I could not finish it.

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I didn't realise this was part of a series until I got approved for it on Netgalley, but that is not the point. I just could not get into the story. Felt the main lady Costello was a moppy lady who just needed a slap in the face to snap herself out of this funk and quite frankly I didn't want to read about her parts anymore.

Sorry, my first DNF in 2019. But couldn't force myself to read it any longer. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, I'm al ittle bit biased as I've read all the previous books in the series.
Good to see the standard set in previous ones is maintained in this one.
Although advatageous to know the background of the main characters, I suspect that you could read this as standalone.

Keep up the good work

DI Costello faces a disturbing child abduction case; a six-week-old has been stolen and replaced with another baby. The swap took cold and meticulous planning, so Costello treads the seedy, Glaswegian back streets for answers. She’s convinced that more than one young life is at stake.

Promoted into the Cold Case Unit, Colin Anderson reviews the unsolved rape of a young mother, whose attacker is still out there. Each case pulls Anderson and Costello in the same direction and, as their paths keep crossing, they begin to suspect their separate cases are dangerously entwined.

First I would like to point out that this is the 9th book in a series, which I wasn't aware of, but I still read it and was able to follow it. The writing was great and I can't wait to read the other books!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #Blackthorn
Pub Date: 06 Jun 2019

I hadn't realized that this was the 9th in the series when I requested it from Netgalley. I did manage to read and, mostly, enjoy, I think I would have benefited greatly in knowing more about the background of the characters. When the action was happening, I found this a really gripping book, particularly towards the end of the book where there was so much happening. It’s well written But, I found it hard to get into as some aspects of the story as it was referring to parts from previous books and it confused me somewhat. I also thought that there was too much description of characters and not enough of the case of the missing child.

A good gritty mystery that has twists and turns that keeps you guessing till the end.
I enjoyed this book and will read more by this author.
Thanks for allowing me to read and review this book

Another brilliant police procedural book by caro ramsay. Having followed the series from the beginning they just keep getting better. A really gritty story following the abduction of a six week old baby from the back of a car. The story just gets deeper and deeper the more you read it is not just one child having gone missing. Woman having children who then appear without children. Is there something bigger going on

A very strange and twisted tale,missing children,cold cases and dogged detective work.An unusual cast of characters.

This was my first book by Caro Ramsay as I initially wasn’t aware this was book 9 in a series.
Whilst reading the other books first would have given a better understanding of the ongoing storyline I enjoyed this as a standalone.
Lots of twists and turns, good old fashioned police work & already I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

The Suffering of strangers from Caro Ramsay is the ninth book in the Costello and Anderson series. I didn’t realise this when I requested this on NetGalley. This is the first book I have read in the series.
A baby is stolen outside a village shop when left in a car for a minute. They discover the car moments later with another baby who is suffering with Downs syndrome left in their place. DI Anderson is now working Cold cases, Is on investigation regarding a rape. As they both delve into their cases. They realise that both cases are linked.
Let me say this is not a bad book. It’s well written But, I found it hard to get into as some aspects of the story as it was referring to parts from previous books and it confused me somewhat. I also thought that there was too much description of characters and not enough of the case of the missing child.
Thank you NetGalley and Black Thorn for a copy of this book

A great atmospheric read that will grip you from the very first page. Twists and turns a plenty with strong characters that lead you through the story

Thank to netgalley and the author/publisher for the Arc for my honest review.

If you’re like me and haven’t read the other books in this series, you may be s little overwhelmed and / or confused with the characters and their storyline as this book is number 9 in the series. I did see some reviewers state that it’s not necessary to read order, but that it is helpful. I can see why.

Outside of that, the premise of the book are unique. I’ve never read a book with a child abduction where they replaced the abducted with another baby? Maybe it’s the mom in me, but I can’t help to wonder why mom left the infant alone in the car to begin with.

Good book. Engaging. Would read more by this author.

Whilst ‘The Suffering of Strangers’ is Book 9 in the Costello and Anderson Scottish police procedural series, the reader does not need to be familiar with the back stories to appreciate this novel and is quickly immersed in the horror that is baby Sholto’s disappearance from his exhausted mother’s car when she nips into a local shop. Soon after DI Costello is called out to investigate, she recognises that this is not a random snatch. And the abductor has left another baby in Sholto’s place, a little boy with Down’s syndrome.
This is an intricately plotted story which focuses on the responsibilities that come with parenthood, and the abuse of power. The reader is confronted with some horribly realistic scenarios, such as Costello’s discovery of young Malcolm hiding by bins some way from his well-to-do home that is anything but a sanctuary. However, Caro Ramsay also balances such grim facts of life with welcome moments of dark humour. We enjoy Costello’s acid tongue as she keeps her team in order and the pronouncements of the equally determined and down to earth Dali, Head of Child Protection for Strathclyde, whom Costello originally mistakes for a homeless beggar on account of her scruffy appearance complete with large plastic bag carried over the shoulder. Oops!
The many seemingly disparate plot strands come together to form a cohesive conclusion and the tantalising challenge thrown down in the final sentence will have readers searching for the next in the Costello and Anderson series! Some might argue that the various threads are a little too neatly tied up in the messy world of broken marriages, rape, student hostesses, murder and child abuse that Caro Ramsey has fashioned. However, it’s unlikely that any reader is going to put down this novel half way through on account of its dull plot! If you like lots of twists and turns and plenty of tension, then this one’s for you.
My thanks to NetGalley and Black Thorn for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

Great book will be reading other books by this author.
Will also recommend this book to others.
Great read! 5*** aka,ing

The Suffering of Strangers is the ninth in the series and a good mystery. People should read the other books before they tackle this one, or they may miss some information. Overall a very good mystery with solid characters and writting.

This is the latest instalment from Caro Ramsey in her Anderson and Costello detective series. You don't have to have read the others in the series to enjoy this one but like any series reading the books in order, starting with the excellent Absolution, does help and you can follow the progression of the main characters through the books. It is a strong series although I admit part of the appeal for me is the Scottish and Glasgow setting. Ramsay has the skill to thread humour through gritty and dark story lines and The Suffering of Strangers is no exception. Highly recommended whether you've read the others in the series or not! PS. Do read the previous books, there are some great and hard hitting story lines and characters to love and follow.

Thanks to NetGalley and Black Thorn for ARC.

What an amazing thriller! I loved the character development and stayed up way past my bedtime to find out what was going to happen next. I highly recommend this author.

This is a favourite author and l was not disappointed great plot with a credible storyline could not put this down recommended

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 9 of the Anderson & Costello series. I'd recommend reading the series in order as the storyline is a bit difficult to follow as far as the history between the DCI and the DI.

Many characters are introduced and they are introduced in every other paragraph as opposed to different chapters.

This is a Scottish police procedural where DI Costello is called in to investigate the abduction of a baby left alone in a car. When the mother had returned to her car her baby was gone and in his place was a lovely baby with Down's Syndrome. There is a witness but how reliable is she?

DCI Anderson is assigned a cold case, reviewing the details of a rape from 1996. Unfortunately for him the victim has just recently passed away. He feels, as he gathers evidence that this is the work of a serial rapist.

Lots of good twists, turns and a surprise ending.

Engrossing plot, adept pacing, competently structured characters. While not the best I’ve read in this genre, it’s enough to enjoy and race through to see what happens and whodunnit. Detective series/novels have the burden of also forming lead characters that readers can relate to and engage with in their minds, and Ramsay does this fairly well.

Scottish author Caro Ramsay doesn't go easy on her readers in her Glasgow-set series starring detective duo Costello and Anderson. Ramsay boldly tackles some tough, gritty issues. In this ninth instalment, the pair have been separated by their bosses, and each is plunged into a testing case. Suffering aplenty.

DI Costello is still smarting from her sidelining and is now focused on domestic abuse and looking for a missing six-week-old baby, snatched from her mother's car. Bizarrely, a baby with Down’s Syndrome was left behind. Anderson is reviewing the cold case rape of a young mother back in the mid-1990s. When the victim dies, Anderson's superiors want him to convince his old college girlfriend, another victim of an historic unsolved rape, to do a television appeal for people to speak out about violent and sexual crime.

Unexpected connections begin to appear, and with the help of a force-of-nature social worker, Costello realizes something far deeper and more organized is going on than just one randomly snatched baby.

Ramsay writes in a straightforward manner with little frills, delivering via character and plot and some mind-pricking themes. She takes readers into places most British police procedurals avoid. There's some nice action and a multi-layered storyline with memorable supporting characters and situations that really test our two protagonists. They, and readers, may be put through the emotional wringer. A good solid crime read unafraid to address some tough subjects