schuster Ltd in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 416 pages
162 x 244 x 33 | 576g

As seen on BBC 2's BETWEEN THE COVERS ***'BRILLIANT BOOK, TOTAL PAGE-TURNER' - CERYS MATTHEWS, as featured on BBC 2's BETWEEN THE COVERS'I LOVED IT' - ANGELA SCANLON, as featured on BBC 2's BETWEEN THE COVERS'I DEVOURED THIS IN ONE SITTING' - ROB RINDER, as featured on BBC 2's BETWEEN THE COVERS 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. **In development for the screen with Neal Street Productions** ***Jo will be appearing on Val McDermid's New Blood panel at the Harrogate Theakstons International Crime Fiction Festival in July*** 'The most original crime novel you'll read this year' CLARE MACKINTOSH 'This has to be a strong contender for crime debut of the year' T. M. LOGAN 'It was great - so original, funny and moving' ELLY GRIFFITHS 'A fresh and intriguing detective double act - I fell hard for all-too-human Kat and her AI colleague Lock . . . a riveting cold case mystery told with compassion and verve' LOUISE CANDLISH 'Everything you could hope for in a thriller: heartbreaking, intelligent, deftly plotted and so original' FIONA CUMMINS 'Jo Callaghan makes her entry into the crowded police procedural genre with a fresh take on the buddy-buddy cop trope. In the Blink of an Eye predicts the near future when police officers and their AI counterparts will work hand-in-holographic-hand. The human-AI interactions between the lead protagonists as they pursue their quarry are illuminating and, at times, hilarious. Provocative and compelling. A TV series seems a certainty' VASEEM KHAN 'One of the most original crime fiction partnerships I have ever read. In the Blink of an Eye explores the potential future of technology with an in-depth, unforgettable look at grief and humanity, and how surprisingly, one can aide the other. A breathtaking debut that will have you eagerly awaiting the next instalment in what is set to be a beloved series' JACK JORDAN 'In the Blink of an Eye is 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

'The kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore. Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling. Take a bow, Jo Callaghan' CHRIS WHITAKER 'I started reading this morning and ten hours later I've finished it! It's so, SO good - really properly compelling, impossible to put down - I was desperate for the solution to the mystery - but so human and moving and massively thought-provoking on what makes us human' LAURA MARSHALL 'A standout debut with a unique and thrilling take on the detective novel. Engaging, exciting and superbly readable. I loved it' SARAH HILARY 'In the Blink of An Eye captured me from the first page and kept me enthralled until the last. Jo Callaghan shakes up the police procedural with a truly original premise that is both compelling and filled with heart. Highly recommended' OLIVIA KIERNAN