#BookReview: Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan @JoCallaghanKat @simonschusterUK @SimonSaysBooks #LeaveNoTrace #JoCallaghan #CrimeFiction #5Stars

Book 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. With the police warning local men to be vigilant, 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 and prevent another death.
 
For if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop – until they are made to.

My Review:

Leave No Trace is another gripping, thought provoking book in what is quickly becoming my favourite crime series. It’s going to be a difficult book to review as I really don’t want to give anything away.

Firstly it was great to be back with DCI Kate and her team, especially as I’d grown so fond of them in the first book. The author does a great job of describing the action so that the reader feels like they are actually there as part of the team, watching all the action unfold. I loved following all the characters and discovering more about what had been happening in their lives. All of the team had hidden problems that they were struggling with and it was quite poignant at times to see how much this was affecting them. I especially liked seeing Kat grown in confidence during this book and stand up for herself more.

As with the first book the author sets out a compelling case for the use of AI in police work. I found it fascinating, though a bit frightening, to find out more about what AI could be capable of – especially that it could be capable of human emotions. It was interesting to see it’s limitations too and to understand why it wouldn’t be a good alternative to a real life police officer.

The murder investigation was really interesting and I enjoyed trying to solve it alongside the characters. The investigation throws up some very thought provoking issues which I enjoyed learning more about, especially seeing the different perspectives it throws up which would be very different if it was happening to another group of people. I loved seeing how the investigation unravelled and the reasons for the murders which was different to anything else I’d read before.

Overall, as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more in this series. The book is fast paced, with short chapters which make it very easy to read. I quickly found myself hiding away in the kitchen to try and read a little bit more. There were lots of twists to keep me guessing and I liked that I wasn’t able to guess who the murderer was until the end.

Huge thanks to Rhys the rep for Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book. If you’re a fan of crime fiction then you need to read this book.

About The Author:

Jo works full-time as a senior strategist, where she has carried out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019, she started writing In The Blink of An Eye. She lives with her two children in the Midlands, where she is currently writing the third novel in the Kat and Lock series.