The Suffering of Strangers

This is wonderfully gritty series that I have read from the beginning featuring DCI Colin Anderson and DI Costello set in Glasgow. This is a stellar addition, with a highlight being Caro Ramsay's impressive and complex plotting, and her skilful juggling of multiple storylines. Much of the subject matter is grim, rape, child abduction, domestic abuse, and the suffering that takes place behind closed doors, and being well off does not preclude horrors taking place in the home. The old police team is split, Colin is whiling his time looking at cold cases, and Costello is placed in the domestic violence unit. Vik Mulholland and Gordon Wyngate are on desk duties, but sorely missing their old team, wishing they were out there, in the thick of the action. Colin is looking into a rape case from the past with his superiors wanting a past victim to front a current campaign. Costello is called out on the odd abduction of 6 week old Sholto, taken from his mother's car, but replaced with a downs syndrome child, Moses. Is the perpetrator a mother experiencing mental health issues or something more sinister?

An ex-lover of Colin's from University, Sally was raped and badly assaulted, and the police feel she might well be a suitable candidate for the campaign. A reluctant Colin finds himself revisiting his past, still harbouring a strong emotional attachment and hankering for Sally, a woman who has remained married to Andrew. Costello finds herself with another missing baby, Polly, which added to Sholto and Moses, alerts her to strange cases of murdered women who had just given birth. She traces the disappearance of Polly's mother to a place where rumours persist of Glasgow's underground city of Grahamston. Costello returns a runaway teen, Malcolm, to his well to do home and his menacing stepfather, George Haggerty. She knows something is desperately wrong in Malcolm's home but powerless to act. Bit by bit, Anderson and Costello with the critical help of Mulholland and Wyngate begin to make the connections between their separate investigations, and the closer they get to the truth, the more their lives are endangered.

This is a dark, tense and compelling read with a gripping and suspenseful narrative. Ramsay gives us an intimate glimpse into the personal lives of Anderson, a lonely man, surrounded by people in relationships, including his daughter, Claire, and being wealthy is just no compensation. Costello's covert relationship with Archie Walker comes under pressure as she suspects him of having an affair with another woman. Unexpectedly, Colin finds his investigation have personal ramifications that come out of the blue which just might give his spirits a boost amidst the unfolding tragedies that are revealed. I just adore this series, and I always look forward with anticipation for the next in the series. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Severn House for an ARC.

I always enjoy this series of books featuring Anderson and Costello and set in Glasgow. The book opens with the abduction of a 6 week old baby and Costello begins the investigation. Anderson is now in the Cold Case Unit and their paths soon merge as they join forces once again. There are so many characters to come to grips with at the start and the plot is very detailed, concentration is required! This is another really good read from Caro Ramsay with snippets of Glasgow history woven throughout the plot. A very well written police procedural which I would recommend to lovers of the genre. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Facebook and Goodreads.

I broke my own series rule with this series coming into it from book 6, only breaking after that one to go back to read book one prior to continuing from book seven. As I have loved all subsequent books I can safely say that, although there must be things I have missed, it hasn't impeded my enjoyment of any of them.
So, Anderson and Costello are now no longer working together with Anderson safely ensconced on the cold case unit currently looking into the unsolved rape of a young woman back in the nineties. Meanwhile, still on the front line working in the Domestic Abuse task force, Costello is tasked with investigating the disappearance of a very young baby from a car parked outside a village shop. Was this just a random, opportunistic snatching or has someone targeted the young child and family? And more importantly, who is the child that has been left in his place? If that wasn't enough, Costello is also called to assist with the case of a missing young mother who, along with her hardly seen baby, social services are concerned about. Calling on help from two ex-colleagues who are currently desk bound, can Costello cut through the noise and figure out what is happening to the children in her town? And what exactly does Anderson discover when he digs deeper in his own case?
The early chapters of this book were a little busy with many characters and told from quite a few POVs. This did settle down after a while and I was very glad of that as I did struggle a wee bit initially. I also missed the interaction, banter and bickering between Anderson and Costello initially too but, when their paths did cross, I definitely saw glimpses of the old partnership shining through. Wyngate and Mulholland bravely took over the mantle of banterers-in-chief quite admirably as they were forced together by being desk bound so I did get my fix there instead!
I can't really say much more about the investigations as to do so would contain spoilers and I won't do that but I can say that Anderson gets more than he bargains for with his investigation when it takes a turn that takes it a little close to home for him. Suffice to say that both threads were quite credible and a little scary at times as they are both quite emotive subjects.
One of the things I do like about this series is the police procedure side of things. Sometimes I find that this side of things falls into place a little too easily sometimes but here, it is usually chaotic and more is made of the investigative side of things; dead ends and the like, so to me anyway, it comes across as more real than some.
The way that our duo come together again is also well done and doesn't come across as contrived. I was a little upset that their team had been split up as, as already mentioned, they all work really well together but, I understand why it had to be. i was very happy to say the least when eventually their paths' merged and they were coupled together once again.
All in all, a good addition to this author's catalogue. I really must go back and read books 2-5 to complete the series. I just wish I had more time.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.