Book 3 in the DS Max Craigie Series and it’s another cracking read about Craigie and his colleagues who work in a small covert police unit for Police Scotland. I love this series and every book has been a brilliant read. Well written with wonderful characters and lots of banter to lighten the darker sides of the story. As usual there are plenty of references to personal and family matters outside of work and we find out more about Craigie’s battle with PTSD. The plotline this time is a corker.

Briefly, a notorious thug who walked free after a not proven verdict at trial is murdered and, shortly afterward, his advocate is found dead at the foot of Dunnet Head cliffs. One is treated as suspicious whilst the other as suicide. Investigations soon find links to several other murders. The team is called in when an independent reporter seems to know far more than he should, raising suspicion that there is someone on the investigating team leaking information. Then their chief suspect is also found dead. Who will be next?

This is definitely Line of Duty stuff, undercover police, plenty of dead bodies and suspicions about friends and colleagues. Plenty of twists and turns in this complex case kept me engrossed from start to finish. Fascinating read mixing police procedural work with the deadly ambitions of a murderer seeking revenge and there’s a shocking revelation at the end. Loved it.

A lawyer is found dead on a lonely cliff top in northern Scotland. The case is linked to several mysterious deaths including a notorious criminal. DS Max Craigie knows they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands.

I do love a serial killer story and this one is as good as it gets. Grumpy older detective, last case before retirement. A special investigation team was brought in to oversee the case. A clever journalist and a rouge cop. This story has it all. It also has a few unexpected twists too. This is the third book in a series but, except for an odd reference to previous stories, it works well as a stand-alone work.

Verdict - This is a great police procedural with believable characters and is well-paced. A great twist halfway through throws the story in a completely different direction and kept me guessing. A good, well-written enjoyable story.

A notorious criminal's body is discovered on a golf course. Shortly afterward the body of his advocate is found at the bottom of some cliffs. It is soon evident that these deaths are most likely connects and someone is out for revenge. These events set off a fast paced investigation for DS Max Craigie and and his team.

The plot is intelligent and compelling. The characters are very authentic and their interactions are entertaining. There is a real tension in the narrative which ramps up the action. This is a real page turner. I'm a real fan of the DS Craigie series and this new release is just as good as the previous two novels.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Stories for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Scott Paterson the infamous gangster is found dead on a golf course in Edinburgh its apparent that he has been brutally murdered but with no sign of any defence wounds it's a very bizarre case.

The lawyer who had defended Scott is also found dead on the night of his honeymoon.
Both deaths are quickly connected to a spate of killings and when DS Max Craigie and his team take up the case it's evident that they have a brutal serial killer on their hands.

But with the killer always one step ahead and knowing all the teams moves its without question that the killer is most definitely a cop but which one?
This is n extremely fast paced novel and will keep you on the edge of your seat without the book.

Once again Neil Lancaster has done it again. He is fast becoming one of my favorite authors!

Max and his brilliant team are back again, full of intrigue, fast paced, unputdownable!!

You have to read it, it´s as simple as that!

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

This is a tale that grips you from word one to word last and so you need to make sure that you dedicate enough time to fully enjoy being "gripped".

Lots of great twists and turns but, as in far too many other examples, spoilt by its dumbing down by the author feeling such a book needs 119 variations of the f-word to make it enjoyable/plausible/true to life.

Downrated from 5 Stars to 4 Stars for what I consider the unnecessary use of expletives.

The third book in the DS Max Craigie series and for me yet another winner! A fast-paced gritty crime thriller that keeps the twists coming and keeps you on your toes until the very end. Would recommend 'The Night Watch' to anyone who enjoys a good police story with well rounded, likeable characters. [especially ones that are set in Scotland ;-) ] Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for an advance copy.

This is the first Neil Lancaster book Ive read, and I really enjoyed the procedural part of it, particularly from someone who had lived and breathed it all. However, and I realise I'm in a minority, I struggled a lot with his portrayal of the female characters who didn't feel completely authentic, especially Marnie, the femme fatale. I also found the final twist and killer's motive fairly unbelievable.
Thank you to netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of this book

The third police novel by Neil Lancaster that I've read and I love the characters and really gripping plots. Another suspense-filled story with an unexpected ending.

I have read all 3 books in this crime series. I have found them all to be enjoyable. This one is a bit different as the killer is someone they know within the police department. Scott Paterson is found dead on a golf course. Next, his lawyer, Fergus Grigor, is found dead of suspicious circumstances. DS Max Craigie from Edinburgh, Scotland is the detective that is working this case along with Ross and Janie. They are on the search for a vigilante, dispatching justice where the courts have failed. I loved the banter amongst the 3 individuals of Max, Ross and Janie. I found the book's plot to be fast paced, dark and gritty. I look forward to the next Neil Lancaster book as I have really enjoyed this one. I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for a copy for an honest review.

If you like Line of Duty and Scottish crime thrillers, then The Night Watch is a must-read for you! An absorbing police procedural following a brazen team of detectives and a gripping investigation full of unpredictable twists, this thriller will easily have you hooked.

Centring around a formidable team with a great chemistry, Max and the other detectives like to take the mick and don't sugarcoat their words. It's obvious that Lancaster has had real-life experience as part of an investigation team, as the brash but humorous dialogue between the characters feels very genuine, and it is the bluntness in their approach that made me warm to them so easily.

This is the first book I have read in the series, and while it took some time to get used to all of the names, it was easy to feel a part of the team. With lots of great humour alongside a detailed investigation with lots to uncover, this was a fantastic read, and is sure to leave any thriller fan impressed.

After reading this, Neil Lancaster is definitely an author I'm going to be reading more of!

This was my first Neil Lancaster book and the third in the DS Max Craigie series.

It didn’t seem to matter that I hadn’t read the first two. The Night Watch could stand alone without losing anything.

I enjoyed the characters and storyline. There were a couple of nice twists in the plot. And I felt confident in the procedural elements knowing Neil had done this kind of work himself.

Where it fell down for me was the number of acronyms. I realise this is probably authentic, but I lost track and it confused me sometimes. Plus, when they were explained, it felt a little shoehorned. Maybe a glossary would help?

All in all a good read that will keep you entertained if you like a police procedural.

Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to read this book and review it my own way.

Max and Janie ride out into danger once again fully supported by their team. A series of linked murders appear across Scotland as the team strive to find out who is heading it up and they realise there is a corrupt police officer at the heart of it.
Good repartee amongst the team members but be fearful anyone who joins to help the sleuths as their lives could be at risk too.

I have read the first 2 in this series and absolutely loved them so I was a bit worried that Mr Lancaster wouldn't be able to match them however, I have to say that he has exceeded my expectations because this is an absolute cracker.

DS Max Craigie and his team are a small but formidable group; their relationship and dialogue feels authentic and I have found myself becoming rather attached to them. Max's boss, DI Ross Fraser, provided me much amusement and laugh out loud moments which helped to lighten what is a dark story of what appears to be vigilante justice with a strong suspicion that the perpetrator is a serving police officer. When he is found dead of an apparent suicide, Max and his team are convinced it was murder but how and who is responsible and who will be next?

Once again, this is a gritty, fast paced and absorbing police procedural with an engrossing plot with great twists and excellent characters and although it can be read as a standalone quite successfully, I would highly recommend reading the first 2 in the series not only because it will help with getting to know the characters but also because they are damn fine books!

Bravo Mr Lancaster, you have a fan here and I can't wait to read the next and I must thank HQ, HQ Digital and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Night Watch.

The Night Watch is my first introduction to the author Neil Lancaster and the DS Craigie series and what an introduction it is!

As this story had me hooked from page one when Scott 'The Axe' Paterson a gang enforcer who has just been released from jail after a 'not proven' verdict is returned is murdered and hours later his advocate a newly married man on his honeymoon is found dead at the bottom of Dunnet Head.

The question is are the two cases connected? And if so who could want them both dead? For MIT 6, the answer is instantly no and Scott's murder takes precedence, but a journalist has information that might prove otherwise.

And when he offers that information to DI Ross Fraser and his team a can of worms is opened. As there appears to be a serial killer operating in Edinburgh and one that is carrying a warrant card.

Consequently Max, Ross, Norma and Janie trigger a covert investigation into MIT 6 in the hope it will lead them to their killer.

But could the killer strike again before the evidence can be found? And what of MIT 6's own investigation?

And with considerable detail, lots of humour, intriguing characters and twists that just kept on coming. The Night Watch was a fantastic read and it's one I would definitely recommend to others. Even if you've not read books one and two!

THE NIGHT WATCH

Thanks #Netgalley #HQDigital and Neil Lancaster for my e-arc copy of #TheNightWatch in exchange for my honest.

There are three books to this series so far, but only the second one I have read and as expected The Night Watch was fast paced from the start. The local Scottish dialect was not an issue within this novel it fit perfectly with its setting. And as with the story preceding this one I found it very much comparable to Line Of Duty.

When I saw there were 93 chapter in this book I was slightly dubious about starting, but also confident that this wouldn’t be a long arduous read and with its short and concise chapters it was an unputdownable read.

This was one of those books I couldn’t wait to finish, but at the same time I didn’t want it to end, making it easy for my to give this novel the full five stars.

If I am to have one criticism for this novel, it is the fact that I could not understand how the title The Night Watch had any relation to the story.

This series is a must for fans of police procedural fiction.

DS Max Craigie and his team are tasked with investigating the shocking discovery of the body of notorious criminal Scott Paterson who has only recently been released from prison. At the same time, almost 300 miles away, the body of Fergus Grigor is found dead at the foot of the cliffs at Dunnet Head. Grigor was the advocate for Paterson's recent trial and certain this isn't a coincidence, the team set about to establish who is responsible.

This was a well written, fast paced and thriller of a read - another fantastic instalment in the DS Max Craigie series by Neil Lancaster. It is possible to read it as a stand alone, but I highly recommend reading the rest of the series - both for background and the fact that they are equally great reads.

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the review copy.

I love Neil Lancasters novels, they are fast paced and exciting and the characters are colourfully written, you can really imagine what they would be like if they were actual people. The story line was good and I don’t want to give anything away but it was a refreshing change to the usual cop & bad guy novels, All in all it’s good, definitely worth reading and I look forward to the next instalment.

The Night Watch is the third in the excellent Max Craigie police procedural series and it is a surefire hit! The police are investigating the murder of a career criminal when a journalist alerts them to the hours earlier death of his lawyer who had just successfully defended the man in court. If that weren’t suspicious enough, that lawyer was also responsible for the equally successful defense of another man, also now dead. Similarities between the killings convince Max and DC Janie Calder that someone from Police Scotland is involved. They have a suspect but no evidence. Can they catch him/her before there is another victim?

This crime fiction series just keeps getting better! The solid relationship between Max, Janie and DI Ross helps drive the plot. The location is well described and atmospheric. There are twists and turns here and an ending I didn’t see coming but one theme will keep you wondering. Someone is killing criminals who have escaped justice by legal technicalities. No one in innocent here. Not the killer and especially not the victims. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Neil Lancaster for this ARC.

Wow! Max Craigie and his team are back in this amazing book and did not disappoint with twists and suspense and fast paced.
It starts with a lawyer found dead at the bottom of a lonely clifftop at Dunnet Head then more murders start to happen. The heat is on for Max and his team to find a cop serial killer.
Can't wait for book number 4.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley & HQ digital for a advanced copy.