One of Scotland’s best investigators Max Graigie is about to put his life on the line as he starts a new case beginning with the suspicious death of his friend Hamish. 
Drug gangs, smuggling and corrupt officers of the law will test the skills of Max’s team and maybe their lives.

Brilliant book with great characters plus typical Scottish weather. What. More could you ask for? Enjoy.

The Blood Tide by Neil Lancaster is the second in the must read Max Craigie series. 
In short, we follow DS Max Craigie and his team, the Policing Standards Reassurance Team, their remit to identify and tackle corruption in the police force that others in the force couldn’t. Max realises this new investigation informing his team, “There’s Jimmy McLeish, the missing Caithness fisherman, Hamish’s absent notes, Murdo’s final words, DIY, knots. Need I go on!”
I flipping love this series, the dynamics of the team, the fast paced thrilling plots, the wit, the Scottish landscape and the inimitable Max Craigie and his posse…just brilliant. 
The Blood Tide had so many splendid twists and turns but it’s the ending which blew this book out of the water…just genius. Mr Lancaster I most definitely enjoyed this right old ripper of a story!
Big thanks to Neil Lancaster, HQ Digital and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

A fantastic story keeping you hooked in from start to finish. The thread can go many different ways and it will keep you on the edge of your seat...

I am very grateful to HQ Stories and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
Ian Rankin described this book, “Think Jack Reacher fronting Line of Duty”. 

I think that sold it best for me. 

The story grabbed me from the start as a great page-turner should. The characters, the settings, the plot lines and pace all made this my favourite read for a long time.

I loved the twists and turns, the setbacks and the triumphs, with great villains and outstanding police work.

If you are an avid crime/thriller fan and have yet to read a Neil Lancaster story, you are missing a treat! I highly recommend The Blood Tide!

I’ve read this and the predecessor in quick succession; they’re good easy read thrillers. Lancaster can show off his technical understanding a wee bit more than is strictly necessary, which i suspects adds veracity for some bit is a bit overplayed for me - it’s also quite amusing how much detail is is offered at times but for dramatic purposes whole days of planning can be elided (thankfully!).
Characterisation can be a bit thin, and there’s a tendency to tell not show, but these complaints feel superfluous- it really doesn’t matter. This is about exciting plot, big reveals, threat, danger and the good guys ultimately catching the bad guys, and it does that well.

I struggled with the overly descriptive, flowery writing style. The characters were complex and well developed. The ending was positively superb. This was a good mysterious thriller.

The Blood Tide is the second of the DS Max Craigie novels by Neil Lancaster, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. Following swiftly on from the twists and shocks of Dead Man's Grave, the action kicks off straight away with a suicide off a bridge in Glasgow. What follows is a series of events, which are seemingly not linked - but are they?

The Blood Tide is another great read by Neil Lancaster, with the same level of heart-in-your-mouth tension to keep you gripped. Reading it is like watching a great crime thriller series, when you just have to watch the next episode, but then something else happens and you still can't turn it off!

Neil Lancaster has fast become one of my favourite crime authors, and I can't wait for the next installment.,

This is book 2 in the DS Max Craigie series set in Scotland. I loved the first book and  was very happy to be approved for a review copy of the follow-up book so thanks to Net Galley and the publishers.

The books starts off with a fisherman disappearing without a trace in the North of Scotland, and another man throwing himself off a bridge to his death. Both do not seem related but Max soon identifies connections, and as the investigation continues it seems to link to his nemesis who is currently residing in prison due to Max.

This is another pulsating and fast moving book with plenty of action, great characters and a certain amount of tension which is maintained throughout the book This keeps up the really high standard of the first book and has a great central character who works his way into your affection, being set in Scotland only adds to the attraction for me.

I would certainly strongly recommend this book to those that love crime fiction with great plotting, great characters and pulsating action. I can’t wait for book 3!

A really excellent book to read.  Good characters and a storyline to keep you interested all the way through with some twists and turns you didn't see coming.

Another excellent police crime book from Neil Lancaster. I love the setting, the obvious understanding of police procedures. The office banter and relationships between the officers is enjoyable and helps bring a little warmth to the plot.  I live in constant fear for little Nutmeg but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I did his previous one and look forward to the next instalment from Max and the team.

This is a great book to sink your teeth into, on a cold night

It’s well written and has a good plot complexity, with plenty going on, plus a log of action. It has a decent pace throughout.
It’s a bit too heavy on high tech investigative techniques and action for my preference.
I think this one is for fans of line of duty.

4/5 - Very Good.

Another fantastic read from the ever more popular Neil Lancaster.

The likeable, returning protagonist on DS Max Craigie, and his team mates and boss Hell to make this well plotted thriller even more enjoyable,

It’s fast paced stuff, full of thrills and feels authentic from an author who really does know his stuff.

A writer and series building on great foundations in book 1, going from strength to strength. Neil Lancaster has quickly moved up the echelons of crime writing, and is a go to writer for me now. 

Great Read

Thank you #NetGalley for my e-arc  copy of #TheBloodTide in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you #NetGalley for my e-arc  copy of #TheBloodTide in exchange for my honest review.

I certainly was not disappointed.  And honestly thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

I found the descriptive pros superb. Where I struggled with some of the Scottish ‘lingo’, with the exquisite descriptions I found this not to be an issue as I was able to paint a picture inside my head as to what was going on.

This is the second novel to feature the main character Detective Max Craige, which I was unaware of. 

Having not read the first novel I did not feel as though I was missing out on anything. As whenever there was anything in this novel that had any reference to the previous novel I found that anything relevant was explained. Saying this I am still going to find and read the first novel in this series, “Dead Man’s Grave”  as I really did enjoy this one.

I feel that The Blood Tide would be well suited for anyone who loves to read a police procedural. And anyone who enjoys the television series “Line Of Duty” as I feel the two are extremely similar. You will not be left feeling disappointed or wanting. 

I was so enthralled and captivated with this novel that of course I have to rate it the full five out of five stars. 

For those wanting to give this book a try it’s publish date will be the 23rd February ‘22 (kindle edition) and I highly recommend it.

The follow up to Dead Man’s Grave - could Neil Lancaster do it again and keep me entertained and on the edge of my seat a second time?  Yes he could and he did!  Max Craigie and his team get involved when a fisherman goes missing and a fellow policeman is found hung after witnessing a suicide!  The pace is fast, the team exchanges between Max, Janie and Ross entertaining and to quote the author himself, it is a ‘right old ripper’ of a story!  Loved it!

This is the second in the series following DS Max Craigie but it reads well as a stand alone. It is an excellent thriller and police procedural that has the reader gripped from start to finish. The author,  Neil Lancaster,  who formerly served in the police force sets the scene perfectly. From the Highlands of Scotland to its bustling cities this is a story of murder, drug gangs, corrupt police officers and lots of action. 
DS Max Craigie returns from a motorbike holiday in the North of Scotland straight into an intriguing case following a phone call from a close friend and colleague. As the investigation progresses Craigie has to pull on all available resources and previous contacts. As a layman I did not realise how many different agencies were involved in the solving of serious crimes so as well as being a fast paced action thriller it was also educational to me. With each page I turned there was more suspense and intrigue. Add that to the inevitable twists and turns and you've got a must read book!
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC which I've reviewed voluntarily.

It was a good mystery/detective story. The ending was good. The characters were hard to relate to. Their chemistry doesn't work with each other. The story was overly described throughout was unnecessary. Overall, it was a good story. 

Thank you to  HQ, HQ digital and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75⭐️ which I have rounded up 

DS Max Craigie Scottish crime thriller #2

I haven’t read the first book, I think I might have had a better understanding of the characters if I’d read them in order. 

 Max is in the police standards reassurance a covert group working to uncover police corruption with DI Ross  Fraser and DC Janie Calder based at Tulliallan
A missing fisherman whose body is never found, and a suicide are possibly linked first by Hamish who contacted Max. 

I really liked Hamish who is the first respondent to a potential ‘jumper’. I didn’t really engage with Max. I liked Norma who is a miraculous data analyst who is bought in to help the team. There is a cute dog called nutmeg too. 

The wonderful scenic descriptions almost  take on the depth of a character. 

It’s well written and has a good plot complexity, with plenty going on, plus a log of action. It has a decent pace throughout. 
It’s a bit too heavy on high tech investigative techniques and action for my preference. 
I think this one is for fans of line of duty. 

I’d heard rave reviews for the series, and was keen to read it. It didn’t fully live up to those expectations for me.  It’s purely down to personal taste. I’m sure a lot of readers will love it.

The follow up to the excellent Dead Mans Grave, I think I like The Blood Tide even better.

We are back with Max Craigie and his team in Scotland as they investigate some apparent suicides, drug gangs and police corruption, all the time having the shadow of an old foe hanging over him, even though that foe is in prison.

I would advise reading the first one of these first. You will get the back story, who the characters are and really just get to know them better.
Here they are fleshed out more and the story is even more engrossing than the first. Its a little over 400 pages and it felt half that, such was my immersion in the book. The story and writing here is top notch. An exciting opening book in this saga and this one upped the ante and then some.

Easy 5 out of 5 stars for me.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

An excellent 2nd installment of the Max Craigie novels. This takes us on in time after the Hardie family have all been placed behind bars to more recent times and begins with the death of a drugs mule. Before we know it, we're lost in the midst of a story that again libkes to the Hardies. Well thought out plot in the stunning location of the Highlands, giving an insight into modern policing in today's Scotland whilst also giving the characters the space to develop as we find out more on each of the main players. Excellent follow up to the first book in the series and I cannot wait for the next.

This is the second novel to include Ross, Max and Janie of the Policing Standards Reassurance Team based in Scotland. The PSR is a small team with a wide remit and freedom to investigate. This is a police procedural, but one step removed from everyday policing that becomes two steps as they eventually investigate PIRC (Police Investigations Review Commissioner) who investigate the operations of the police.  What the reader certainly gets a feel for is the bureaucracy, the career minded operators, the interagency cooperation, or lack of, and the paranoia that top level infiltration engenders. The author manages this without it ever being boring or too political. 

The plot centres on the importation of class A drugs and the operation of what has become known as County Lines operations. An Edinburgh drugs baron has been jailed and his patch has been infiltrated by Liverpudlians and some members of law enforcement are seeking involvement as a contact is setting up a massive deal. 

This is an incident packed story, there is room for characterisation but there is an awful lot going on within the investigation and it seems likely they will be fleshed out further in following novels. The principal characters are engaging and the introduction of the analyst Norma adds to the mix and brings a certain balance, one would expect these teams to be small but three is perhaps a little too small. We also have the intrigue of Mrs Fraser as a kind of ‘her indoors’ to keep Ross on his toes and she must surely to play a bigger role in the future.

Despite all this action the plotting is tight and any excess has been trimmed off. The pacing is not so much rapid as relentless. Chapters are short (some just a page or two) the narrative constantly switches. There is action a plenty, even a moral choice involving life and death race. Its breathless stuff, read this in one or two sittings and you are going to feel worn out.

The violence at times is brutal and inevitably occasionally graphic, but after all drug trafficking is a vicious violent business that destroys life. There’s a pub scene which is unpleasant, I’ve been in some rough pubs but nothing like this one though. 

Finally I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for making a PDF available in exchange for a fair review.