This is the third outing for AIDE Lock, an AI hologram who is once again the voice of measured reason in this police investigation. DCS Kat Frank, one of the team members of The Future Policing Unit, is called in to investigate the remains of a person on a riverbank. The torso is missing both hands and the head. Running parallel to the investigative story is news of a podcast which is delving into Frank’s handling of a previous case dubbed The Aston Strangler, and the presenter forensically sifts through the evidence behind the conviction. The host takes the view that there were many unsafe aspects of the conviction, thoroughly undermining Frank’s competency. Then a second body is found…. This is a detective series that is inventive and full of information. The digestion of strawberries features and apparently the human digestive system cannot break down the seed of the fruit and herein is evidence that is useful to the team. I really love tidbits of learning when I am reading and throughout this has some very interesting features as the team delves into the main case. Of course the main thrust of the storyline is the relationship between Kat Frank and AIDE Lock. She works by looking at the bigger picture, with a good deal of subjective sleuthing, intuition and policing experience, developing hypotheses to move forward on her cases. Lock, however, maintains absolute objectivity and is able to reinforce his position with evidence from the internet and research that he can assimilate within microseconds. He has access to huge databases of information which he presents, and the two have to negotiate and meld their skills, which is skilfully and engagingly handled. And therein lies the unusual and compelling premise of the series. This is a terrifically engaging and unique series which will captivate even those readers (like me) who aren’t fans of fantastical storylines.

The DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock series has fast become one of my favourite crime/police series and so I was very eagerly looking forward to reading book three, Human Remains. As expected I loved it. The main story at first appears to be the discovery of a headless and handless body on a farm and the team's investigation into what happened and who the body belongs to. However, it's not long before Kat's biggest case comes back to haunt her, that of the Aston Strangler. Kat solved the case back then but now a podcast is casting doubt as to whether the right person was caught and imprisoned. The team are back together and one of the strongest thing about this series is the characterisations and the way that individual members of the team interact with Lock, not to mention the sheer brilliance of Lock itself. The AI detective is brilliantly written and portrayed and I love how it can read hundreds of articles in seconds, or watch numerous TV series in the same amount of time. There's no denying it is a huge help within the team in terms of doing the work that it would take a human days or weeks to get through, but some developments in this book really highlighted the potential for AI to be misused or relied on too heavily. I was absolutely gripped by this book, particularly the last third or so where the pace accelerated rather quickly. I'm desperate now for book four, especially because of how this one ended. Talk about chilling! Human Remains is an absolutely fantastic and thoroughly absorbing read and I very highly recommend it and the whole series so far.

This is the third book in the Kat & Lock series, & my favourite so far. I love this partnership - DCS Kat Frank, leading the Future Policing Unit & AIDE Lock, the sassy AI detecting entity. The remains of a body are discovered by a fisherman on farmland. Kat & her team are called in & soon rumours are rife that it is a more recent victim of the Aston Strangler - but they died in prison didn’t they? A local podcast is also throwing doubt on the conviction & Kat starts to feel the pressure. Then another body is found… A gripping & fast paced read which had me rapidly turning pages to the tumultuous conclusion. I am very wary of AI but Lock has this way about ‘him’ (it) which draws you in &, what’s more, he is learning. Learning all the time, & where will it lead I wonder? A brilliant read & highly recommended.

The third book in the series set in Warwickshire and featuring DCS Kat Frank and AIDE Lock. Just in case you haven’t read the two previous books, if not why not, you really should, let me explain. AIDE stands for Artificially Intelligent Detecting Entity, yes AIDE Lock is the world’s first AI Detective, and believe me the more books in the series you read the more likely this seems! The author has invented one of the best crime duos around today and some great crimes for them to solve too. Briefly, when the remains of a body are discovered along a river bank Kat and her Future Policing Unit are called into action. However, when a second body is discovered there are fears that the Aston Strangler is still out there. But he died in prison or did he? When a local podcast raises suspicions about the conviction, pressure builds on Kat but dare she admit the truth? Will her hologram colleague discover the real reason she refuses to talk about what made her so certain she had the right murderer? This really is a great read, probably my favourite of the series, although they are all brilliant. AI is a controversial subject but in this setting, policing, it seems to me that properly regulated this can only be a good thing. A tense read full of twists and turns and I read in a day I was so engrossed. In an explosive and shocking finale this book has everything including Kat’s discovery that Lock may want more than is ethical or realistic. Ha ha I’m not telling. You need to read it. Fabulous book.

Jo Callaghan ‘s books just get better and better! This is the third in the Kat and Lock series and it has built on the success of the first two. In ‘Human Remains’ the team investigating a new murder case, against the background of one of Kat’s earlier cases being changed in a popular true crime podcast. I absolutely love Jo’s writing and characterisation. The way that she is developing AIDE Lock to develop more nuanced feelings and decisions, setting thought provoking questions about the role of AI and policing as a whole. I would wholeheartedly recommend the entire series