Another fast moving and exiting book from Neil Lancaster. The book features the small unit to investigate Police corruption in Scotland based at Tulliallan .D.I. Ross Fraser, D.S. Max Craigie,D.C. Janie Calder ,Norma and Barney the Ex MI5 intelligence expert.
The book starts with an abduction of a young girl who has been trafficked by Albanians in Glasgow. The Albanians are led by a sinister and vicious head who seems to be one step in front of the Police. The unit believes that corrupt Police are behind the Albanians. A race is on to uncover the officers involved before the girl comes to harm. Lives are at risk for anyone involved with bringing the Albanians to book.

Great thriller, pacey a true page turner.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was the first book I have read by this author and will certainly not be the last. Fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. Would recommend.

Fifteen year old Affi Smith is a confident, happy teenager and a keen athlete who heads out on a training run - she doesn't return.

Three years earlier the same girl had been a completely different individual when picked up by police on the London to Glasgow train running drugs for an Albanian gang. She was in fear for her life and terrified of what would happen to her younger sister back in Albania if she messed up.

This book gripped my attention from the opening pages and didn't let up until I turned the final pages. The fourth in the DS Max Craigie series it could easily be read as a standalone novel but I'd definitely recommend reading them all.

I really like this authors writing, the pace is good, the plot is well thought out and the characters who make up the Scottish Policing Standards Reassurance Team are realistic, flawed individuals that are so realistic I can almost imagine myself being in the squad room with them.

Totally recommended, can't wait for the next one.

My thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the advance copy for review purposes, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

Affi Smith is an Albanian teenager, rescued from the human trafficking trade. Placed with a lovely foster couple, after a tumultuous few years, she is now settled, has found her place, and is loving life. On her fifteenth birthday she goes out for a run, and never returns. Local police put it down as a runaway teen, going by her previous history. However DS Max Craigie’s wife has been working with Affi for a few years and doesn’t believe this to be true, nor do Affi’s foster parents. Max agrees to have a quick look into the case, and what he discovers takes him and his team down a dark path.

As Max and his partner DC Janie Calder start digging into the case alongside the rest of the team, they discover it is a case for their policing standards department. What started out as a kidnapping turns into a massive human trafficking investigation, with organised crime having its fingers in every facet of power, including the police force. In the meantime Affi mysteriously returns home but won’t say a word about where she was to anyone. Can Max and his team get to the bottom of this before people get hurt? And can they solve the case when someone may be working against them from the inside?

I loved the previous Max Craigie books, and this fourth one was no exception. They just get better and better, and I devoured this one in one sitting. You can read the books stand alone, but reading the series gives you much more insight into the characters, plus makes for a great time too. It was brilliant to see some more development of the more peripheral cast in this story too. Giving more action to ex-spy Barney, and seeing how analyst Norma works gives an insight into how the team works so well at what they do. There is so much detail in these books, from the police procedures, to the description of the Scottish towns and countryside, and unique Scottish vernacular. I love how the case plays out, how the story unfolds, and how engrossed you are from the beginning. Another page turner in the series from Mr. Lancaster, and I can’t wait for the next!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

What an excellent storyline. Really needs 6+ stars.Neil Lancaster must be congratulated for his ability to keep on writing thrillers that always keep you on the edge of your seat, and each one is just as good or better than the last. I read this in record time as I was unable to put the book down. Some of the characters are very unsavoury, but necessary to the plot.I cannot recommend this author enough, and I just love Max and his colleagues. I would recommend that they are read in order to see the character development, but are stand alone as well. Already looking forward to the next one.

Blood Runs Cold by Neil Lancaster

On her fifteenth birthday, trafficking victim Affi Smith goes for a run and never returns. With a new identity and secure home in the Scottish Highlands, she was supposed to be safe…
She escaped once.
With personal ties to Affi’s case, DS Max Craigie joins the investigation. When he discovers other trafficking victims have disappeared in exactly the same circumstances, he knows one thing for certain – there’s a leak somewhere within law-enforcement.
Loved this book , his best yet !
DS Max Craigie is such a good character and loved the way he went about getting to the bottom of the disappearences.
A few twists along the way to keep the reader on the edge of our seats. Loved it.

Max Craigie is back with another investigation into police corruption. This time it involves the trafficking of young girls into prostitution. With the news this weekend of how many young asylum seekers are being kidnapped from the unsupervised hotels they're being place into, this story is highly relevant and extremely chilling.

Affie is a young Albanian girl of fifteen who was rescued from a criminal game. She's fostered by a loving family and is set for athletic success. While sh'e's out training she is kidnapped and taken to work in a Glasgow brothel . She's young and beautiful so will commend a high price. When the leaders of the gang learn she was taken though they are worried about the amount of attention the kidnapping has attracted and so they order her release. Affie can't say anything though because they have tabs on her younger sister who is still in Albania.

Max and his team are investigating again and with corruption at every level from immigration to the courts it is a breathtaking ride to see whether he will manage to get to the bottom of who is behind it all.

A great read, very plausible and believable and with likeable main characters in Max and his wife, Janie, Barney and Ross. I've read and enjoyed the others in this series but Lancaster just gets better and better. Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the ARC.

A no holds barred, chilling thrill ride of a book!

This book was epic! I loved every page and was totally consumed by the ever twisting plot. As only my second Neil Lancaster book I think it’s fair to say I’m a fan now. He’s writing style is exceptionally good and his character development on point.

I loved how this book started out as one thing and quickly became something entirely more complex and disturbing. His portrayal of Affi was believable and utterly heart wrenching. I loved her as a character, born from poverty and victim of human trafficking. She was a totally refreshing take on a victim turning their fate and luck around. Equally Neil can write a real nasty character too, the ones in this book are seriously creepy and really bring a sense of darkness and urgency to the plot.

The dialogue is so funny and lifts the mood on what would otherwise be a very dark and depressing novel. I especially like Ross and his quips, definitely jotted a few down to use against life!

Heavy on police procedural which I love and wit an expert insight into the more technical aspect of investigating offences. I particularly enjoy how this information is conveyed, knowing it’s so much more than an author doing his research. In this case it’s an author talking directly to the reader from experience. It’s absolutely fascinating and I just can’t get enough of all the details and incredible ways information can be recovered or discovered.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a gripping, well researched and hugely satisfying read. It’s setting in various parts of Scotland is effectively used to enhance the attraction of the book. Afrodita Dushku is Beto this country illegally from Albania to deliver drugs. Her supervisor Jetmir manages to lose her and she is placed in supposedly safe house under the name of Affy Smith. Happily settled she goes for a run and doesn’t return. That triggers an investigation by Max Craigie and his police partner Janie. Others are brought in too, enriching the feel of the story. An extensive crime business involving drugs, brothels, trafficking is exposed. The story gradually reveals twists to keep the reader enthralled then there are he unexpected connections to police corruption. This is a terrific read. I strongly recommend it.

When celebrating her fifteenth birthday, Affi Smith goes for a trail run - only to disappear into thin air. Affi was rescued from human traffickers, and her disappearance seems out of the ordinary to Max Craigie and his team. However, disappearances do not come under their remit of investigating police corruption, but all is not necessarily what it seems.

This is another fantastic book in the series, and a well-deserved 5* book!

Neil Lancaster's series about detective Max Craigie and his team, who investigate institutionalised corruption, gets stronger with each book. This is the fourth in the series although, like the others, it could stand alone as a gripping thriller. The central plot here concerns the trafficking of young Albanians to Britain where they are forced into roles as drug couriers and prostitutes. When one young girl escapes her captors and is fostered into a loving family, then abducted, Max, Janie and Ross get involved in the investigation as it becomes apparent that there is insider leaking of information to the Albanian organised crime group. This book develops and gives stronger roles to Barney and Norma, civilian members of the team, and also to Katie, Max's wife. Thus there is character development and a strong and gripping plot. I certainly recommend this book to fans of police procedurals, well set thrillers and characterful plots. The book is further enhanced by the addition at the end of a short story giving some background to Janie. Thank you to HQ books via Net Galley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is another good story in the series about police procedure and police corruption in Scotland. There were twists and turns that I didn't see coming and I kept thinking, just one more chapter.

I was annoyed at the last book because one of the characters swore in every sentence. Either the author toned him down or I've become immune to it. Anyway, I like the character now, especially when he berated a colleague who swore once by calling her potty mouth.

Neil Lancaster tells a good story well and I'm looking forward to more.

Just finished this book - wow was it gripping! Think Line of Duty for the pace and the storyline of corruption. The characters are well drawn and engaging. The book is really well written and I recommend highly.

Another great book in the Max Craigie series by Neil Lancaster.I sped through it in a couple of days as I couldn’t wait Ito find out what happened.It has all the elements we have come to expect,with all the well loved characters.This time the story is mainly set in Glasgow and involves a very nasty Albanian gangster who is responsible for trafficking young women to work in a ring of prostitution and drugs.When it seems that police insiders are passing information to him,the anti-corruption squad become involved.
I don’t want to spoil the plot,but suffice it to say it has some edge of the seat moments and some great twists.Highly recommended as always-I already can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

4.25/5 stars! This is the fourth book in the DS Max Craigie series. I found this story to be intriguing and different from a lot of standard crime thrillers. I really liked the Scottish setting and the bits of culture that were dispersed amongst the story. The human-trafficking angle was heart-wrenching and pulled me in emotionally from the very beginning. I hate when police assume missing children are runaways but the story quickly gets past this misconception. Figuring out who the leak is was a wild ride. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

OMG Neill you’ve only gone and done it again. What a fabulous new book with DS Craigie and Janie hit in the heels of Albanian child smugglers. When it started I thought it was another run of the mill child trafficking story. But oh no, this went on a very different path. More corrupt police officers thinking they can get away with dropping their SIM cards down a drain. Barney is only too happy to help out but he has one scary moment and every one learns he’s got a missing leg! Wonderful. I do hope there’ll be many more of these books. It should be a tv series

A superb read
I was totally engrossed in this book. Some may find the scenes unsavoury,but even those written sympathetically.

From the start where we have a terrified young Albanian girl who's been trafficked into the UK and being made to transport drugs then later to prostitution, murder and police corruption it moves along at a rapid pace.. The main characters are compelling and the villains are frankly scary.

This is an extremely well written book and came over as completely believable. It could just have happened as described.

This is the fourth book in the DS Max Craigie series and the third that I have read and it doesn't disappoint. A teenage girl goes missing. The overworked local police put it down to teenage emotions as she has disappeared before, but her adoptive parents are not convinced. Affi had recently turned her life around and discovered athletics, channelling all her energy into becoming a serious runner. At the behest of his wife Max Craigie looks into the case, discovering there is far more to her disappearance than first thought. When Affi is surprisingly returned to her home, but will not say where she has been, the tension deepens. Max again calls out to an old pal, Barney, to help with phone hacking, and computer data, and his detective constable, Janie, office support, Norma, and boss, DI Ross Fraser, are all involved in catching a crime gang who are kidnapping teenagers and putting them to work in brothels across Europe.
Another involved and complex plot, with good dialogue and humour between the characters lightening what could be quite a dark novel otherwise. I love the Scottish 'voices' in the Craigie novels all served up with lashings of tea and Tunnocks tea cakes.
With many thanks to Netgalley and HQ stories for an arc in return for an honest review. Can't wait for the next in the series.

A fourth outing for DS Max Craigie and DC Janie Calder and,as usual, Neil Lancaster has nailed it!

Max's wife Katie asks him to take a look at the disappearance of one of her clients, a 15 year old Albanian girl.

This leads us into the scary world of the Albanian mafia and their corrupt informers within Police Scotland

All the old favourite characters are there and it is 5 stars all the way!

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Publishing for the chance to review this book

What can I say. This is my new favourite series they just get better and better. Full of grit, well written & amazing characters. What makes this series even better for me is references to places I know being Scottish. Amazing I’ve recommended this series to so many people who have all loved them too.