FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
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
 
One detective driven by instinct, the other by logic.
It will take both to find a killer who knows the true meaning of fear . . .
 
When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI detective – are thrust into the spotlight with their first live case.
 
But when they discover another man dead – also crucified – it appears that the killer is only just getting started. When the Future Policing Unit issues an extraordinary warning to local men to avoid drinking in pubs, being out alone late at night and going home with strangers, they face a hostile media frenzy. Whilst they desperately search for connections between the victims, time is running out for them to join the dots and prevent another death.  

And if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop – until they are made to.
 
‘Confirms Callaghan as a new force to be reckoned with in crime’ Daily Mail

‘Jo Callaghan is an outstanding talent’ Jane Casey

‘I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough’ Nikki Smith
 
‘A smart, agile, immaculately plotted and moving thriller that is unswervingly gripping and scary, and at the same time beautifully tender and humane’ Nicci French  
 
‘With Leave No Trace, Jo Callaghan cements her status as a crime fiction force to be reckoned with’ Caz Frear
 
‘Brilliant, rapidly paced and plotted . . . Another masterpiece’ Imran  Mahmood
 
‘Every bit as smart, compelling and insightful as her debut . . . A terrific read!’ Gytha Lodge
 
‘Jo Callaghan has done it again in this intricately plotted, humorous and incredibly moving thriller . . . I absolutely loved it’ Laura  Marshall  
 
‘Balanced, nuanced, intelligent, provocative’ Amanda Reynolds
 
‘Another exciting and thought-provoking book from Jo Callaghan that combines cutting-edge tech with a classic police procedural . . . Hugely human and big-hearted. Brava!’ Sarah Hilary  

‘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  

‘This 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  

‘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  
 
‘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

‘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  

‘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

‘The kind of fresh and fearless debut I just adore. Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling. Take a bow, Jo Callaghan’ Chris Whitaker

‘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

‘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