In The Blink of An Eye

Jo Callaghan works full time as a senior strategist, carrying out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. She was a student of the Writers’ Academy Course (Penguin Random House) and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Writing Competition and Bath Novel Competition. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing In the Blink of an Eye, her debut crime novel, which explores learning to live with loss and what it means to be human. She lives with her two children in the Midlands, where she spends far too much time tweeting as @JoCallaghanKat and is currently working on further novels in the series.

‘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  ‘Jo Callaghan has invented a brilliant cast of characters in this highly entertaining debut. I devoured it and had no hesitation in picking it for Between the Covers. I felt it was so strong I placed it on show one of our latest series. It has universal appeal and seduced our celebrity panel members who wouldn’t normally choose a crime book. I have to consider hundreds of books in the selection process but this absolutely stood out, I haven’t read anything like it before and can’t wait for the next book in the series’ Amanda Ross, Executive Producer, 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 ‘An absolute cracker of a thriller. Such an original concept and so brilliantly executed, but also a story to make you think, and one that throws up unexpected questions about life, grief, loss, and the human mind . . . If you love a police procedural, you’ll adore this. If you like a book to make you think a little more deeply, you will also love this. As someone who is a fan of both, I can’t recommend it enough’ Joanna Cannon ‘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 ‘This brilliant debut had me gripped the whole way through. A refreshing and different take on the police procedural genre’ Prima ‘Crime fiction is full of detectives who have been paired up with someone they don’t like. Few have to get used to a bossy hologram, which is what happens in Jo Callaghan’s entertaining and thought-provoking novel . . . Callaghan grounds her novel in real life, challenging her unusual team to investigate the unsolved disappearances of two students. The moral dilemmas created by artificial intelligence are brilliantly explored in this altogether very human novel’ Sunday Times 'It's so much more than a dystopian police procedural and asks questions about who we are and what it means to be human. Brilliant' Nikki Smith ‘Daring and original, heartbreaking and heart-stopping, this study of what it means to be human is destined to not only be a big success, but a classic crime novel of our times. Loved it’ Caz Frear ‘A standout debut with a unique and thrilling take on the detective novel. Engaging, exciting and superbly readable. I loved it’ Sarah Hilary ‘A truly original premise that is both compelling and filled with heart. Highly recommended’ Olivia Kiernan ‘Clever and compelling, it offers a new take on the police procedural while also examining what it means to be human and the personal cost of loss’ Brian McGilloway  ‘Intuitive DCS Frank and logical AI Lock are the perfect pairing. Alongside some wonderfully surreal tech is an investigation grounded in the grittily real. Jo Callaghan explores what makes us human; our flaws and errors, our loves and losses and sometimes our refusal to stop asking questions. Even at its most terrifying, this is a story told with heart and soul’ Jess Kidd ‘Completely different and utterly brilliant’ Amanda Reynolds ‘SO good. A really clever twist on the police procedural that asks big questions about instinct, bias, and what it means to be human while also delivering a cracker of a plot. Loved it’ Phoebe Locke  ‘It’s phenomenal . . . Perfect blend of police procedural and techno thriller and kept me guessing right to the end!’ Steph Broadribb  ‘An incredible book. So original, gripping and wonderfully written. I raced through it’ Karen Hamilton ‘Everything I love in a police procedural but with an imaginative and fresh perspective. Clever and warm, it’s one of the best debuts I’ve read in years’ Jo Jakeman  ‘Part futuristic high-concept crime thriller, part police-procedural, part treatise on what it is to be human; I am in awe of what Jo Callaghan has managed to pull off here. A compelling mystery set in a future that feels extremely close and relevant. Callaghan's knowledge of AI and its potential effect on the world is balanced perfectly by her nuanced insight into humanity and grief. I can't wait to see what's next for Kat and Lock. Roll on book two!’ Russ Thomas  ‘A well written page turner, with a great premise and a big heart. I loved it’ Jo Browning Wroe  ‘Gripping, fun, original and moving. A must for your reading pile’ David Fennell ‘Fabulous! A rare crime novel truly as much about character as it is about plot…cried at the ending…huge potential series exploring the human AI connection. Loved' Lindsay Galvin  ‘I loved this book so much. In the Blink of an Eye is a page turner of a thriller, but it’s so much more than that. One that stays with you long after you turn the last page’ Frances Quinn 'Thrilling, thought-provoking and cinematic — a slam dunk for movie/TV adaptation' Alexandra Sokoloff, author of the Huntress Moon thrillers ‘A genuinely different take on the police procedural genre is hard to find, but Jo Callaghan has done it. DCS Kat Frank isn’t keen when she’s assigned an AI (Artificial Intelligence) as her partner as part of a pilot scheme, but she quickly finds their dynamic unearths fresh evidence in a case’ Good Housekeeping ‘The revelation of the full villainy involved in the two men’s disappearance is intriguing, but it is Kat – her personality, her relationship with her young son and her experience of loss – that really lifts this novel’ Literary Review ‘With well-drawn characters, believable emotions and an interesting premise, you can see this becoming a TV series. 7/10’ Independent 'One of the most original and modern police procedurals you’ll read . . . The results are astounding' Belfast Telegraph ‘Original and compelling’ Fabulous