DI Costello is faced with solving the mystery of a child who has been abducted. More to the point, the baby, a healthy girl, has been switched with a boy who has Downs Syndrome. As Costello follows leads, she finds that this is more than a one-issue case - there are connections to several other cases, both cold and current. DI Costello is not on her own, but she doesn't always work well with others. Nevertheless, the case unfolds with several surprising twists. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it with one caveat: for American readers, some of the Scottish words and phrases are puzzling. Context is a big help, but the librarian in me had me looking up unfamiliar words to make sure I had the right meaning.

This book can be read as a stand alone novel (which is what I did), but the reader would definitely benefit from having read earlier books in the series, as there are a number of recurring characters with significant past history that is referenced in and relevant to this story. The plot centers around missing babies and the mystery of who took them and why, as well as issues around infertility, issues with underfunding for social services, and conflict between the police and social service workers (who have similar overall objectives, but different priorities and procedures). The central plot is interesting and well developed, with some good surprises, including a set-up for another novel in the series. However, there are so many different characters, with various degrees of connection to other characters, that it was hard at times to keep track of some of them. Though it might have been easier if I had read the previous eight books in the series and therefore had developed a lengthy and deeper understanding of many of the recurring characters. There were also some plot twists that I did not particularly care for. A decent book, but I am not sure I would take the time to read the earlier books.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley.

A baby is taken from his mother’s car; in his place is a baby with Down Syndrome. The cold case review team is looking into a series of historical rapes. Do these have anything to do with each other?

This is number nine is a series featuring Glaswegian detectives Costello and Anderson. I haven’t read the prior novels, and, unfortunately, this made me fell that I had come in in the middle of something. A number of different characters were introduced and I really had to pay attention to keep them straight.

Despite that, I found this to be a satisfying police procedural that was an engrossing read.

Roberta (please call her 'Bobby') Chisholm is sleep deprived. Six-week-old Sholto doesn't ever seem to sleep, so Bobby's like a robot. There's a little light on the horizon, though: her husband James is up for a new job, which could mean quite a bit more money. When he rings to tell her that he's got it he's obviously over the moon and tells Bobby to go to the local shop and get a bottle of champagne so that they can celebrate. For once Sholto has dropped off to sleep and when Bobby gets to the shop she's reluctant to disturb him: surely there won't be a problem if she dashes into the shop to get the bubbly? She can keep an eye on the car through the shop window, but when she comes out, the car has gone...

... only to be found round the corner a few minutes later. But Sholto has gone and he's been replaced by a slightly younger baby with Down's Syndrome. It could have been coincidence that the next day DI Costello is faced with the problem of a woman who had a baby, but there doesn't seem to be a baby around when the social worker visits her and when push comes to shove the mother escapes out of the bathroom window with her suitcase. CCTV tracks her and a heavily-pregnant woman to a street in Glasgow - but then they both disappear.

Before I started to read The Suffering of Strangers I read Bookbag's reviews of two of Caro Ramsay's earlier books. I knew that I could look forward to what seemed like a cast of thousands and a complex plot. I wasn't disappointed. I knew too that I was joining a long-running and well-established series mid stream but I kept in mind that Ramsay fleshes out her characters well and I found it surprisingly easy to feel as though I was sitting in the middle of a busy office with them all around me. DCI Colin Anderson is now on cold cases - currently it's the rape of Gillian Witherspoon in August 1992. Costello's just emerging from a gruelling case of child abuse and her private life (what little time she gets for it) is looking a rather rocky.

It's a complex plot with threads involving child abuse and domestic violence, both of which are dealt with sensitively, but Ramsay makes it obvious that both exist where you least expect it. Most worrying to me was the trade in babies: numerous factors have meant that few healthy, white babies are put up for adoption and even then the tests to become a parent of one of these children are stringent and long lasting. They can of course be circumvented if only you have the five-to-six figure sum of money available. Is it illegal or is it just a 'private adoption'? Are the brokers simply putting a woman, who can't for one reason or another keep a baby, in touch with someone who is desperate to have one? And does the fact that a large sum of money has changed hands mean that the child will be loved?

Some books are satisfying. This was one of them and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'll definitely be looking out for the next in the Anderson and Costello series. I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

Seemingly disparate happenings in Glasgow are shown to be linked. A woman leaves her baby in her car for a couple of minutes and returns to find the car moved and the baby? Well that is what starts it all. Babies are the central theme to the story and DI Costello is in the centre trying to pull all the strands together.

Loved it.

A tense chilling page turner I was drawn right in to the story a book that kept me up late into the night.zThis is an author Imlook forward to grab all her books.#netgalley #blackthorn

To be fair, I didn't know this was the ninth book of a series when I started reading. In fact, I didn't know until I noticed a significant lack of backstory that I wondered about but wasn't getting any answers. There are also quite a few characters that I assume have been introduced throughout the series - at least I hope so because I wasn't really given enough on them here to get a good feel for them. That said, the writing is good and the case was interesting, not overly shocking on the twists but interesting. In the end, this one was an enjoyable enough read on its own, but I didn't find anything to compel me to check out the previous eight books in the series.

Iv'e enjoyed Caro Ramsay's books, set in Glasgow. She has a quirky style which appeals to me and draws one in to the scene and the characters. Having read the previous books in the series gives a head start on understanding the interactions and relationships between the main characters, but the book is also a good stand alone if you've not read them.
The story starts with a child abduction and substitution. Trying to find the taken child is the main thread of the story, but the web becomes very tangled and it soon becomes apparent that there is a link with a cold case from the 1990's. The book is fast paced and keeps you involved from the beginning. A well written series and this is an excellent addition to it.

A well-plotted police procedural that does so well in getting you involved in the case and in the characters. I can't wait to meet more from this author.

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller. The story was well written and the characters continued to evolve throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this book.i received a copy from NetGalley and 5e publisher and this is my honest opinion.

“Clap clap. She ducked a minute too late as the coil of rope settled around her neck.” from the prologue of the Suffering of Strangers.

Roberta has had a day. Her six week old son will not stop crying. Her husband calls and wants her to pick up some champagne to celebrate his new job. When she reaches the store, her son is blessedly silent. She decides to just run into the shop quickly while leaving her son in the car. When she returns both her car and son are gone. After a frantic search, Roberta finds her car but the infant in the car seat is not her son. DI Costello investigates.

Meanwhile, DCI Anderson is investigating a 20 year old cold case. A young mother is out late buying milk when she is roped around the neck, raped, and tossed behind some rubbish bins. She can’t recall what happened. Could this be part of a series?

I enjoyed guessing how these cases were connected and whodunit. However, jumping into this series at the ninth book may not be wise. While it can be read as a standalone, the sheer number of characters—some important for this story and some obviously carryovers from previous books—makes a slow and confusing book at the start. However, the momentum quickly builds after about 20% into a twisty conclusion.

The Suffering of Strangers is a rip-roaring British police procedural highly recommended for armchair detectives. However, it might be best to read at least one other entry in the series before beginning this book. 4 stars!

Thanks to Black Thorn Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A mother stops at a store. She runs in leaving her 6 week old son Sholto sleeping in his car seat. She can see him through the window of the shop. While she's paying for her champagne, she looks up, her car is gone. Gone with her son in it.
There are a lot of babies missing. DI Costello must find out what is happening to the infants
There is a baby selling business going on. The culprits must be found. Sholto needs to be returned to his parents. The people involved in the murders, cover'ups will surprise the force.
This is a great read once you get into it. There are a lot of characters. Sometimes it hard to keep track. There are also stories within stories that you have to keep straight. Don't give up! It's definitely worth reading.

This is a well written book with a complicated and,for some,upsetting series of storylines. It takes time to get going because the reader has to cope with too many characters. The writing style is very descriptive with too much detail about fairly random events and situations. Whilst the basic plot is entirely believably,the involvement of characters who are inter-related from their past takes a bit of believing. The ending is as complicated as the rest but makes it worth persisting through the book.

Caro Ramsay makes few concession to readers, and it would be best to start with the first book in the series. When I read The Sideman, I felt exactly the same way.

Ramsay has a number of well-drawn characters that are interesting (the snarky DI Costello is the most vivid, but I like the other characters as well).

While The Suffering of Strangers can be read as a standalone, it would be smoother sailing to begin with the first book in the series to become accustomed to Ramsay's writing style and have a better grasp of the characters.

from the description: "When a child abduction and sexual assault case overlap, Glaswegian police team Costello and Anderson team up to crack the cases.

DI Costello faces a disturbing child abduction case; a six-week-old has been stolen and replaced with another baby. The swap took cold and meticulous planning, so Costello treads the seedy, Glaswegian back streets for answers. She’s convinced that more than one young life is at stake.

Promoted into the Cold Case Unit, Colin Anderson reviews the unsolved rape of a young mother, whose attacker is still out there. Each case pulls Anderson and Costello in the same direction and, as their paths keep crossing, they begin to suspect their separate cases are dangerously entwined."

NetGalley/Blackthorn
Police Procedural. 2018. Print length: 356 pages.

# The Suffering Strangers. #
When I started this book, and having read the first couple of chapters I was not certain if I wanted to continue reading it. Although I do try never to give up on a book. At the point I started to wonder if I wanted to continue or not. There had been the incident of the baby swopping. From there on it felt like a couple of chapters where just introducing different people. I was pretty bored and wondered if this story was actually going to take off or what. When Costello was assigned to the case of baby swop, only spoiler coming from me. Everything changed to like a aircraft with its turbo boost to actually take off. From there on in I could suddenly not put the book down. With twist coming all the way through the book I was absolutely gripped. I could not believe how a book suddenly changed so very much. To one I would most definitely recommend. The final twists at the end wow my jaw dropping almost hit the floor. I am knocking one star off due to slow start. Get past that and you really do have one hell of a jaw dropping read

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great story. i really enjoy this series and the characters are fantastic I would highly recommend this book.

I wasn't aware when I started reading this that it is actually the 9th book in the series. Because I haven't read any of the previous 8 books I feel this put me at a disadvantage as there was obviously a great deal of backstory that I didn't know. However the story of an abducted child is a gripping one and all in all the book is an excellent police procedural which highlights the flaws in our criminal justice system.

A bit confusing at first if you have not read any of the other books in the series. However still extremely good.

A fast-paced, action filled thriller

When an exhausted new mum leaves her baby in the car while she nips into a local shop she didn’t expect the car to be stolen with the baby inside. However, when the car is then found just around the corner, everyone is relieved to find the baby safely inside, except this isn’t the same baby...

I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a baby is snatched from a car whilst mom quickly goes into a shop for a few items, she is tired and stressed and realising that having a baby isnt all sweetness and light...hardly any sleep but what happens next is every mothers worst nightmare..firstly her car has gone and then once the panic starts and screams and with everyone rushing to help her the car is found......and thats when it gets worse.....

this story also covers rapes and murders that have no apparent links to them...

but once investigations are under way some things are noticed right away...why do several very pregnant young girls walk down and alley and then disappear...they dont reappear at the end of the alleyway...they vanish into think air...

the banter between the two police officers is easily to understand as they have worked well together and know each other and though they arent working together now this case brings their own cases together in such a way that is only understood if you read this one...

well worth a read though its probably best to read the others in the series like i havent so sometimes i felt as if i was playing catchup...but on the whole i would read another of this authors works...