First class ! Having not read any of Neil’s books, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I certainly enjoyed it. An absorbing read set in Scotland - which was wonderful, where DS Max Craigie and his partners try to solve and find who is responsible for a number of deaths. It is definitely packed with action and surprises. I shall certainly be reading more of Neil’s works.

Max and his team are looking for a vigilante killer who seems to be able to second guess everything that the police are doing. There is a lot of camaraderie between the team members but this is a dark book. I found the ending quite disturbing. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

This team of detectives, that investigate other police officers who may have stepped over the law lines, is new to me. I enjoyed this novel so much I’ll go look up the previous two in the series just as soon as I turn my Kindle back on. I didn’t feel as though I had missed anything by not knowing the characters and the team before this novel, so it read as a standalone to me, but I may add more background when I’ve read the first two.
The twists and turns were very unexpected and even if you try and guess whodunnit, you’ll be sure to miss the clues and you’ll just be guessing.
This story centres on several deaths and many that appear almost justified in some terms. It’s not a secret that the expected serial killer is part of a police team, but that isn’t 20% of this book.
The three lead characters, which is also four and five from time to time are a good collection which means you don’t have to vote for one to become the lead in this series. Max, Janie, Ross and Norma have equal billing to match their own personal strengths. Even the journalist becomes partly likeable for a while and that’s a difficult achievement for the gutter press.
My review is the same as if I’d paid for this book, (I didn’t,) ; I’ll spend the money on books one and two in just a few minutes time…

This is the third of the DS Max Craigie series; it is the second I have read.
A noted gang enforcer for hire whose case was “not proven”in court is found dead, as his attorney. A tip to a journalist ties these murders to others and the possibility of the involvement of someone within the police department. Craigie and his team investigate the department as well as try to find the serial killer.

Gritty, fast paced, engrossing, this is a solid police procedural, ringing true not only in the actions of the characters but also their camaraderie and their friendly mockery of each other. For added enjoyment, there are some very colorful Scottish expressions.

Although this further develops the characters introduced in the prior novels, I think it can work well as a standalone.

Another exciting story in the Max Craigie series starting with the murder of a newly found not proven contract killer. Information from a reporter hints at police involvement in the investigation team thus bringing Max and his crew into the plot. More murders and increasing violence as it all builds to a stunning conclusion make this another superb read. More to come…I hope so!

A known criminal just acquitted on a not proven verdict is found murdered, his huge body stumped against a tree with his throat cut. It seems hat his arm had been wrapped around the tree and had been handcuffed with no signs of a struggle or resistance. Soon afterwards his crocked advocate is found dead after falling off a cliff. The investigating detective team haven’t a clue with no leads. As the deaths show sighs of a killer with knowledge of police procedure there is suspicion that a rogue cop in the team is involved, which a covert team is tasked to investigate. With the unknown target using every technology to to stay hidden and the investigating needing every device available to identify the rogue makes a fascinating and exciting story with the team taking dangerous risks so that they barely escape death from a ruthless gang determined to escape exposure.

This is the third in this Scottish detective series, and this one is just as good as the first two.
The MIT team work well together, the characters are well written and the story is fast paced and interesting from the off. I was left guessing right until the end,when everything comes together in a dramatic way, and the killer is finally revealed.
Another excellent read, and I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the next instalment.

The Night Watch Neil Lancaster


5 stars

This is the third book in this series but the first one I have read. However this was easy to read as a stand-alone story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Scott Paterson is found murdered and as a notorious thug who had just avoided a long prison sentence he is not much missed. However when his Advocate Fergus Grigor is also found murdered the Police Standards reassurance Team comprising of DI Ross Fraser, DS Max Craigie, DI Janie Calder and the team analyst Norma need to get involved. A local journalist, Shuggie Gibson tips the team off that he has heard that these murders were an inside job and he is then also found dead, apparently having committed suicide.

An inside job is always one of the hardest to solve as the perpetrator knows all the ways to avoid detection and has access to everything that the team uncover. The story was quick moving and full of twists. We are actually told relatively early on who the suspected culprit is, however is this really the case? DS Max Craigie has his own way of finding things out and the team as a whole all work very well together to solve the case.

This was an enjoyable read, the characters were well-drawn and you felt you got to know their personalities. I always enjoy a book with a plot twist that I did not see coming and particularly enjoyed the conversations between the characters that were very well written. I would like to see this as a television programme along the lines of Shetland. Thoroughly recommended.



Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley

I thoroughly enjoyed this crime novel! It has everything you need in a whodunnit…mystery, suspense, red herrings.

I have developed a soft spot for Max and love the development of the relationship between him and Janie.

A definite recommendation!

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

DCI Donald ‘Donnie’ Watson is so close to retirement he can feel it, he’s the head of MIT based in Leith, and when his team get a call about a body being found at a golf club he’s not best pleased as he was hoping for an easy last stretch. Attending the scene with DI Marnie Gray an up and coming young DI who has excelled quickly through the ranks, DS John Lorimer it’s quickly established that the victim is Scott Paterson, a notorious criminal who has just escaped jail at his most recent trial. With no clues and no evidence the team are stumped. Later, Donnie receives word of the mystery death of Fergus Grigor, found battered at the bottom of a cliff at Dunnet Head whilst out for a run on his honeymoon. What’s the connection here? Grigor was the lawyer responsible for getting Paterson off at his trial.
With suspicions whirling, Meanwhile DS Max Craigie and his partner DC Jainie Calder and the team headed up by DI Ross Fraser receive a tip off from local freelance journalist Shuggie Gibson, and what he has to tell them sparks the team off in an investigation of their own. Shuggie has received an anonymous tip off, the killer is a serving police officer, and is on the MIT at Leith. With the perpetrator being one of their own. they have been clever and seemingly have covered their tracks and have everyone stumped , the team is going to have to bring in every recourse and stay one step ahead. who is this dangerous serial killer, and can Max and the team stop them before it’s too late?

This has to be one of my favourite series yet! I really enjoyed this book, reading this third instalment was like reconnecting with old friends! You don’t feel like you’re reading the story, you feel like you can actually see it being acted out right in front of you! The descriptions and wording used is brilliant, the storyline was easy to follow and the characters have so many different sides to them, as each book goes on you learn more about each one. The legal terminology was well explained. I really like Neil’s style of writing and the descriptions and phrases he uses through the book. I really really enjoyed it, it was chilling, gritty and had me gripped from the first page. Just when you think you have the ending worked out, you realise you actually haven’t!

Brilliant, just brilliant, if I could give more than 5 stars I would!

Thank you Neil , NetGalley for the preview of this book!

I was so thrilled to get this as an ARC, and what a delightful read. I actually more or less read it in one day. It’s a well written exciting plot and the twist at the end surprised me!

It was great to be back with the team, they are a great bunch and gel well together. There’s really no nastiness and spitefulness between any of them.

And now to the plot …..well this time there are mysterious deaths relating to well known criminals, the judiciary and someone somewhere is watching. No-one is safe, as it seems someone on them”inside” knows everything. Max and his team are worried, as the killer always seems to be one step ahead and is taking out people who have got away with their crimes.

You can tell that Neil has great knowledge having been a policeman, and it shows in his writing.

My thanks to Neil, the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

A gritty, Scottish crime thriller, that delivers its read in a punchy and direct manner. This is the third in the DS Max Craigie series, which delivers an intense procedural drama. There is a serial murderer in town and what is more it’s likely an insider on the force… So it has to be managed and carefully investigated as more deaths occur.
The murder is indeed very careful and very canny. There are a few short chapters that share the murderer’s smug and arrogant internal thoughts. Acting as a bit of a vigilante as they consider the justice system to have failed, necessitating ulterior actions to rectify the situation.
Craigie is a deep thinker, calm and measured in all his dealings. I really liked Janie, his no nonsense partner. Some of the other characters in the team, weren’t that memorable and some of the dialogue stuttered at times, so that the comradery didn’t quite hit the mark.
There is lots of careful layering and plotting within the story and a few suspects to consider. It is quite heavy and dark and might have benefited from some lighter moments or characters to balance this slightly, however it fulfils a serious, dark crime thriller.

I like this kind of book ordinarily, dark crime and police procedure, especially set in dark Scottish cities. But this one didn't grip me, it felt a little too light and there were too many characters involved for me to latch emotionally on to any of them. In fact the characters were so thin and led by dialogue (rather than any real internal direction) that when everyone was talking I just read them as 'male police officer' or 'female police officer'.
And the motive of the criminals involved in the murders was completely pointless.
I was hoping for a little more Stuart MacBride but this wasn't it for me I'm afraid.

This book is just superb.

A police thriller will full on drama, tension, shocks (boy, were there shocks!) and some genuinely laugh out loud moments, this book will keep you reading late into the night. Or in my case wake you at 5.30 trying to work out who it was!

This is book 3 in a fantastic series that I recommend to anyone and everyone who loves a fast paced page turner. I cannot wait to see what happens to this fantastic group next.

I never repeat the blurb. Cannot stress enough how good this series is. Fast paced, thrills aplenty and written with clear expertise, they are just superb. More please, ASAP.

This is the 3rd in the Max Craigie series, although I read it as a standalone. I found it a bit overwhelming at first- there are a lot of characters in different teams introduced fairly quickly. I still foundyself getting confused between some of them throughout the book. It's a fast paced, fairly complex investigation with lots of things happening in the different teams. Its dialogue led- which keeps it lively and interesting but for me I prefer less dialogue and more atmosphere/ descriptions. It's very detailed in the police procedure, obviously very well researched although I did find the plot became a bit unbelievable towards the end.
All in all I enjoyed it, but was looking forward to it ending!

Another fantastic addition to the Max Craigie series, one of my favourites and can be read as a stand alone. It's well researched, with excellent characterisation and the plot gripped me from the start. Towards the end, it was a bit unbelievable but I thoroughly enjoyed it and kept reading to the last page. If you like a police procedural, this is one for you which I highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This book is the third in the DS Max Craigie crime series set in Scotland.

When a lawyer and his latest client, who has just been handed a ‘not proven’ verdict for a murder charge, are found dead it seems too much of a coincidence.

Max’s team are called in to investigate as they start to believe there may be a serial killer on a rampage.

As the team investigate it seems that the knowledge of the killer may mean they are part of the investigating team.

Can they find they find the killer before they kill again? Are they part of the investigating team?

This crime mystery does keep you guessing about who could be involved and there are many twists in the storyline which are unexpected.

I did find myself a bit confused at first as there were quite a few different teams involved in the investigations, but eventually I got my head around it all and enjoyed reading. I have a feeling this may be partly due to not reading any previous books in the series so I was unsure who the main characters should be.

I loved how Max’s team interacted with each other though and came together to prove what they believed even if the odds were against them.

Overall, a crime mystery which will keep you guessing who the serial killer could be.

So excited to read this book - the third in the Max Craigie series. It absolutely lived up to my expectations so I can sum up my review in three words - READ THIS BOOK !

A serial killer is on the loose. Initially the murders look like some sort of vigilante justice but as they progress it becomes apparent that they are dealing with a killer with knowledge of police and crime scene procedures - could the killer be a cop? Max and the team that form Policing Standards Reassurance are called in to investigate.

It feels like seeing old friends now when I start a Craigie book. It’s hard to choose a favourite character as they all bring something to the story and the relationships between the team are great to read. Ross brings much humour under his grumpy guise and weirdly (because we have never met her) I love his relationship with him and his wife Enjoyed seeing the bantering friendship between Max and Janine develop too.

On the crime side of the story the book is tightly plotted and pacy. I was gripped from the start. Loved the tech aspect of it too with Barney planting bugs etc and found that part really interesting.

Pleased to hear that book 4 is in the bag - now just for the wait!

Thank you to Net Galley and HQ for the chance to read an early copy.

Max & his team have started to investigate a fellow cop that they think could be a serial killer. They just need to find the proof but what they find brings more trouble for the team. Max just knows that there is more than one killer he doesn’t believe that one man killed the victims by himself. But when his friend Niall is almost killed while working undercover, Max pushes himself into danger.
Can the team find the truth before the killers get away or will they be too late? The team all work well together they each play a part in getting bad cops of the force. Max is a good man he never gives up and he never backs down from a fight. I do think that he needs to see someone about his past as the dreams are only getting worse. A great exciting read. Full of action & suspense. Full of twists & turns.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC copy. This is my voluntary review.