Human Remains – Jo Callaghan

Published By: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 384
Released On: 24/04/2025

Fresh from successfully closing their first live case, the Future Policing Unit are called in to investigate when a headless, handless body is found on a Warwickshire farm. But as they work to identify the victim and their killer, the discovery of a second body begins to spark fears that The Aston Strangler is back. And as the stakes rise for the team, so do the tensions brewing within it.

When DCS Kat Frank is accused of putting the wrong man behind bars all those years ago, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – pursues the truth about what happened with relentless logic. But Kat is determined to keep the past buried, and when she becomes the target of a shadowy figure looking for revenge, Lock is torn between his evidence-based algorithms and the judgement of his partner, with explosive results.  

When everything hangs in the balance, it will all come down to just how much an AI machine can learn, and what happens when they do . . .

*****

Thanks to Anne at Random Things Book Tours for the gifted copy of this title in return for an honest review and spot on the book tour.

I’m sure that anyone who has read this series absolutely loves it – and I’m no different. The first book, In the Blink Of An Eye, and the sequel Leave No Trace, were so amazing that I have been lusting after a copy of the third installment ever since book two was released.

AI Lock is as blunt and unintentionally funny as he always is. And Kat…well I’ve always loved her, I think she’s great. She’s had a tough time personally and professionally, and she isn’t perfect, makes mistakes, but she works with what she has and she’s good at what she does. And for some reason, I always imagine Kat is Jo Callaghan.

I’m a bit iffy with AI on the whole, especially in the literary and publishing industries. However, I can definitely see uses for it and I think policing – as long as it doesn’t take away frrom human nature, common sense, and gut feelings – could benefit from AI, especially with the background research side.

What I love about this series, and impresses me, is that at the very basic level, all three books are the same – a police force trying to solve a crime, in this case, murder. But Jo has given us enough t that stops it from being repetitive, but gives us enough that we recognise that there’s a sense of familiarity and you can feel it’ll be as good as the previous ones.

I read it in one day, like I knew I would. It’s so absorbing and addictive that I just couldn’t keep away. I have been lucky to receive a proof copy of books 1 and 3, and an e-arc of book 2 (I may have to buy a physical copy of book 2 to complete the set) and I’m holding on to them. I usually get rid of books I’ve already read but I can’t seem to part frrom them. But I do recommend them to everyone I meet. They’re thrillers, crime novels, police procedurals, but with an added spark.

It has so many layers to it, so much depth. There’s lots of twists and turns and there’s this thread that runs through all the books to link it as one series. How Jo has balanced all of this, giving us more of what we want but without overwhelming it, is frankly, genius.

There’s a lot more about ethics in this one. What constitutes a person? Is a human inherently more important and valued than a machine? Do humanoids deserve the same rights as a human? Where does technology end and humanity begin? It’s great food for thought.

I don’t know how long Jo plans to make this series in the end, but I really can’t imagine there not being a new one to read. It perfectly slots onto the shelf of classic crime fiction. Even if it does have more of a modern edge than your Poirot’s and whatnot.

If possible, I’d say this one blows the other two out of the water, and they were pretty damn perfect.

I truly hope Jo is going to be at the Theakston’s Literary Festival in Harrogate this year, because it’ll be my first time there and I would just love the opportunity to thank her in person for these books, and portraying the complexities of grief in such a sensitive and heartwarming way, which is something you don’t necessarily expect from this genre. She’s simple, exceptional.