A scene made up of only twenty-five shots can be edited in approximately 39,999,999,999,999,999,999, 999,999 different ways. In the Blink of an Eye predicts the near future when police officers and their AI counterparts will work hand-in-holographic-hand. There are moments which kind of make the skin crawl, and I certainly didn’t see that conclusion coming. The case itself is as intriguing as the new partnership between Lock and Kat, and at times quote chilling.

What makes Data so entertaining is the opportunity for humour in misunderstanding between the AI and the humans. Whereas an experienced doctor studies you, takes an xray, and determines that the cause of the pain is probably a pinched nerve up in your shoulder—you just happen to feel it in your elbow. Murch has taken years of experience in the film industry and poured them into this work of theory and art. I’ve had this in my collection since early last year having seen in on BBCs Between the Covers and spent far too long not reading it. Much like the conversation, the rhythm must be found and this will dictate whether to hold a shot or cut sharply.Kat is requested to work alongside a new trial ‘Detective’, an initiative being pushed very heavily by Government and something that cannot be refused. It also allows that engagement between those in human form and their AI colleague in a more natural way. S.’s finest decades of cinema, the 1970s, Walter Murch is part psychologist philosopher and part editor in this short treatise on film editing. A fresh and intriguing detective double act – I fell hard for all-too-human Kat and her AI colleague Lock .

The humour and dialogue was fabulous and you really need to believe the hype – because it’s so fresh and original that I wasn’t able to put it down. The wider team - Lock's programmer, Professor Okonedo, DI Rayan Hassan, and DS Debbie Browne - are all very unique characters, who add a real sense of authenticity and texture to the book. One thing reading this book has made me realise is that I need to re-read Asimov's 1953 novel The Caves of Steel, which features a (far future) detective Elijah Bailey who is teamed up with the robotic detective R. In any conversation, as your navigate different thoughts in your head, you blink naturally at the appropriate places in the discussion.It has really short chapters with a lot of repetition, very reminiscent of your average self help lecture. I’m very late in reading this book, particularly as I’ve had it on my TBR for so long, but I’m very glad I’ve now caught up as it was a brilliant story with a truly fascinating premise, and blended the thrills, mystery and humour in a way that I loved. Along the way, he offers his unique insights on such subjects as continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming, and reality; criteria for a good cut; the blink of the eye as an emotional cue; digital editing; and much more. The way the pictures collide together when mounted on the wall may lead to a new way of looking at things.

Much as I love a crime novel, the market is flooded and it’s hard to find one that really stands out. In The Blink of An Eye explores the potential future of technology with an in-depth, unforgettable look at grief and humanity, and how surprisingly, one can aide the other.

One can only hope that elements of the AI character are going to be available to our police forces soon, to assist them in the war against crime and criminals.

Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). The pacy, timed and dated chapters add to the sense of speed and excitement and, especially when the italicised chapters are interspersed, there’s a feeling of dread and menace that is all consuming. In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought -- provoking essay on film editing. Started it just before my holiday and I had to bring the book to Budapest with me so I could continue reading!

If you are on a tour, you do want the guide to point things out for you, of course, but some of the time you just want to walk around and see what you see.