Leave no trace by Jo Callaghan

Following the award winning In the blink of an eye by Jo Callaghan, comes another thriller starring DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock. This time they are called to the gruesome scene of a man crucified on top of a hill. They begin to investigate trying to work out how the body got there and who was involved when another body is found. It is a race to find the killer. With a media frenzy covering the murders and her Chief pressing for a conclusion to the case, Kat and Lock must prove that a combination of human experience and AI logic will uncover the killer’s motive and expose them.

Kat and Lock have been working on cold cases and Kat is eager to try to solve a current murder case. She combines with Aide Lock, as well as Professor Okenado, the creator of the AI detective and DI Hassan and DS Browne to follow clues to the mystery. The characters are well developed and relatable and add depth to the police procedural. There are twists and turns that keep the reader glued to the page and the final denouement is breathtaking.

I really enjoyed the idea of an AI detective doing work in minutes that would take detectives hours to do, while Kat still triumphs with her understanding of human behaviour and the necessity to put human life first. I look forward to more in this unique series.

Themes: Murder, AI detective.

Pat Pledger