As soon as I read Neil Lancaster's first book, I knew I had found a new favourite author. This, his third outing, is the best yet. Great characters, evocative scenery and an original plot. And there's a lovely little dog. What more do you want? A solid 5/5.

Scott Patterson and his defence lawyer are found dead, one a definite murder the other a possible suicide whilst on his honeymoon.
Max Craigie and his team start investigating the investigation team. The plot thickens.
At one point I had to put the book down as the story got so tense.
It reads very well as a stand alone book and didn’t realise until i finished the story, that there is more.
What a fabulous book. If you like a fast pace, tension, clever writing and a good detective story, this book is a must read.

Notorious criminal Scott Paterson is found dead a few days after being found "not proven to be guilty" in court. The murder is brutal and there is almost no evidence to be found. How could anyone have overpowered this giant without any struggle? The situation gets stranger when the man's lawyer is found having committed suicide, even though he was a newlywed on honeymoon. DS Max Craigie and his team try their best to find out what really happened to both men, however time is ticking and it seems that the killer is not going to stop without getting caught. But how do you catch someone who seems to know a lot about the way police work, almost as if they are police themselves...?

This was the first book in the series of Scottish detective Max Craigie I read. Even though I didn't read the previous two books, I didn't have any problem following the story. It did get me a little while to start really getting into the story, but once I did, I flew through the story. The writing style was nice and I loved that we got to see the killer's point of view every now and then in short one-page chapters. I liked the characters a lot and I especially liked that the were clearly Scottish, which is something I haven't seen that much in literature. I did think Lancaster could have been a bit more clear about what the abbreviations of certain police terms. Since I am not very familiar with those abreviations, I did have to look up some of them to know what exactly he was talking about.

Over all, I really liked the story and the characters. I am certainly looking forward to reading more of Lancaster's work. 4 stars!

Thanks very much to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is a book that started as a very good one and just got better and better with every page. A fast paced police procedural with an ever rising death toll.
Neil Lancaster has really excelled himself with this book which is based predominantly in Edinburgh. Right from the outset this book was full of suspense and thrills which continued right until the very end. It is crafted so very well.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It is the easiest 5 stars I've ever given.

This is the third novel in the excellent Scottish crime series by Neil Lancaster, featuring DS Max Craigie as the main character. What I particularly enjoy with this series of books is that you think you're on one path with the narrative, for quite a long time, and then whoosh you're swept away on a different course entirely. The latter part of the story becomes pacy and heart-stopping at times, and you won't want to put it down.

The Night Watch was no exception, with some pretty juicy murders for the team to contend with. Can they find the killer in time before they strike their next victim? And have they found the right killer?

This is another highly entertaining and gripping read that puts the slightly unorthodox investigator Max Craigie and his rather eclectic team at the heart of its story. As in Lancaster’s previous two books, the story is set in Scotland and opens up a world of covert police investigation into some gruesome crimes committed by their own.

Craigie and his team get to work at a pace that makes it truly difficult to put the book down. The combination of an urgent style of writing and the detailed knowledge of everything that lies within and outside police procedure, shared by Lancaster with first-hand experience as a former police investigator, is a winning combination.

As is often the case with a series of crime stories, the book follows the pattern that was set in the first of the series and which has proven to be such a success. I really did enjoy the characters and their -by now- predictable interactions that I got to know and love in Lancaster’s previous book. I also know that I will give it some time before I would return to Craigie’s investigations, should there be a fourth book in the making -at the end of the day, I don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. But return I certainly would.

I am grateful to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The third in the DS Max Craigie series &, having read the previous two, I’m running out of superlatives to describe this one. Absolutely brilliant doesn’t really do it justice.

Lots of bodies from different walks of life with a suspicion that someone on the police team is leaking information. Undercover policing, colleagues turning on each other & good old-fashioned investigating all add to the mix.

I haven’t even mentioned the plot & I’m not going to. Read it & then pick your chin up off the floor at the end. I adore Scottish crime fiction & this is one of the best, culminating in a cracking conclusion.

The Night Watch is a chilling, compelling and complex crime thriller. DS Craigie and the dedicated covert investigation team have a believable team dynamic that resonates with the reader. The crimes are horrible, but the plot twists make this so good. The multilayered plot centred on vigilante justice makes you think you know who is guilty, but another twist means you only know part of the story, making reading just one more chapter essential.

I like the tingling suspense, the believability of the characters and the clever plot twists.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Another fantastically gripping thriller from this author!

When a lawyer dies on the cliffs at Dunnet Head, the most northernly tip of of Scotland, it is quickly connected to the death of others - including his last client. DS Max Craigie and his team are called in to find out what's going on and, more importantly, who's behind it. Being forensically aware, the killer has left little in the way of clues but Max, Ross and Janie get to work; puzzling though it is, they are old hands at solving the unsolvable!

I particularly love learning something from a book and the forensic details in this one had me mesmerised- if I ever decide to turn to crime (highly unlikely, if not impossible) I reckon I've amassed enough knowledge to avoid detection! I missed the first in series, but have it tucked away ready to read sooner rather than later. This novel is packed with details of the investigating team and yet it concentrates solely on the case in hand. Neil Lancaster knows how to tell a tale keeping his readers on the edge of their seat. I was constantly being surprised and NEVER would have guessed who was behind it all! Pulsing with tension and absolutely thrilling from beginning to end, this is fully deserving of all five sparkling stars and my highest recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

The DS Max Craigie series is quickly becoming my favourites and I'm now a little sad that I'm completely caught up and I have to wait for my next fix! In DS Max Craigie and his team, Lancaster has created some brilliant characters, whose perfect mix of humour and determination to catch the perpetrators of the crimes they investigate makes them a wonderful group of people with whom to spend your reading time.

I am always in awe of Lancaster's plotting and The Night Watch is no different. Once again, the plot is quite complex, but it's absolutely fascinating to follow and I was completely hooked the whole way through!

As the different elements of the plot start to come together, there are some very tense moments and there is a very definite sense of danger. I was on the edge of my seat until the very end and I loved the surprises along the way too!

I can't wait to see what the team get up to next!

Scott Paterson, a serial criminal, walks free from a life sentence after a not proven verdict. He is later found dead, with his throat cut. His Advocate, Fergus Grigor, on honeymoon at Dunnet Head, goes for a run, and his body is later found at the bottom of those cliffs. Revenge killings, probably, but who is behind them?
The MIT assembles, and a police procedural murder hunt begins. Set in Scotland and with less acronyms than Line of Duty, but the same sense of failure and disappointment when a guilty person goes free. A strong team, full of powerful and very likeable personalities, a great chemistry between them all.
DI Ross Fraser was my favourite, hilarious turns of phrase, usually relating to his enforced diet of salad, his messy eating habits, and his terms of endearment, that do border on the edge of abuse, but are so typically a part of investigation work.
As the number of murders increase, there is the uncomfortable realisation that the killer is potentially a member of the team, with a good grasp of how to successfully cover their tracks. I loved the terse messages sent from Alfa Secure, whereby the killer communicates with someone else, directing them and deflecting suspicions, that is a very clever motif throughout this novel.
I didn’t guess the murderer but it was a fast paced read, an excellent plot and had great characters. Both previous novels are now on my birthday wish list. This book would make a great tv drama.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, HQ and HQ digital for my advance digital copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion. A five star read.

4.5 Stars
A lawyer is found dead at sunrise on a lonely clifftop at Dunnet Head on the northernmost tip of Scotland. It was supposed to be his honeymoon. The case is linked to several mysterious deaths, including the murder of the lawyer’s last client, Scott Paterson Scotland’s most notorious criminal who had just walked free. DS Max Craigie knows this can only mean one thing: they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands. But this time the killer isn’t on the run; he’s on the investigation team. And the rules are different when the murderer is this close to home. He knows their weaknesses, knows how to stay hidden, and he thinks he’s above the law.
This is the third outing for Max, Janie and Ross & is a well written book, which I found hard to put down. The pace is fast, the characters well portrayed & the suspense had me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath. That said there are lighter moments & the witty banter between the team is a delight & gives a reprieve from the darker elements. A first class read & I look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is the first time I have read a Neil Lancaster book, the third in the series. I did not find I was at a disadvantage for not having read the previous two. An excellent read with interesting characters and an intriguing plot. Is it good enough to make me want to read the other books in the series, definitely a yes. I throughly recommend.

the Night Watch: the last bastion!

An acquitted murderer and gangland enforcer, Scott “The Axe” Paterson, is found with his throat cut. His legal advocate happens to fall off a windy cliff during a run. Coincidence or something more sinister? The Police Standing Reassurance team, an interesting misnomer for a select team who report directly to the Chief Constable of Scotland, is asked to investigate. Detective Max Craigie and his crew suddenly have their hands full. Is it possible there’s a serial killer at large?
A police procedural that has an ending that’s as twisted as the deaths.

An HQ Digital ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

When I was awarded this copy from HQ & NetGalley, I purchased the first two at Audible because what kind of psychopath would start reading a series at book 3?! Well, I struggled through the first book and wasn’t sure if it was the author or the narrator. I put this book in the “will not review” file and tried to forget about it. But it was like the tell-tale heart every time I looked at my review stats. So, I pulled myself together and listened to book 2. At this point, I’m pretty sure it’s the narrator doing no service for this series. So, I loaded book 3 on my Kindle and started to read. My suspicions were verified— the problem, for me, was largely the narrator. I enjoyed reading this book more than listening to the previous two. I still find DI Ross’ characterization to be on the verge of insulting, but otherwise enjoyed checking in with the cast of characters. The set up of this mystery kept me guessing until the end reveals— what seemed predictable at the beginning twisted over and over through the course of the book. All in all, it was a pretty solid procedural. I might actually even read the fourth one when it comes out! 😉

This is the third book in the excellent Scottish police crime thriller series. Whilst the book can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading all three of these brilliant police crime thrillers.
I first read this author thanks to Netgalley and have waited for every new book since. This is a fast-paced novel that was absorbing and simply just hard to put down.
I highly recommended this novel to all crime thriller enthusiasts.

As with the previous books this thriller didn't disappoint about the killing of a local gangster and his lawyer. The main character DS Max Craigie leads the investigation. Full of twists to keep you guessing this was excellently written and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I’ve not read the 2 earlier books in the series (I will now), but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this brilliant police procedural. The (presumably recurring) main characters are attractive and endearing and nicely illustrated - the baddies, as they are revealed, are complex but believable.

The plotting is masterful and the denouement very satisfactory.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC.

If a series could get much better, then this book proves just so. Max and his team are brought in to seek out an informer on a team when it appears that too much inside information is being leaked. You may think that you know who the person is only to be completely wrong footed not only once but twice, as it has a thrilling ending. Fast paced with murders, violence and great friendship with the story line yet again showing the PTSD which Max suffers from with a lot of love and care. It is a thrilling story and I would highly recommend this book and the first two in the series as you can get a greater understanding.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

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.