This book starts with a typical baby abduction that quickly turns quirky and insidious. I found the characters fascinating and their story arcs intertwine and intersect in interesting ways that turn into significant plot points. The dark, cold streets of Glasgow figure prominently in this novel that is anything but predictable. If you have ever lost track of your child for just a few seconds you will appreciate this book and the terror that the parents have to deal with to get their baby back. Highly recommended.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is part of a series and wished I had read the other 8 before hand as I would have had some feeling for DI Costello, saying that I enjoyed this book.

Another excellent read in the Anderson and Costello series by Caro Ramsay. A Glasgow setting coupled with a detailed plot makes this an easy 4* from me. I would have no hesitation in recommending books by this author. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. review on Goodreads and Amazon.

The Suffering of Strangers is an excellent psychological mystery. It is an intricate drama with multiple characters and an extremely clever and highly entertaining plot. I found this a really gripping book, particularly towards the end where the story unfurls from different angles. It is well written and is a fascinating read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

#Blackthorn #NetGalley I hadn't realized that this was the 9th in the series when I requested it from Netgalley. Although I did manage to read and, mostly, enjoy, I think I would have benefitted greatly in knowing more about the background of the characters. When the action was happening, I found this a really gripping book, particularly towards the end of the book where there was so much happening. But, for me, in the first three quarters of the book there was too much description rather than action, and I felt a littles confused at times about who the characters were and how they fitted in to the overall story. Also the chapters were quite long - just a personal preference as I tend to keep reading 'just one more chapter' when they are quite short but find it daunting when my kindle says 34 minutes left in the chapter!! nevertheless a good story and plot line, quite harrowing in places and obviously with the ending......to be continued!

DI Costello is called into the case of a missing baby stolen outside of a village shop. Left in the baby seat is another child instead. Colin Anderson is investigating a cold case rape that leads to a case from his past. Could both cases be linked?

This is the 9th book in this series and I haven’t read them before which did cause me to struggle with the characters but I’m going to read them eventually but it didn’t detract from the book itself. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a series I’ve dipped in and out of over the years, The Suffering Of Strangers is book 9, but could read as a standalone, however at least some previous knowledge of the characters gave it an added edge.

This is a tense and complex multi arc character drama as well as the usual police procedural and mystery elements – Caro Ramsay explores some emotive issues here in truly excellent fashion, with knock on consequences for our series regulars.

A child is stolen and replaced with another- but this is only the start of a dark and thought provoking story that finds Costello with a difficult path to follow. Meanwhile a cold case Anderson is working on leads him back into his own past with unexpected resonance- eventually the two investigations merge with devastating results.

It is a clever piece of plotting where the big picture emerges from many smaller snapshots and socially relevant themes abound. Highly intriguing with some fascinating psychological aspects, The Suffering Of Strangers is a page turner that reminded me why I loved this series in the first place.

Beautifully done. Recommended. I’m quite happy that I’ve missed a few now, it will give me something to do while I wait for the next.

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great storyline. I would highly recommend this book.