I’m sorry to say that I abandoned this novel 45% of the way through. It started well, but then dragged on and I had to force myself to continue reading it until eventually I gave up. I was hoping for a gripping thriller, but this is a formulaic police procedural. It may simply be a case that it’s just not for me, because clearly other readers have enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

An excellent thriller that kept me reading till late in the night.
It's gripping, gritty and highly entertaining. A page turner full of twists and turns.
The characters are excellent, love Max and Janie, a couple of detective from different background but who share the same will to bring justice.
The author is a good storyteller and the plot flows and never drags
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An absolutely brilliant start to a new series.

This is a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists to keep the pages turning. It kept me reading late into the night.

Max Craigie is a great maverick character who gets things done his way.

I was hooked and I cannot wait to read the next one.

A 5 🌟 cracker of a read.

This is a really solid, enjoyable, traditional police procedural with an engaging plot and, crucially, believable characters. I will definitely be reading others in this series.

Fans of police procedurals will love Dead Man’s Grave. In addition to a generations-long blood feud, one side of which is a powerful Scottish crime family, Detective Max Craigie has to deal with what looks like widespread corruption in Police Scotland. The frequent use of Scottish terms/slang gave the book an air of authenticity and I had no problem figuring out the meaning of the terms by the context. The main character is well drawn and likable. He is dealing with PTSD from his time serving at Afghanistan. His partner in this investigation is a younger female detective, Janie, who has to put up with sexism in the police department (not from Max himself). The villains were appropriately villainous and the descriptions of the Scottish Highlands were enticing. I did find some of the events fairly predictable, however.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’ve always been a fan of police procedurals but Dead Man’s Grave takes this genre to another level. Gripping, tense and completely thrilling, I was hooked from page one. Neil Lancaster is a new author for me and Dead Man’s Grave is the first in the DS Max Craigie Scottish Crime Thrillers series and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This wasn’t for me I found it boring it started off very well with a crime boss going missing with DS Craigie being assigned to the task of finding him I couldn’t finish this book and won’t be reading any more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Dead Man's Grave is a superb Police Procedural story set in Scotland,it is gripping right from the beginning and the ending is heartstopping .Fast paced with great characters,I liked Max ,Janey and Ross very much.This is a story of gang war and corrupt Police Officers what's not to like !!! I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next book in the series .Many Thanks to the Publisher,The Author and NetGalley for my copy an return for an honest review .

I am a huge fan of the police procedural genre and every once in a while, I come across a book that really knocks my socks off. Well ‘Dead Man’s Grave’ is such a book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Dead Man’s Grave’ but more about that in a bit.
As soon as I started reading ‘Dead Man’s Grave’, I knew that I was on to a winner and that I would find it extremely difficult to put the book down. I was right on both counts. I fell under this book’s spell from the moment I read the first word on the first page and the spell lasted until I read the last word on the last page. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. This book appealed to me in two ways- one being the fact that it was a new police procedural series and the other being the fact that part of the story had to do with family tree research. I became so wrapped up in the story that I didn’t realise just how quickly I was turning the pages and just how quickly the time was passing. I loved the characters in this book, I loved the plot and I loved where the story was set. I found ‘Dead Man’s Grave’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Dead Man’s Grave’ is superbly written. Neil certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be a compelling story. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. Reading ‘Dead Man’s Grave’ felt like being on one hell of s scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I really did feel as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Neil’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Dead Man’s Grave’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. In fact, ‘Dead Man’s Grave’ has to be one of my favourite books of 2021. I can’t wait to read more of Neil’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

When a grave inscription tells you never to open the grave then there is generally a good reason not to do so.

When a local crime lord goes missing detectives Max Craigie and Jane Calder are tasked with trying to find him.. what they discover leads to the re-merganser of a centuries old blood feud between two Scottish families. What happens next leads them to discover corruption within Police Scotland but how far does this corruption go?

A fantastic read, fast paced and full of action. I was totally gripped from the start (and missed most of the Euros finals to finish it!)

DS Max Craigie Scottish Crime Thrillers #1

The head of Scotland's most powerful crime family is brutally murdered, his body dumped inside an ancient grave in a remote cemetery. Detectives Max Craigie and Janie Calder arrive at the scene, a small town where everyone has secrets to hide. They soon realise this murder is part of a blood feud between two Scottish families that stretches back to the 1800s. One things for certain: it might be the latest killing but it won't be the last. As the body count rises, the investigation covers a long-scale corruption at the heart of the Scottish Police Service. Now Max and Janie must turn against their closest colleagues - to solve a case that could cost them more than just their lives.

A new Scottish crime series, and if the rest of the books to follow are set in the same vein, I think we're in for a treat. I was pulled into this investigation from the first few pages. It's cleverly crafted plotline with a fast pace. The descriptively written scenery surrounding Bonnie Scotland, is always a treat to read. What we also get is a strong storyline around a centuries old feud between two families with a hint of police corruption. This is an action packed read. I liked the partnership Max and Janie had even though they hadn't worked long together. Who can they trust? Read this really good police procedural to find out.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #NeilLancaster for my ARC of #DeadMansGrave in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I do love a crime novel, but for some reason haven’t read one in a long time. On the whole, I found this quite entertaining. The plot was fast paced and it did hook me in. I did find that many of the characters, however, were a bit one-dimensional, hence the lack of 5 stars.

Overall, this is everything you’d expect from a crime novel - suspense, pace, and gritty thrill. I enjoyed it and raced through it, but probably wouldn’t read it a second time.

When the head of the largest gangster family in Scotland goes missing, the police is hit with a hot case - to handle with care.

Max is an experienced detective who had some trouble in London. He is now back to Scotland where he originally grew up. With him is Janie, a young nerd rising star who has as much to give as to learn from Max.

The case starts as an impossible to task, but quickly becomes a no-brainer. Only to become a complex mystery all over again.

The author clearly know his stuff.

The police procedure is described in detail and that gives credibility to the whole story. Yet some of the details make the narrative slow and heavy. Similarly, some details are definitely unnecessary. For example, I could have done without a detailed description of what Max had for breakfast.

The author is also familiar with Scotland. The landscape as well as the way people act and speak transports you to Glasgow and the Highlands.

Overall, it was an okay book. It did not take my breath away and I wouldn't recommend it to friends. Yet, it was not time wasted. I had a good time reading Dead Man's Grave.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

This is an engrossing read, up there with all the best selling authors. If you like Ian Rankin you'll love this book. Set in Scotland this book introduces us to DS Craigie, a copper moved from London to the wilds of Scotland. A case starting with links to a local gangster family soon becomes tied in with police corruption. This was truly a book I just couldn't put down and I can't wait for the next in the series. Read it, you'll be hooked.

A solid start for DS Max Craigie.

On the whole I enjoyed this book, the premise was good and the information that it held felt credible.

I felt that I didn’t gel as well with the main character as I would have liked to but I enjoyed the relationship between him and Janie.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This was a good read. It's about an ancient feud and modern day gangsters and hero cops and fist fights and likeable good guys. What is good about these books is you know what you're going to get and if you like a good police procedural/crime thriller this one delivers. The title, the blurb, the cover are quite clear as to what it is, so yes, if the look of it appeals to you, you will enjoy it.
The writer clearly knows his stuff and writes about police practice with a knowledge and confidence that almost makes the story believable. There's the usual convenient coincidences such as age old aquaintances that can get them out of a sticky spot, but these stories couldn't happen without them. At times it felt a little Line of Duty ish and ever so occasionally Die Hard ish as the main character was left to fist fight with too many of the bad guys all alone, but like I said, that's what the reader pays for. Wouldn't be as much fun if the armed team got there first and arrested the bad guys with no fuss and bother.
The pat the dog moment was taken quite literally, but that was nice. And the friendship between the two main characters was nice too,.
Yeah, this was a good read. If I was only reviewing crime thrillers it would likely get a five star, but this not being my favourite genre puts it at a four, my five stars are saved for those books that blow my socks off.
Thanks to Netgalley, HQ and the author for allowing me to read and review.

Whilst some very well-regarded crime writers have recommended ‘Dead Man’s Grave’, it is not a story that had me gripped. In fact, I almost gave up on it once or twice, not least because of the author’s unsophisticated use of descriptive detail. There is a lot of ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’. For example, we are introduced to key character, DC Calder, through: ‘Janie was in her early twenties, with a well-educated Edinburgh accent. She was lean and fit looking and was casually dressed in jeans and a polo shirt. She seemed shy, slightly nervous.’ If you’re not a fan of this style of writing, this novel is not for you.
DS Max Craigie is the main force for good in ‘Dead Man’s Grave’, looking to bring down the Hardies, a well-known criminal family, clearly very close to some of Scotland’s police. The Hardies are mixed up in a centuries’ old feud which appears to be very much ongoing. (This element of the story comes across as no more than an unrealistic plot device.) Whilst Max, Janie and a few trusted others look to uncover widespread police corruption, plenty of lives are put at risk and some lost.
As the story reaches its climax, the narrative become a little more compelling. Will Max succeed in overcoming the ‘bad guys’? Of course he will – he has a part to play in Book 2 of the series! Nevertheless, based on this novel, this reader is not very interested in what he’ll be up to next.
My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Overall I enjoyed this book, however, the only thing that ruined it a little bit for me was the
fact that the whole plot was based on a 300 year old vendetta which seemed really far fetched ! The main characters had a great connection which let the story flow. Good narrator who brought the characters to life by the different accents

A formulaic, police story that worked through a checklist of plot devices:
Including the death of head villain, family seeking revenge in blood feud, only two detectives (with super human powers) realise all the connections ( one a maverick ex-army veteran and one a bright highly educated woman), coarse-mouthed boss with a heart of gold, corrupt policemen …………
If you like well crafted police procedurals you will probably enjoy this - it just wasn’t for me.

The book centralises on DS Max Craigie a detective based in Scotland. I absolutely loved this book - i am a massive fan of Crime and Detective fiction and this one not only had crime, family plot lines but also corruption as an underline to it all - it reminded me a little of Line of Duty. It was such a brilliant book and I really hope that there is more to come in this as a series. It had a great plot, superb characters and everything was very well thought out. It had me hooked from the very start and through to the very end.