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

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I didn’t know what to think going into this book as I adore Detective thrillers / Police procedurals but I wasn’t so sure about the AI element but I shouldn’t have bothered worrying at all as this was just amazing from beginning to end.

The narrative is immediately engaging, the characters, not just those of Kat and Lock but the others surrounding them, create a group that the reader wants to spend time with. How to be empathetic when necessary – there are emotions and reactions that Lock needs to learn to be a complete success.

I really enjoyed this pairing of detective and machine and it was fascinating to see the interactions and development of the partnership with Kat’s gut feelings and emotional responses often in contradiction with Lock’s cold hard logic. This story explores what it could be like for the police force to work with AI (artifical intelligence).

The relationship between Kat and her son Cam was heartfelt and realistic (coming from a childless person though sooo? The conflict inherent in Kat and Lock’s different approaches to investigation, and how each affects the case, is fascinating, with the strengths and weaknesses of both methods fairly illustrated. In looking into the disappearance of two young men, Kat, Locke and the team stumble through awkwardness and frustration, each trying to assert their own perspective on the case. 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. If AIDE is our future, and let’s face it, it more than likely is, because we’re well on the way there, then it’s a troubling thought.It follows the usual crime procedural in that you have a team of detectives but which includes AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock. A device is given to Kat to communicate with Lock and its fair to say that she has major issues with the whole prospect of the pilot. Kat has a major issue with anything technical and isn't particularly happy about having to team up with AI Lock.