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In The Blink of An Eye

Winner of the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA New Blood Dagger

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In The Blink of An Eye

By: Jo Callaghan
Narrated by: Rose Akroyd, Mendez
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About this listen

 THE SUNDAY TIMES bestseller, as seen on BBC 2's BETWEEN THE COVERS
A WATERSTONES THRILLER BOOK OF THE MONTH

*WINNER* OF THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2024
*WINNER* OF THE CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION ILP JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER 2024

AND NOMINATED FOR TWO OTHER MAJOR AWARDS
Capital Crime Book of the Year 2023
Crimefest Specsavers Best Debut Crime Novel

‘I devoured this in one sitting’ Rob Rinder, as featured on BBC 2’s Between the Covers
‘Terrifyingly timely and provocative' Val McDermid
'The most original crime novel you'll read this year' Clare Mackintosh

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.

'Just brilliant!' Lisa Jewell

'Has to be a strong contender for crime debut of the year - sharp, perceptive writing and a brilliant new take on the detective duo' T. M. Logan

'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 . . . Provocative and compelling' Vaseem Khan

'The kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore. Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling. Take a bow, Jo Callaghan' Chris Whitaker Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedurals Science Fiction Technothrillers Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Fiction Technology Exciting
All stars
Most relevant
I had seen this book mentioned all over social media so thought I would listen to the audiobook version. The audiobook is narrated by two narrators which makes it a lot easier to follow the characters and immerses you more into the story. The narration is excellent.

DCS Kat Frank has been selected to participate in a pilot project, working alongside an AI called Lock. Initially, she’s really disparaging of AI and thinks that human intuition and gut feeling is something a robot can’t understand or learn. The AI thinks that data and facts are all you need to solve a case.
Tasked with investigating two missing person cold cases, they are surprised when they suddenly become active again. Kat becomes far more involved than she would like.
Can Kat and Lock manage to work together?

The characters in this story are excellent and well developed. Kat is a likeable character and you feel for her navigating her new life as a young widow. The AI is quite funny at times and brings some humour to the story.

I got into the book straight away and the concept is really well thought out. Scarily it doesn’t feel too far fetched!

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to listen to the book for long stretches of time, which I would have preferred. This is definitely a book you want to keep reading! I found it a very gripping and enjoyable read.

For a debut novel this is fantastic and I will certainly be looking out for more by this author! Highly recommended.

Highly recommended!

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I absolutely loved this police procedural, and it’s one of the most enjoyable crime novels I’ve read in some time. Highly recommend

Original, clever, funny

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A different concept of a book and good narrator to tell the story. Not too taxing and both funny and tragic in parts. Worth a try.

A bit different but in a good way

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Great story and characters, very interesting plot . I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one

Excellent

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I really enjoyed this book, fascinated by the use of AI but also the human story alongside it. Excellent writing and performance. It's my favourite book for quite a while.

Enthralling

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