EXCERPT: Roberta was aware she was screaming. 'Where did that car go? she was shouting in the woman's face, flecking her skin with saliva. She plunged her hands into her pockets, grabbing only the silky lining and fresh air, frantically searching for her phone. It was on the dashboard of the car. James had called. She'd put it back in the cradle on the dashboard. After she had moaned about Sholto, how horrible he was, how noisy.
Well, her world was quiet now.
'Where did it go?' She heard the screeching of a banshee. She knew it was her, but she couldn't stop herself.
Now Barry was stopping people, the woman at the auto bank, the teenager walking the pug, another customer. Roberta scanned them, her finger held horizontally, pointing at each one, thinking that one of them could have taken the baby; one of them must have seen something they were not telling her. It was a conspiracy. They were all in it together. Cars do not disappear, not in that short period of time. How long had it been?
She heard the word "Duster".
'What? What?' She wiped the snot from her face.
The teenager with the pug pointed. 'Look, there's a blue Duster parked around there.' Just as the man who worked the front till for Barry shouted something from the end of the road and waved up the side street.
Roberta ran to the corner, to the narrow road that led to the small car park behind the shops. Not somewhere to leave a car on a rainy, darkening night. Not somewhere she would have parked. She thought she had been careful.
The Duster was there. She stopped dead, registering the number plate. Then began moving quickly again, almost laughing. Somebody had played a little joke and she had fallen for it. She could see the front seat, the outline of Sholto's car seat, still in its place. She ripped open the door. Wrapped up warm in his yellow blanket, the baby was there. He was fine.
He was quiet, he was gurgling and content.
She pulled down his fluffy blue coverlet trimmed with creamy fluffy lambs.
And then she started screaming.

ABOUT 'THE SUFFERING OF STRANGERS': When a six-week-old baby is stolen from outside a village shop, Detective Inspector Costello quickly surmises there's more to this case than meets the eye. As she questions those involved, she uncovers evidence that this was no impulsive act as the police initially assumed, but something cold, logical, meticulously planned. Who has taken Baby Sholto ? and why?

Colin Anderson meanwhile is on the Cold Case Unit, reviewing the unsolved rape of a young mother back in 1996. Convinced this wasn't the first ? or last - time the attacker struck, Anderson looks for a pattern. But when he does find a connection, it reaches back into his own past . . .

MY THOUGHTS: The Suffering of Strangers is #9 in the Anderson and Costello series, a wonderfully realistic and gritty series set in Glasgow. Now, just a wee word of warning: this is a series that does need to be read in order because sometimes the cases overlap from one book to the next - as is the case in this book.

There is a lot of grim reading in this book - child abduction, domestic abuse, rape, missing persons and human trafficking. The Anderson and Costello team have been split up with Anderson having been sent to re-examine cold cases and Costello to the domestic violence unit.

There are multiple storylines within The Suffering of Strangers. Ramsay juggles these with ease, resulting in a tense and absorbing read. The plot is complex and riveting. One of the team members becomes personally involved, a historic act coming home to roost. It was most surprising and, well, almost comforting.

The characters are every bit as important as the plot. Past events weigh heavily on our characters and somewhat influence their decisions in the present - not always wisely.

Ramsay doesn't pull her punches. Some of this is quite harrowing to read, but all is relevant and timely. She highlights the inadequacies of the social services, but also their lack of support for burnt out and overworked staff, and the consequences of the system not working as it should.

A gritty and rewarding read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#SufferingOfStrangersthe #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Caro Ramsay was born and educated in Glasgow. She has been writing stories since she was five years old, developing a keen interest in crime fiction.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Severn House for providing a digital ARC of The Suffering of Strangers by Caro Ramsay for review. I apologise sincerely for taking so long to read this. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

An Anderson and Costello thriller from Caro Ramsay always brings the promise of a gripping story and unsettling themes. This is the 9th book in the series, it can be read and enjoyed without reading the earlier titles (though returning readers will likely get more satisfaction/reward from the character developments).

The Suffering of Strangers has two main investigations for the reader to follow. Colin Anderson is investigating cold case crimes and turns his attention to an unsolved rape case. Anderson knows the victim and also knows the long-lasting consequences of the attack.

DI Costello also has a harrowing case to contend with. A baby has been taken. Left unattended in his mother’s car for just a few short minutes, baby Shoto is gone – in his place is another baby. A swap. An exchange. A nightmare for Shoto’s parents. Costello will need to work with child services to try to track down new mothers who may now be caring for a child that is not their own.

Two extremely emotive crimes and Caro Ramsay tackles them brilliantly to ensure the horror and consequence of each is forefront in the narrative. This is a well crafted police procedural where the investigations are diligently pursued by the lead characters and the reader gets the real feeling of being included in their quest for the truth.

On a personal note, I love reading books where the location can play a key role in the development of the plot. Glasgow shines in The Suffering of Strangers and while no spoilers are permitted in my reviews, the city and its history has a fascinating contribution to make and this delivered a very unexpected twist in proceedings.

Both investigations will bring surprises and by the end of the book there will be significant changes to the lives of Costello and Anderson. This story will shape things to come.

Hugely enjoyable reading. If Caro’s books are not on your radar yet then I urge you to grab a copy of The Suffering of Strangers and start catching up on this terrific series.

This Scottish police procedural started off really well, with a mother having her baby stolen and a storyline that moves at pace and despite being one of a series, it does stand alone as an OK read. My issue was that there are so many characters I honestly couldn't keep track and this ended up spoiling the read for me. It just became too confusing.

It is well crafted and wraps up well, with an element of cliff hanger for the next book. However, it just felt too much like hard work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest review.

Scottish author Ramsay delves into some really harrowing, and important, issues in her latest Costello and Anderson tale. The pair are operating in different units now, and each is plunged into a tricky, testing case.

Detective Inspector Costello is trying to find a missing baby, snatched from outside some village shops. Colin Anderson is on the cold case unit, reviewing the rape of a young mother back in the mid 1990s.

Ramsay writes in a straightforward manner with little frills, delivering via character and plot. Plenty happens in this tale, with some nice action and a layered plotline. There are some memorable supporting characters and situations that really test our two 'heroes'. Overall a good solid crime read that is unafraid to address some really tough issues.

This is the 9th book in this Scottish police procedural featuring DI Costello and DCI Colin Anderson.

Costello is called to investigate when someone snatches a baby from a parked car. The mother left him for just a moment and when she came out of the store, the car and her baby were both missing. The car was found a couple of blocks away and at first, mom thought the baby was safe. But the baby still in the car is not hers.

Costello finds evidence that this was not a random abduction .... this was a very well planned detail. So who would want to trade babies? And why these particular babies?

Anderson is in the Cold Case Unit, reviewing old cases. The one he comes across is assault of a young mother back in 1996. The man responsible has never been caught. Colin sees a pattern in that this was not the first woman assaulted by this man, nor the last. What he ultimately finds will change his life forever.

When the two cases dovetail, the expectation of danger explodes. Full of twist and turns, the ending was such a surprise! Without having read any of the previous books, I'm not sure what the relationship between the two has been like. It comes across now that they don't really like each other, although they respect each other's work.

The book is well-written with unique characters. Although 9th in the series, this can be read as a stand-alone, but the joy of reading would be much greater if started from the first. I look forward to the further adventures of Costello and Anderson.

Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Suffering Of Strangers is the ninth in Caro Ramsay's Costello & Anderson series, set in Glasgow and, like the others in the series, The Suffering of Strangers is explosive, human and relevant.
Hot on the heels of receiving a bashing in court over a child abuse case which led to a child's death, Costello is at her lowest. Relationship problems, a breakdown in communication with her one time work partner, Colin Anderson and an unfortunate meeting with a rough sleeper, who turns out not to be a rough sleeper, sets the scene.
Then, still smarting from her defeat in court, Costello is put in charge of an unusual baby abduction case. Baby Sholto, taken from his mother's car, is replaced by an unidentified little Dons baby, later named Moses.
Unable to get a handle on what's going on, Costello begins to suspect some sort of child trafficking/surrogacy scam.
Meanwhile, Anderson, in the cold case unit, is put in charge of recruiting a rape victim to be the poster face of police Scotland. When he discovers he has a personal connection with the proposed candidate and Costello reveals a tenuous link between the two cases, Anderson and Costello and the rest of their old team are reunited.
What grabs me about these books is Costello herself. With her usual directness, anger and indignation, Costello ruffles feathers as she dogmatically ploughs her way through the investigation with determination and disregard fro the niceties of life. She is a star character and I love her.
This is a fast paced, enjoyable read which addresses a shed load of issues, from organised trafficking, to forced surrogacy, to child abuse, to misogyny. Highly recommended.

A superb exponent of Tartan Noir with a multilayered complex storyline that tackles difficult issues. Rape, child abduction, domestic abuse and baby procurement. The story is complex and took a lot to follow at the beginning when so many characters were telling their part of the story and so needs concentration to work through but it is well worth the effort. . Anderson and Costello team come together again with some of their other sidekicks to provide a highly readable police procedural. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this bpook

"The Suffering of Strangers" is a clever, well-written police procedural set in Scotland. It's the ninth book in the "Anderson and Costello" series, but the first I've read. I thought I could jump right in with no problems, but I had a hard time figuring out who's who and how they were related. I eventually determined that DCI Colin Anderson used to work along side DI Costello, but some traumatic event led to Anderson being assigned to work cold cases and the rest of the team separated. A lot of side characters are also introduced in the early chapters, and I had a hard time figuring out what the main storyline was.

Once all the major characters were introduced and I got a handle on the main investigations in which Costello works an unusual case of a baby disappearing from a parked car and Anderson look into who attacked a young woman walking to a local shop, I became more involved in the story. The book deals with some difficult subjects like assaults against women and child abuse, but the topics are tastefully handled. The last few chapters are tense, suspenseful, and haunting. Developments at the end of the story are intriguing and even though I was at a disadvantage not having read the prior books in this series, I would love to see what happens next for Costello and Anderson.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Baby trafficking.

DI Costello is hoping for an early night. Time to have a meal, wash her hair and try to restore her damaged ego after the pounding she had received in the recent court case which eventually found Bernadette Kissel guilty of gross negligence of her baby. As she is about to reach home she receives a call. A mother, Roberta Chisholm, had come out of the off-licence to find that her six-week-old baby boy, Sholto, who she had left in the car for only a few minutes had been stolen and replaced with a Down Syndrome baby.

Costello realises that there is a lot more to this story than a one baby being swapped for another and so the search for Sholto starts and Costello quickly discovers that other babies have been sold. They need to find Sholto before he is sold as well.

I found the storyline excellent and thought-provoking and that alone deserves a full five stars. However, I am still feeling frustrated as I didn’t understand who or what or how certain characters seemed to fit into the picture. DCI Colin Anderson was obviously Costello’s boss (still is) but why is there animosity between them? Why is Anderson now in Cold Cases? What happened to DS Viktor Mulholland and DC Gordon Wyngate to keep them office-bound? Yes, of course, I could read the previous books to find the answers, but surely authors must realise that people might see a book and think it sounds like a perfect read, not knowing that there is a series with history on the protagonists?

I’m not sure how one can overcome these barriers – does the author need to include some kind of explanation into their latest book filling in some details that might help a new reader?

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is a Scottish police procedural featuring DI Costello and Anderson . Costello is investigating an abduction of a six week old baby and a baby left in its place ! Anderson is working in the Cold Case Unit . Their paths soon cross . I loved this book ! Intense and gritty mystery with a remarkable well written plot ! Truly fabulous characters ! I highly recommend !!! Thanks to #Netgalley , #SevernHouse , #SevernHousePublishers for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #SufferingOfStrangers

I would like to thank Severn House Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Suffering Of Strangers’ by Caro Ramsay in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Roberta parks her car outside a local shop with six-weeks-old Sholto in his baby seat but when she returns the car has been moved to a nearby road, Sholto taken and a different baby left in his place. This novel is one of the Anderson and Costello Police Procedural series set in Scotland and features Di Costello working in Domestic Abuse, desk-bound colleagues Wyngate and Mulholland, and DCI Colin Anderson currently with the Cold Cases unit.
This is the first of Caro Ramsay’s novels I’ve read in the series and as this could be number 9 I feel I’ve missed out somewhat on the relationships between characters. Nevertheless, this is a tense novel that involves the selling of babies and complex family entanglements that I found enthralling. There are a lot of characters involved which are at times slightly confusing but it has a strong plot and a surprising ending. This novel is well worth reading although I would recommend starting from the beginning of the series.

Really well done and complex procedural with unique (seriously) crimes. The gritty city of Glasgow looms large, almost another character, in this latest entry into a long running series which I have not read (well, I read one of them). That wasn't a problem, however, because Ramsay does a good job of wrapping you into her world. Costello is investigating an odd crime, where someone swaps out a baby and then another child goes missing. Anderson is dealing with rape cases and finds himself reaching out to an old girlfriend who was brutally assaulted years before. There's an "underground" of sorts with runaways, domestic violence, and other problems but throughout it all it's the interplay of the detectives that shines through. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a winner.

I always enjoy this series of books featuring Anderson and Costello and set in Glasgow. The book opens with the abduction of a 6 week old baby and Costello begins the investigation. Anderson is now in the Cold Case Unit and their paths soon merge as they join forces once again. There are so many characters to come to grips with at the start and the plot is very detailed, concentration is required! This is another really good read from Caro Ramsay with snippets of Glasgow history woven throughout the plot. A very well written police procedural which I would recommend to lovers of the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Facebook and Goodreads.

This is wonderfully gritty series that I have read from the beginning featuring DCI Colin Anderson and DI Costello set in Glasgow. This is a stellar addition, with a highlight being Caro Ramsay's impressive and complex plotting, and her skilful juggling of multiple storylines. Much of the subject matter is grim, rape, child abduction, domestic abuse, and the suffering that takes place behind closed doors, and being well off does not preclude horrors taking place in the home. The old police team is split, Colin is whiling his time looking at cold cases, and Costello is placed in the domestic violence unit. Vik Mulholland and Gordon Wyngate are on desk duties, but sorely missing their old team, wishing they were out there, in the thick of the action. Colin is looking into a rape case from the past with his superiors wanting a past victim to front a current campaign. Costello is called out on the odd abduction of 6 week old Sholto, taken from his mother's car, but replaced with a downs syndrome child, Moses. Is the perpetrator a mother experiencing mental health issues or something more sinister?

An ex-lover of Colin's from University, Sally was raped and badly assaulted, and the police feel she might well be a suitable candidate for the campaign. A reluctant Colin finds himself revisiting his past, still harbouring a strong emotional attachment and hankering for Sally, a woman who has remained married to Andrew. Costello finds herself with another missing baby, Polly, which added to Sholto and Moses, alerts her to strange cases of murdered women who had just given birth. She traces the disappearance of Polly's mother to a place where rumours persist of Glasgow's underground city of Grahamston. Costello returns a runaway teen, Malcolm, to his well to do home and his menacing stepfather, George Haggerty. She knows something is desperately wrong in Malcolm's home but powerless to act. Bit by bit, Anderson and Costello with the critical help of Mulholland and Wyngate begin to make the connections between their separate investigations, and the closer they get to the truth, the more their lives are endangered.

This is a dark, tense and compelling read with a gripping and suspenseful narrative. Ramsay gives us an intimate glimpse into the personal lives of Anderson, a lonely man, surrounded by people in relationships, including his daughter, Claire, and being wealthy is just no compensation. Costello's covert relationship with Archie Walker comes under pressure as she suspects him of having an affair with another woman. Unexpectedly, Colin finds his investigation have personal ramifications that come out of the blue which just might give his spirits a boost amidst the unfolding tragedies that are revealed. I just adore this series, and I always look forward with anticipation for the next in the series. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Severn House for an ARC.

Excellent story line and great main characters. I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend.

DI Costello is called in when an infant is kidnapped from outside a local shop. She quickly gleans that this was not an opportunistic kidnapping, but rather a well thought out plot. Has someone taken the baby to raise as their own, or is there something more sinister at play? At the same time, over on the Cold Case Squad, Anderson is looking into a sexual assault that occurred decades earlier, because he’s got the feeling that the past was most likely a serial offender. As always, Ramsay delivers a solid Scottish police procedural that will entertain her legion of fans

I broke my own series rule with this series coming into it from book 6, only breaking after that one to go back to read book one prior to continuing from book seven. As I have loved all subsequent books I can safely say that, although there must be things I have missed, it hasn't impeded my enjoyment of any of them.
So, Anderson and Costello are now no longer working together with Anderson safely ensconced on the cold case unit currently looking into the unsolved rape of a young woman back in the nineties. Meanwhile, still on the front line working in the Domestic Abuse task force, Costello is tasked with investigating the disappearance of a very young baby from a car parked outside a village shop. Was this just a random, opportunistic snatching or has someone targeted the young child and family? And more importantly, who is the child that has been left in his place? If that wasn't enough, Costello is also called to assist with the case of a missing young mother who, along with her hardly seen baby, social services are concerned about. Calling on help from two ex-colleagues who are currently desk bound, can Costello cut through the noise and figure out what is happening to the children in her town? And what exactly does Anderson discover when he digs deeper in his own case?
The early chapters of this book were a little busy with many characters and told from quite a few POVs. This did settle down after a while and I was very glad of that as I did struggle a wee bit initially. I also missed the interaction, banter and bickering between Anderson and Costello initially too but, when their paths did cross, I definitely saw glimpses of the old partnership shining through. Wyngate and Mulholland bravely took over the mantle of banterers-in-chief quite admirably as they were forced together by being desk bound so I did get my fix there instead!
I can't really say much more about the investigations as to do so would contain spoilers and I won't do that but I can say that Anderson gets more than he bargains for with his investigation when it takes a turn that takes it a little close to home for him. Suffice to say that both threads were quite credible and a little scary at times as they are both quite emotive subjects.
One of the things I do like about this series is the police procedure side of things. Sometimes I find that this side of things falls into place a little too easily sometimes but here, it is usually chaotic and more is made of the investigative side of things; dead ends and the like, so to me anyway, it comes across as more real than some.
The way that our duo come together again is also well done and doesn't come across as contrived. I was a little upset that their team had been split up as, as already mentioned, they all work really well together but, I understand why it had to be. i was very happy to say the least when eventually their paths' merged and they were coupled together once again.
All in all, a good addition to this author's catalogue. I really must go back and read books 2-5 to complete the series. I just wish I had more time.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This is the 9th in the Anderson and Costello series, but my 1st.
It certainly won't be my last though...I loved this book: the characters, the story, the setting of Glasgow, the writing; absolutely everything! Fantastic, what a thrilling read.
A 6-week old baby is kidnapped, another baby put in his place. This baby has Down's Syndrome - did a depressed and overwhelmed mother want to swap her baby for a "normal" one or is something much more sinister going on?
Costello now working in the Domestic Abuse Unit and is working the case as well as one in which a young mother escapes out a window when a Social Worker is visiting her.
In the meantime Anderson is investigating cold cases, one in particular is an old rape case. Wyngate and Mulholland are on desk duty. By the way, love their banter!
It was a little difficult trying to figure out their histories, which is why I'm determined to read the previous books. However, that didn't take away from my pleasure reading this book, it made me pay attention and slow down my usually rapid pace. I didn't want to miss a thing! Great book, can't recommend it highly enough.

Although this is the ninth in the series this is my introduction to Anderson & Costello, Scottish detectives. This can be read as a standalone but the need to assimilate a host of characters with their own back stories was, at times, a bit confusing. That said – I loved this book.

Costello is now working in the domestic abuse unit whilst Anderson is now on cold case investigations. Wyngate and Mulholland are on desk duties and miss their old team. The back drop is Glasgow. Written in the third person the plot unfolds in a linear fashion although at times we have different voices presenting their view. This was somewhat confusing but after a while the main perspectives were that of Costello and Anderson and everything was less confusing. I must stress though, that I was never confused enough to abandon the book. No, from the outset I was hooked. The characters are brilliant and the unveiling of the plot ensured that I was hooked (just loved Wyngate and Mulholland).

Costello is called in to investigate the disappearance of a six year old baby, left sleeping in his car seat whilst his overwrought mother pops into a shop for a few minutes. Curiously her baby has been swapped for another baby boy. Meanwhile Anderson is involved in a historic rape case. As is the wont in detective fiction the two cases/detectives become entwined.

All in all, a brilliant police procedural. All in all, a brilliant read. I couldn’t fault it; I couldn’t put it down. Loved it.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House for an advance copy of The Suffering of Strangers, the ninth novel to feature Glasgow based detectives Anderson and Costello.

The MIT team Anderson led has been split up. He is now running the Cold Case Unit, Costello is in the Domestic Abuse unit and Wyngate and Mulholland are on desk duties. Costello is called out to the disappearance of a six week old baby but the circumstances are so strange she quickly comes to the conclusion that the abduction was planned meticulously and further investigation widens that theory considerably. In the meantime Anderson is considering re-opening a 1996 rape case but again the case widens until he is working with Costello and the old team again.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Suffering of Strangers and was glued to the pages from start to finish. It has a detailed plot and a large array of characters so concentration is required which, while not difficult to follow, makes it a grown up book. Of course, the setting of my home town, Glasgow, adds to my enjoyment as I know some of the locations and understand the humour in the dialogue.

The novel is a third person narrative with a linear timeline which is definitely my preferred format although I was not so keen on the initial multiple points of view which is distracting as you try to work out the relevance of each character. Fortunately it soon settles down into mainly Anderson and Costello. Without giving too much away I found that some parts of Anderson's investigation stretched my credulity to the limit but it is compulsive reading so I guess it doesn't matter too much. Costello's investigation, on the other hand, is frighteningly plausible although I'm not sure about the practicalities of it. I found the ethical issues raised by the investigation interesting and it put some of the arguments into perspective although none of them are new.

Anderson and Costello are like an old married couple in that they trust each other implicitly but their day to day interactions can be less than cordial which adds some spice and humour to the dialogue.

The Suffering of Strangers is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.