I loved this book, I’m so ashamed it took me so long to get round to it. However it means I have sequels to catch up on!!

Dead Man’s Grave by Neil Lancaster follows our protagonist DS Max Craigie as he investigates the brutal murder of the head of Scotland's most powerful crime family, his body dumped inside an ancient grave in a remote cemetery. He and his colleague DC Janie Calder soon realise this murder is part of a blood feud between two Scottish families that stretches back to the 1800s!

This was genuinely gripping from the first page, and I could not put it down! The pacing? Fantastic! The dialogue? Realistic! The martial arts skills of your average policeman? Questionably exaggerated but yet still believable! Neil Lancaster’s time in the military and police force are definitely evident in our protagonist but it doesn’t read like self-insert fanfiction.

A high action, procedural police thriller, brilliantly written with twists around every corner. I really cannot recommend this novel enough.

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My thanks to NetGalley, Neil Lancaster and HQ Stories for this fabulous copy of Dead Man’s Grave in exchange for an honest review.

I’m long overdue reading this, but it quickly pulled me in and I really enjoyed reading it once it got past the initial feud bit and into the investigation. I do like a good police procedural, and with Lancaster’s policing background, he skilfully walks the tightrope between sharing his expertise without losing the accessibility for the lay person to read and enjoy. This had an interesting plot, good characters, and a decent amount of tension and pace, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Sincere apologies for the long delay in providing this review.

I do love a Neil Lancaster book as he writes so atmospherically re Scotland it is almost like it is another character in the book. This got me so engrossed and I wanted to know what was going to happen., completely addictive.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

First book read by Neil Lancaster and i found it an enjoyable read. I’m not usually one for mob/gang related reading but found this to entertaining. The overall story kept me interested throughout.

Amazing. I was late to reading and reviewing this, but am glad I read it. The plot was fast moving and exciting and the description of a family feud realistic. Recommended.

I loved the high intensity throughout the book. The twists and turns were enthralling. Brilliant and enticing. What a book.

Wow! I can´t believe that I have never read Neil Lancaster before.

This book has it all, intrigue, corruption, gangsters and murder. From the first page, you are hooked and I honestly couldn´t put it down. Simply love the main characters Max, Janie and Ross, brilliantly brought together to form an outstanding team.

Simply can´t wait for the next installment!

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest opinion.

A terrific Scottish police procedurbal drama involving corruption and gangsters. The most prominent gangster in Scotland is killed whilst trying discover his ancestors in what fast becomes a race against time to put an end to the revenge killings by the police and to be the victor of a blood fued by gangster families. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. My only bug-bear was the extensive detailing made some parts repetitive and therefore a shorter read. But the relatively short chapters kept the book exciting and enjoyable.

Crime/police procedure novel with a heart. A great story brilliantly told. I have been totally gripped & loved all the twists & turns. Well done, highly recommended!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the books so far in this series and have developed a real fondness fur Max Craigie and his colleagues. I only hope that the inevitable doesn’t happen and I end up watching the characters on TV looking nothing like I imagined

Dead man’s grave - Neil Lancaster

I’m sorry I didn’t get to read this title and so it expired therefore I cannot give an accurate review. Sorry

Neil Lancaster is a master of his genre. This is by far one of his best, and without wanting to spoil the book for others, it is one that wont leave you.
His ability to draw the reader in with such deep characterisation and sense of place is astounding and I very much look forward to reading more of his work.

If you are looking for a book that will draw you in, spit you out and leave you begging for more - this is certainly one of his best books for doing just that.

An easy 5 star read.

There's a lot to be said for and ‘nuts and bolts’ thriller – sometimes you don't want pages of introspection and character development. Sometimes, all you really want is simply a good story, and with 'Dead Man’s Grave', that's exactly what you get.
It has to be said that the main protagonist has a fairly ‘generic’ back story which is fleshed out only a little throughout the book; things are alluded to and spoken of but really they don't have a distinct impact on the story.

We start with a bang! The premise and of the book and the introductory chapters grip and genuinely don’t let go for the length of the novel whilst we are taken on a whirlwind tour of the less salubrious parts of Scotland and its crime led inhabitants.

To be fair, although the start of the novel is a great idea and overall, it is well executed, it is not the most original of storylines, but it is a genuinely engaging thriller that was really enjoyable. But what makes 'Dead Man’s Grave' a step above the rest of the pack for me is the natural dialogue. The interactions between characters feel absolutely believable; the conversations are spontaneous and real and the use of Scottish dialect and slang adds to this and the overall natural feeling of novel.

Some ‘reviewers’ have made much of a couple of errors in the text (for example, mixing up the use of the term revolver and pistol…). It may be a shame that this has been missed, but this comes down simply to editing and not the composition, and seriously, to get hung up on this is petty and pointless and indeed, is to miss the point of the novel. But worse than that, you are just depriving yourself of a great yarn.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for an advance review copy. I love a good police drama on the TV, but inevitably a book draws me in more with all the extra details and subplots that there's just not time for on TV. I thought this was a great read, I found there was quite a bit of scene setting in the early chapters but once I was hooked, I was really hooked! DS Max Craigie makes a brilliant lead character, and although we're north of the border in this story, it's clear the author has used his inside knowledge of the mechanics of a police force's operation throughout. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

I do love a good police procedural and have been reading quite a lot of Lynda La Plante’s books lately (she of Prime suspect fame). She is a hard act to follow, but I think he almost managed it. Neil Lancaster was a policeman in the Met for over 25 years so should have working knowledge of how the police force works in spades and this shows in his work.

As much as I dislike unnecessary prologues and although it’s not titled as such the first chapter is written from the perspective of the missing man right before he vanished and it really worked as we get to meet him first-hand in a way that we wouldn’t otherwise.

As Max, the protagonist being a PTSD suffering veteran it was very close to verging into cliche territory but he is so well rounded and human as a character it isn’t too much of a problem.
Janie on the other hand is a truly original and utterly badass character and in my opinion makes this book so much more interesting. She is a young, intelligent woman who isn’t afraid to be herself and she has to put up with lots of stick from a very backwards male dominated workplace but seems to have learned how shine without compromising her integrity and without her this book would be a lot less than it is.

This is very much a plot driven book and fairly fast paced at that, what we get in character development happens on the fly.

It is written in the third person and the writer does seem to pop from head to head a little too much for my liking but I never felt disorientated by it, and its possible the paragraphs would be better formatted in the finished print book than in the ARC.

The middle of the book when Max is estranged from the normal police procedures made it feel a bit ‘Jack Reacherish’ and in a good way.

What I liked:
Janie, the young DC truly rocks.
I was pretty gripped by the plot from about 40% in.
The theme of police corruption isn’t something I have read in a police procedural before.

What didn’t work for me:
The protagonist is almost a walking cliche.
It could have done with another round of line edits as there are too many filler words and adverbs IMO, especially in the first few chapters (or maybe I didn’t notice once I was hooked).

Suitable For: Older teenagers and adults.
Sex: None and very no romance either, which is refreshing.
Violence: Some and a little graphic at times but not harrowing.
Drug Reference: Some.
Swearing: Some

Full Review Due to be published on 5th May 2022

This isn’t my usual go-to book genre but I found it a great read.

I’d never heard of the author before but I’m glad I gave it a try.

Great thriller with good characters and not too much blood and gore to give me nightmares 🤣

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Well, that was a cracker of a read! New author for me and I was really impressed. A great police crime thriller with brilliant characters, just the right amount of blood, guts & gory bits, plus a good helping of gallows humour. Great read

A fairly easy to read thriller. I enjoyed the book, the characters, and storyline, and I can see how it will easily transpire into a detective series within future books.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book

Apologies to NetGalley and the publishers but I seem to have forgotten to leave a review on this publication.
An action packed police procedure book that is fast paced and reelde me in right from the start.
Very believable main characters and a well written story.
Read it over the course of two evenings.
Here's to the next instalment.

I think this book is an excellent read for anyone who likes Detective novels. The plot grabs you from the start and the pace never lets up. With the odds against them DS Max Craigie and DC Janie Calder have to cope with a rising body count - yet manage to solve the case. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series!