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A review by danubooks
Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A team of detectives with an unusual asset confronts a horrible crime
As the Christmas holidays approach DCS Kat Frank is on the edge of depression. She lost her husband unexpectedly the previous year, her son has left their home to attend university, and she is rattling about the house alone. Her work is her tether to the real world and she pushes her boss to assign her and her relatively newly formed team, the FPU (Future Policing Unit) a real case rather than the the cold cases they have to date been given. Her four member team is unique in that her partner Lock is not a human partner, he is an AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detecting Entity), and this partnering of an AIDE with a team of detectives is a new experiment. Although initially reluctant to expand the team's remit to working a live case (as he is somewhat hostile to the concept of AIDEs, fearing that they will replace rather than enhance existing police personnel) her boss relents when the dead body of a young man is found naked and gruesomely displayed in an isolated area. With little in the way of forensic evidence and no clear motive (could the killer be the victim's fiancee, or perhaps someone from his professional life?), this will prove to be both a frustrating and a highly visible case for the FPU, especially when another dead body is found similarly displayed. With public perception mixed on whether having an AIDE involved is wise and fears of a serial killer on the loose are putting the area on edge, the pressure is on from all sides for the team to identify a suspect and make an arrest ASAP...but Kat isn't convinced that any of their suspects are actually guilty of the crime despite what Lock's algorithm indicates. Data driven logic clashes with instinct and experience...can they find a way to incorporate both sides in time to prevent another killing?
Leave No Trace is a fantastic thriller, a classic British detective story with a. contemporary twist. As we all come to terms with the growing presence of AI in each of our lives, whether or not we like the concept or understand how it works, here the reader is presented with the ethical questions, practical limitations and amazing possibilities that such a tool could bring to policing. Lock can comb through hundreds of thousands of social media posts in seconds, saving the countless hours of human effort needed to achieve the same results, but the search is ultimately only as good as the instructions given. Kat herself has reason to distrust the efficacy of AI (her husband was initially misdiagnosed by someone using AI as a diagnostic tool, and the delayed diagnosis and treatment may have contributed to the ultimate failure to save his life), but also has Lock to thank for saving her son's life during a previous investigation. Many issues currently faced by law enforcement in the UK and beyond...diversity in the workforce, perceived lack of transparency and inequities in the way situations are handled depending upon the identity of the victim and/or perpetrator to name a few...are woven into the plot One of the team members and the professor who created the AIDE have each had less than positive experiences with law enforcement and bring their own reservations and biases to the job. Interesting and well-developed characters and a gripping mystery combine to form an excellent novel, and with it a fascinating premise. This is the second book in the series, but it can easily read as a standalone. Readers of authors like Jenny O'Brien, Val McDermid and Imran Mahmood should add this book (and its predecessor In the Blink of an Eye) to their list of must-reads, as should fans of well-written crime novels. While the topic of AI is prevalent in the story it did not feel to me to be science fiction, so those who are not usually readers of sci-fi should not dismiss this book on that score. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Leave No Trace, found it difficult to put down, and eagerly await another installment in the Kat and Lock series. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Trade Paperbacks for allowing me early access to this smart and intricately plotted tale.
As the Christmas holidays approach DCS Kat Frank is on the edge of depression. She lost her husband unexpectedly the previous year, her son has left their home to attend university, and she is rattling about the house alone. Her work is her tether to the real world and she pushes her boss to assign her and her relatively newly formed team, the FPU (Future Policing Unit) a real case rather than the the cold cases they have to date been given. Her four member team is unique in that her partner Lock is not a human partner, he is an AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detecting Entity), and this partnering of an AIDE with a team of detectives is a new experiment. Although initially reluctant to expand the team's remit to working a live case (as he is somewhat hostile to the concept of AIDEs, fearing that they will replace rather than enhance existing police personnel) her boss relents when the dead body of a young man is found naked and gruesomely displayed in an isolated area. With little in the way of forensic evidence and no clear motive (could the killer be the victim's fiancee, or perhaps someone from his professional life?), this will prove to be both a frustrating and a highly visible case for the FPU, especially when another dead body is found similarly displayed. With public perception mixed on whether having an AIDE involved is wise and fears of a serial killer on the loose are putting the area on edge, the pressure is on from all sides for the team to identify a suspect and make an arrest ASAP...but Kat isn't convinced that any of their suspects are actually guilty of the crime despite what Lock's algorithm indicates. Data driven logic clashes with instinct and experience...can they find a way to incorporate both sides in time to prevent another killing?
Leave No Trace is a fantastic thriller, a classic British detective story with a. contemporary twist. As we all come to terms with the growing presence of AI in each of our lives, whether or not we like the concept or understand how it works, here the reader is presented with the ethical questions, practical limitations and amazing possibilities that such a tool could bring to policing. Lock can comb through hundreds of thousands of social media posts in seconds, saving the countless hours of human effort needed to achieve the same results, but the search is ultimately only as good as the instructions given. Kat herself has reason to distrust the efficacy of AI (her husband was initially misdiagnosed by someone using AI as a diagnostic tool, and the delayed diagnosis and treatment may have contributed to the ultimate failure to save his life), but also has Lock to thank for saving her son's life during a previous investigation. Many issues currently faced by law enforcement in the UK and beyond...diversity in the workforce, perceived lack of transparency and inequities in the way situations are handled depending upon the identity of the victim and/or perpetrator to name a few...are woven into the plot One of the team members and the professor who created the AIDE have each had less than positive experiences with law enforcement and bring their own reservations and biases to the job. Interesting and well-developed characters and a gripping mystery combine to form an excellent novel, and with it a fascinating premise. This is the second book in the series, but it can easily read as a standalone. Readers of authors like Jenny O'Brien, Val McDermid and Imran Mahmood should add this book (and its predecessor In the Blink of an Eye) to their list of must-reads, as should fans of well-written crime novels. While the topic of AI is prevalent in the story it did not feel to me to be science fiction, so those who are not usually readers of sci-fi should not dismiss this book on that score. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Leave No Trace, found it difficult to put down, and eagerly await another installment in the Kat and Lock series. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Trade Paperbacks for allowing me early access to this smart and intricately plotted tale.