This is the third instalment of the DS Max Craigie series, and Max and his team are back in flying form!

A lawyer is found dead at a clifftop in a remote part of Scotland while on honeymoon. The same day a renowned gang enforcer walks free from court following a not proven verdict. His body is also soon found, his murder brutal and gruesome. The connection? It was his lawyer. But is there more of a connection than just a sleazy criminal defence lawyer and a lifetime criminal?

It soon becomes apparent to DS Max and his team that something much more sinister is going on. They are not the only ones to notice. A shrewd local reporter has made some connections between criminals escaping justice, only to be found dead a few days later. They start to investigate and quickly realise where the evidence points. The killer knows how to stay hidden. They know how to remove evidence, or how to leave none in the first place. They know how to evade the police, and what the police will be looking for. They know how to use police restraints, have access to police weapons, and police techniques….

Max Craige and his team have to work fast in order to unmask the vigilante, revenge obsessed serial killer, who is located dangerously close to home.

As with the previous two books in this series, this one was fast paced, full of twists, and kept you on the edge of your seat. The relationship has really developed between the team, and the process of the investigation had a wonderful natural flow, with everyone really falling into their roles. The character development is really progressing superbly. While it can be read as a stand alone book, you will definitely enjoy it more if you have read it as part of the series. Overall, a very enjoyable read, that I did not want to put down until I had finished, I was engrossed until the very last page!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

An enjoyable crime novel full of twists and turns. I haven’t read any of Neil Lancaster’s books before, but would probably read more after this.

Gang-enforcer Scott Patterson walks out of a Scottish court a free man following a not proven verdict, soon after he's dead and so is his lawyer. They're not the only ones who met their maker following similar verdicts and when a local reporter reveals his source, fingers are pointing towards the Murder Investigation Team working out of Leith and headed up by DI Marnie Gray.

In this the third in the DS Max Craigie series of novels he and the team from Scottish Policing Standards Reassurance are drafted in to investigate.

This is a fast moving police procedural with a good plot and great characters that kept me guessing as it gathered momentum, heading towards its nail-biting conclusion. The writing is good, it flows easily and the bickering, banter and black humour between members of the team has an air of authenticity about it.

This series is going from strength to strength, I'll be looking out for the next in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher HQ for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This was an excellent read.
Thoroughly recommended

This is another great book in the Max Craigie series. He and his team investigate corrupt police and here they are faced with a difficult task. It seems that there is a serial killer who is acting as vigilante in killing men who have been recently acquitted of terrible crimes. The killer is probably a serving police officer able to cover up and hinder the investigation. Craigie has a good idea of the identity of the officer but how can he prove it?
Craigie and others around him are put in danger as Neil Lancaster ramps up the tension and suspense to gives us another enthralling thriller.

I love a detective novel and this one didn't disappoint. The twists and turns along the way keep you hooked as you think you know who did it but then you get thrown a curve ball!

Will be looking out for more books by this author with these characters.

The latest DS Max Craigie novel is a gripping police procedural with plenty of twists and turn.
I received this book from HQ and Netgalley for a review.

The Night Watch by Neil Lancaster is a very interesting and intense police procedural. Lancaster served on the police force for over twenty-five years. His expertise in writing crime fiction shines through in the intricate details of the plot. Each character is a potential suspect leaving readers scrambling to figure out this twisty whodunit.

Synopsis:
A lawyer is found dead on a lonely clifftop. His murder is quickly linked to other recent murders, including one involving his most recent client. DS Max Craigie is called to help solve the mysterious cases. The police fear there may be a serial killer on the loose. Can Max and his team solve the crimes before someone else dies?

The Night Watch is book #3 in the DS Max Craigie series based in Scotland. Although I read the book as a standalone, I feel I would have had a better understanding if I had read the previous books first. There are multiple characters in the storyline. Without knowing their history, I had trouble figuring out who was who. It is not the authors' fault that I read the books out of order. My overall score does not reflect this.

The Night Watch by Neil Lancaster is available on September 8th.
(4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

Thank you, NetGalley and HQ Digital (HQ), for sharing this e-book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

I am not a particular fan of murder mysteries, but thought this quite well written and enjoyed reading it. However, I was disappointed at the ending which seemed too neat for a book which had one guessing who was/were the murderers throughout.

An interesting thriller with lots of twists and turns, great characters and the plot kept me guessing until the end.

I didn’t realise this was a series so now look forward to going back to the others to catch up

This is the third novel in the Max Craigie series, I was very pleased to be approved for an advance copy of this novel. I would say to other readers that it will add to your enjoyment if you read the first two books in the series, before reading this one. It can be read as a standalone book too.
It’s another nailbiting, fast paced investigation for Max Craigie and his undercover team, set in Scotland and with courts operating under Scots law. The Not Proven verdict is a third option open to juries in Scotland, in addition to Innocent or Guilty, as in England.
The story flies along, with many twists and turns, and is very enjoyable and immersive, I couldn’t put it down. My only small criticism would be that in an effort to portray some humour during team get-togethers, the author is trying a little too hard, with the result that the dialogue is a bit clunky. Perhaps less is more?
Another excellent novel from Neil Lancaster, and I look forward to the next book in the series. Highly recommended.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

This series is getting into its stride. A good read and there is less of the deus ex machina rescue, but still the old spook who is a bit too good to be true.

This book is apparently the third in the series from Neil Lancaster that features DS Max Craigie and his small team that help fight corruption in the Scottish Police.

Bodies galore and Max, with a nod to 'Line of Duty', tries to find the killer(s). No spoilers here!

Lots of twists and turns, plenty of violence and excellent ending. I would have preferred a little humour and the book started too slowly for me. I will try and read others in this series.

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ Digital for the chance to read and review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for accepting me to read this arc.

Scott Paterson, a nasty piece of work,was acquitted of murder a week before he was found dead in woodland on a golf course. His lawyer is then found dead after allegedly falling off a cliff on his honeymoon. It seems that both appear to be linked to some other mysterious deaths.

DS Max Craigie believes that this is the work of a vigilante serial killer. However it appears that this time the killer is on the inside and knows everything but worse of all it seems they think they are above the law.

This book had me intrigued from the off. Despite being part of a series I managed to read this as a stand alone. I love a gritty thriller and this was definitely that. It gave me Taggart vibes but that might just be due to its setting in Scotland. This was a brilliant thriller and I for one was not expecting the twist.

This was a very enjoyable book concerning police procedure and undercover police. The book was fast-paced with enough twists and turns that I read it in a very short time to discover the ending. Looking forward to the next instalmentThank

I haven't read the other books in this series but I wish I had and will certainly look out for them. An enthralling storyline with fascinating characters. I am really happy to have found this author and would thoroughly recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley and HQ Digital for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion.

This latest DS Max Craigie novel reads well as a standalone novel with a hint every so often to previous books in the series. If you like Line of Duty you will love this book. Fast paced with a good story. Waiting for the next installment!
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the advance copy of this book.

The story begins with the death of a hardened criminal who has escaped prison by virtue of a 'Not Proven' verdict and the skill of his defence lawyer. When the lawyer is also found dead it starts to become apparent that someone is determined to bring their form of justice to criminals who have escaped punishment and those that have helped them. Previous cases become linked and appear to centre around Leith MIT led by Donnie Watson. To add to the drama, a local hack Shuggie Gibson has information that confirms the killer is someone working within the police force. Cue Max' Craigie's team who are tasked with finding the culprit without alerting the MIT of their intensions. After one suspect is found dead under suspicious circumstances it becomes clear that he was not working alone and that whoever is behind the killings is cleaning up. A Met police friend of Max is drafted in with serious consequences and the tension builds to the final unmasking of the chief culprit. This is an exciting, action-packed thriller, peopled with some recurring characters from the previous Max Craigie books with their own back stories helping to add to the richness of the plot. There are a number of unforeseen twists to the plot which added to my enjoyment. I would heartily recommend this book and will go back and read the first two.

My thanks to HQ Digital? Neil Lancaster and Netgalley.
This is the second book of the series that I've read from this author.
Sheesh! I'm damned near stumped!
This isn't a bad story, but it is sadly lacking in any humor.
If you want a solid mystery, then here you go.
If you want heart, humor or a solid foundation of characters? Then move it along. That is lacking in these pages.
I can truly say that I will no longer be reading not promoting anything in this series.

Superb, as we have come to expect from this author.
Great back story throughout and this one's plot is also an excellent stand alone.
Will look forward to the next in the series.