This is the first book I have read featuring DS Max Craigie, there is a previous book but not having read it did not affect the enjoyment of this book.
This book is fast paced and easy to get into, a real page turner.. The characters are well described and believable..
It begins with a suicide and a missing fisherman but develops far beyond those two events.

Thanks to NetGalley & HQ for a advanced copy to review

Wow!!

This is the second book in the DS Max Craigie series and I think this one was even better than the first!

This book is so well written, its fast paced and full of some brilliant banter from some great characters.

I honestly could not put this book down! Can't wait for the next installment!!!

Wow this is the first book I have read featuring DS Max Craigie and loved the story and the characters. Fast moving and keeps you wanting more and find out why a man's suicide and a fisherman who goes missing is linked and to whom.
A real page turner and can't wait for the next one.
Thanks to NetGalley & HQ publishers for a advanced copy.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ for the electronic copy.

Wow! - well-written, fast-moving, full of action and full of interesting characters. This is really good - a real page-turner. Set around the west coast of Scotland, it's a story of police corruption, drug smuggling and murder which involves DS Max Craigie and DC Janie Calder: this small team led by DI Ross Fraser - the Police Standards Reassurance Unit - they work in the shadows but have access to any and all resources they need. For this particular "episode", tech-wizard Norma is seconded to the team - and she certainly earns her keep!

Fisherman Jimmy McLeish from Torridon, a small village on the coast, needs money; he's smuggling drugs into a deserted Loch but, after encountering two strangers - he disappeared.

PC Hamish Beatty encounters a potential suicide on the Erskine Bridge. Murdo Smith, an analyst with the NCA, desperately tells Hamish why he has to jump - including the murder of a man at Torridon. Not least, Murdo implicates the Police, NCA and Customs - hence he couldn't trust anyone to help him. Hamish tells Max about that conversation and Max gets on the case.
Meanwhile, Max's nemesis Tam Hardie, in HMP Edinburgh, gets visit from two strangers - Davie and Calum - who want to use Hardie's drug network for themselves, and in the process disrupt his rival Scally's supply routes. They had access to information to allow that to happen.

As Max tries to link the missing fisherman case with that of Murdo Smith he and his team begin to realise there is something bigger going on, especially when the bodies start to pile up. But Max is anything but conventional and he throws everything into the mix to root out the corruption.
............................

I absolutely love the interactions of Max and his team - lots of "choice" language, banter and humour; they are all great characters. There's lots of twists and surprises - quite a bit of violence, but I think that's expected. Even Max's Auntie Elspeth makes a contribution to a satisfying conclusion.

A very enjoyable and un-put-downable read.

The second book featuring DS Max Craigie. A fisherman goes missing without a trace and a terrified young man jumps off a bridge to his death; both events seem connected and Craigie is determined to find out how. This a wonderful police procedural set in Scotland. The banter between Craigie and his team is well done. I will definitely go back and read the first book. Thanks to HQ Stories and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I was very excited to read it, especially after I had read and enjoyed the first book in the series last year. The book is a police procedural set in Scotland, and the main team consists of Max, Janie and Ross, who are superb together. I love Max and Ross is hilarious. Norma also comes in as a new addition to the team. Max' family members also make an appearance; they are Katie, Elspeth and Nutmeg the dog. The story follows on from the story in the first book, and it is just as thrilling and exciting. It has a lot of action, corruption, murder and fast paced adventures, which kept me engrossed. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 2nd book in the Max Craigie Scottish Crime series. Max Craigie, Janie Calder and Ross Fraser are the main police characters back again. It's best to start with Book 1 to get the background on these characters. Tom Hardie was arrested and was sent to prison in book 1. He is plotting and planning to get back at Max. Tom is also heavy into dealing his drugs from his prison cell. A fisherman goes missing, a young man jumps from a bridge and commits suicide and a Police Constable is murdered. Are these events related? When Tom escapes from prison is Max's life in jeopardy? Is there a traitor in the police department? The plot is gripping and twists and turns kept the pages turning. The author's descriptions of Scottish scenery make you feel like you are actually there. The dialogue between characters felt very real to me. I will definitely continue with this series in the future. If you like mystery thrillers set in Scotland then I'm sure you will enjoy this one. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins HQ for allowing me to read this for an honest review.

Having read the first book, Dead Man's Grave, I had high expectations for the second book in the series and I was not disappointed. Whilst it is a follow on from the first book, it can still be read if you haven't read the first one.

A fisherman disappears from a remote loch, never to be seen again. A young man jumps from a bridge in Glasgow, terrified for his life and telling the policeman who tries to stop him it is the only way to escape. Hamish, the policeman, suspects there is more to this than meets the eye and gets in touch with Max Craigie alerting him to his suspicions. Before Max can investigate Hamish is found dead. Is there police corruption at the highest level? Are the drug barons moving in on open territory? Max and his team need to find out.

The Blood Tide is a riveting thriller that will keep you reading to find out the ending. The characters are full and the team work well together through out the police procedure. Definitely one to read

A young man jumps to his death from a high bridge in Glasgow, a fisherman disappears from a Highland sea-loch. DI Max Craigie, now working in a small anti-corruption unit, finds a link between the cases. A gang boss who Max put away escapes from prison and all of a sudden its all coming back to threaten Max and his loved ones.Fast paced and at times very violent, this is a proper thriller.

You get away with murder.
In a remote sea loch on the west coast of Scotland, a fisherman vanishes without trace. His remains are never found.
You make people disappear.
A young man jumps from a bridge in Glasgow and falls to his death in the water below. DS Max Craigie uncovers evidence that links both victims. But if he can’t find out what cost them their lives, it won’t be long before more bodies turn up at the morgue…
You come back for revenge.
Soon cracks start to appear in the investigation, and Max’s past hurtles back to haunt him. When his loved ones are threatened, he faces a terrifying choice: let the only man he ever feared walk free, or watch his closest friend die…

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary

EXCERPT: 'We need to get in there,' Janie said.

Max rattled the door, his stomach beginning to tighten.

Janie went to the decking. She picked up a length of plastic packing strap that had been securing the decking slats together. Within a few seconds she had fashioned a flexible hook. She reached through the cat-flap and passed the loop over the bunch of keys and tugged sharply. The keys fell to the floor.

'Nice,' said Max.

'It's from working with you and your cockney burglar techniques.'

Within seconds Max was inside the spotless kitchen, sniffing the air once more.

It was faint, but unmistakable. Every cop knew this smell. It started off faint, a mere suggestion of something, just like Max was detecting now. His stomach tightened, his heart began to pound. Max knew. He knew right away.

Death.

ABOUT 'THE BLOOD TIDE': You get away with murder.
In a remote sea loch on the west coast of Scotland, a fisherman disappears without trace. His remains are never found.

You make people disappear.
A young man jumps from a bridge in Glasgow and falls to his death in the water below. D. S. Max Craigie uncovers evidence that links both victims. But if he can’t find out what cost them their lives, it won’t be long before more bodies turn up at the morgue…

You come back for revenge.
Soon cracks start to appear in the investigation, and Max’s past hurtles back to haunt him. When his loved ones are threatened, he faces a terrifying choice: let the only man he ever feared walk free, or watch his closest friend die…

MY THOUGHTS: I haven't yet read the first book in this series, Dead Man's Grave, but I intend to remedy that. The Blood Tide has me hooked!

Normally I shy away from books about drug running, crime barons, etc., but I kept hearing what a great read The Blood Tide is, and so I caved. And I'm glad I did. Neil Lancaster has another follower.

The plot is driven and intense, the characters a great mix of those who you will love and admire (Max and his team) and the others - variously the drug runners, the crime bosses and those at the very top of the pile in positions of trust, influence and power who are orchestrating the whole despicable operation.

Lancaster sets the scenes well. From his atmospheric descriptions of the Scottish landscape to the minutiae of the crime scenes, he gives just the right amount of detail, neither swamping the reader nor leaving them wanting more. His background in police work shines through making this crime thriller/police procedural a riveting read. The ending is spectacular - I loved it.

The Blood Tide worked well for me as a stand-alone, but I am going back to read the first book in this series because I enjoyed this one so much. I do recommend that if you intend to read The Blood Tide, read Dead Man's Grave first so that you have all the background to the relationships and because you'll probably want to go back and read it anyway, so you may as well read them in order from the start.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheBloodTide #NetGalley

I: @neil_lancaster_crime @hqstories

T: @neillancaster66 @HQStories

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #policeprocedural #scottishnoir #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Neil was born in Liverpool in the 1960s. He recently left the Metropolitan Police where he served for over twenty-five years, predominantly as a detective, leading and conducting investigations into some of the most serious criminals across the UK and beyond.

Neil acted as a surveillance and covert policing specialist, using all types of techniques to arrest and prosecute drug dealers, human traffickers, fraudsters, and murderers. During his career, he successfully prosecuted several wealthy and corrupt members of the legal profession who were involved in organised immigration crime. These prosecutions led to jail sentences, multi-million pound asset confiscations and disbarments.

Since retiring from the Metropolitan Police, Neil has relocated to the Scottish Highlands with his wife and son, where he mixes freelance investigations with writing.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to HQ, HQ Digital via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Blood Tide by Neil Lancaster for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Hamish failed to stop the man on the Erskine Bridge. The jumper said death was the only way to escape the people that were after him. He tells him of the murder of a fisherman at remote Loch Torridon. There is a suspicion of police corruption. Hamish gets in touch with his friend Max Craigie. He is a member of the Scottish Policing Standards Reassurance Team but before they can properly investigate Hamish is found dead. When a police officer fails to stop a suicide, naturally it has a bad effect on them but Max is sure that his friend wouldn't have reacted by taking own life. It must be connected to the man on the bridge. Since gangland boss Tam Hardie had been imprisoned there was a gap in the market & other drug gangs are moving in. Max knows that the place to find some answers is to talk to Tam, but how helpful is he going to be when Max & his team got him put away?

This is a fast paced & quite complicated story. It really helps to have read the first book- I think it would have been tricky to keep up without knowing about it. I love the main characters & I enjoy the way the areas of Scotland feed into the narrative. I am already looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Agree with the other reviewers who say that it’s a real page turner. Enjoyed the thrill of the story and way the author kept the suspense going.

I was very excited to read the second book in the Max Craigie series and it didn't disappoint. A direct follow on a few months after the last one ended. Max, Janie and DI Ross Fraser are set up in their anti corruption unit in Tulliallan. Max and his wife Katie are living in his lovely remote farmhouse and all is going well until Max is contacted by an old police friend who was present at a suicide that he thinks needs investigating. And there the investigation begins with far reaching consequences. I love the main team, now with the addition of plain talking analyst Norma, and the story had me gasping out loud at times (just ask my husband). Great read - hope it's not too long before the next one. #netgalley #thebloodtide

Neil Lancaster has done it again! I thought he would be hard pressed coming up with a book that could better the first in this series, Dead Man's Grave, and although he hasn't, he has matched it and I have become completely consumed and engaged with Max Craigie and his team.

This is a cracker of a book; with excellent characters (both 'goodies' and 'baddies', new ones and old ones) and an engaging and riveting plot told at a fast pace with great twists and turns. What more could you ask for? A cute dog? Yep, got that too 😁

Now whilst this works well as a standalone, I would highly recommend you read the first, you will not be disappointed and you, like me, will be hooked and itching for the next instalment to come out.

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

This is a gritty police procedural with lots of deaths and foreboding. Just loved it. The scene setting is brilliant, just takes you around Scotland.

I am glad that I started at the beginning of the series but it does work as a standalone. I keep wanting to write more then I delete it as potential spoilers. If you love a dark, intense well written police procedural then this is for you.

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

DS Max Craigie book 2.

I used to read a lot of Police procedurals, but my tastes has diversified into less conventional thrillers over the year.

This series has been lauded as one of the best in years so I was keen to read it, and read and quite enjoyed the first book in anticipation.

Good characters, vivid descriptions of the locations, an involved plot and decent pace. There is a lot of high tech investigation.

I've enjoyed both books in the series, while I haven't fallen in love I can see why fans of the genre are raving about them.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was gritty action packed thriller. I found the book difficult to read because of the formatting but I persevered and was glad I did. I think, however, I would have benefited from reading the first in the series.

My thanks to HQ Digital for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Blood Tide’ by Neil Lancaster in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks also to The Pigeonhole for hosting a group read that allowed for plenty of interaction and speculation through our comments.

This is the second in Lancaster’s series of Scottish police procedurals, featuring DS Max Craigie. I loved the first book, ‘Dead Man’s Grave’, and so was very excited to read Book 2 and to lose myself in Craigie’s new investigation.

The novel opens with two dramatic scenes. A young fisherman is meeting with a contact on a remote sea loch on the west coast of Scotland. Things don’t go as planned and he vanishes without a trace.

Then a police officer is called to a Glasgow bridge where a man seems about to jump. Before he falls to his death he speaks to the attending officer. What he says troubles the officer, who then reaches out to Max Craigie. When it is revealed that the dead man worked for the National Crime Agency, his last words take on sinister connotations. It isn’t long before bodies are piling up.

I found this a very satisfying police procedural. Although a dark story, the mood is lightened by the sense of camaraderie between Max and his team, which includes plenty of witty dialogue. The plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat!

Overall, a strong second outing and I will be counting the days until Book 3, ‘The Night Watch’, is published later this year.

DS Max Craigie, following on from Dead Man's Grave, is still persevering to rid Scotland of drug cartels and, but more complicated, to identify high ranking corrupt officers. He and Janie Calder continue their partnership. The humour and good relationships of the team are more apparent in this title. Yet again this is a fast moving, well-plotted, race against time.
Again, this would make a good action film.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Neil Lancaster/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own