Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan

 Leave No Trace

 by Jo Callaghan 

Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan was published on 28th March 2024 by Simon and Schuster.
My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

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, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – and DCS Kat Frank are thrust into the spotlight as they are given their first live case. But with the discovery of another man’s body – also crucified – it appears that their killer is only just getting started... The police issue a controversial warning to local men to be vigilant: do not walk home alone at night, do not leave a pub with a stranger… The Future Policing Unit is thrust into a hostile media frenzy as they desperately search for connections between the victims. But time is running out for them to join the dots, so they must combine their human instinct and algorithms to catch the killer before the strike again. For if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop – until they are made to. 'A smart, agile, immaculately plotted and moving thriller that is unswervingly gripping and scary, and at the same time beautifully tender and humane.


My Review

What can I say ? where to start with what I say ? Can I do it justice ? These are the questions going over and over in my mind as I start this review.

I was absolutely blown away by the narrative and the storyline from this incredibly competent author and , I am ashamed to say , this is the first book  I have read by her as I didn't catch on when she released In The Blink Of An Eye , though I have since rectified that .

I can honestly say that Jo Callaghan with Leave No Trace has just earned herself a place in my top three favourite authors of new Detective novels alongside Mari Hannah and Tim Sullivan, and this is no mean feat of achievement as I take a lot of convincing before rearranging my list and I won't say who she has just replaced in the top three. !!!!!!!

So, about the book, I was absolutely gripped from the very first page which sent a chill down my spine as the killer is watching their first victim. It will make you check your door and close the curtains as it did with me. The way , and manner, in how the murderer works makes for incredibly compelling reading and there are new slants that appear throughout the book that has you trying to analyse the killer and what is going on in their mind and why.

Using AI as a detective had me intrigues , and yes I know there is a lot of speculation around the of AI in all walks of life at the moment , and quite rightly so, and I did find myself looking at the different positives and negatives that present themselves as the storyline progresses as a result. There is one moment near the end of the book when  I could have hugged AIDE Lock, if that were possible, as it gave something so important at a time of need.

The last word from me is " When is Jo going to publish her third book " as the ending has left me gripped with anticipation.


About the Author



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 long listed 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.



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