Neil Lancaster has done it again.

Outstanding read, great writing, delving you into the murky seas of human trafficking and more corruption within the police force. Max Craigie is at his best, along with his partner Janie. Unputdownable! Gritty and compelling. Not giving any spoilers.

Seriously, you must read this!

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I loved it as much as the other books in this series! I loved the characters mostly, the plot as well with its enthralling action! I adored the language, often colourful but so fitting! I also greatly enjoyed the fact that the storyline was focused on the plot and not so much of the characters' private life. I found very pleasant to see that the whole team gets on well together, more focused on the aim of their job than promotion. A very entertaining, gripping and witty read! I can't wait for the next book!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

This was such a well written mystery thriller, it had me on the edge of my seat. I loved all the characters (although I found some of the speech a bit cringey at time, with the banter). This is the fourth of the series however it can be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading the other 3 first if you want to understand the relationship between the police team better. However this is the first book I read of the series and I really enjoyed this.

Blood Runs Cold is full of suspense and trepidation, you truly feel for Affi and the desperation to get to the bottom of the crime that the team also feels. I also really enjoyed the extreme detail Lancaster goes into to express a true investigation, I found it so interesting and this added to the suspense as they were getting closer to the end. I would love to read the rest of this series and learn more about the team.

When a young girl goes missing Max Craigie has a personal connection. His wife was working with the girl, a victim of trafficking, to get her younger sister out of an orphanage in Albania and into the UK. As Craigie and the rest of the team he works in investigate they realise that the case is far bigger, it involves organised crime and possible police corruption.

I have loved all the books in the Max Craigie series, Dead Man's Grave, The Blood Tide and The Night Watch, so was eagerly anticipating book 4, Blood Runs Cold. Author Neil Lancaster has produced a brilliant thriller, the best in the series to date.

Right from the opening pages we have a plot filled with tension and terror as we are introduced to organised crime and county lines, although initially I thought things were going to go a completely different route.

After a time jump of three years we are lulled in to a false sense of security as everything appears to be fairly humdrum. Events escalate quickly and we are introduced to a much wider plot involving organised crime and some extremely unsettling villains, a couple of who I certainly wouldn't want to meet on a dark night (or even in broad daylight).

The involvement of Max Craigie and the rest of the "Policing Standards Reassurance" team is almost accidental but as they look into the disappearance of the missing schoolgirl they uncover the involvement of Albanian gangsters and possible police corruption.

The full team are present and the interactions between them are fantastic. I love the banter and the dark humour doesn't surprise me given the nature of their jobs. Given this is book 4 in the series we are still learning more about the individuals in the team, particularly Barney this time around.

Quite a few times I was filled with trepidation as I read, wondering if we were about to see the demise of one of the characters. Holding my breath as I read I was torn between racing through the pages and not wanting to discover what was going to happen.

Neil Lancaster has certainly used his experience of working for the Metropolitan Police to write a thriller that feels extremely timely and real. The strongest element of the whole story is how the victim is humanised, someone you really care for and worry about.

Wow, what a stunning, totally relevant, high octane read this was.
As ever Max Craigie and his team provide a comforting combination of humour, grit , determination, humanity and bravery and it is their interactions that propel the narrative forward at a rate of knots.
With explorations of child trafficking and Modern day slavery, Blood Runs Cold has never been more relevant or poignant. Combined with allegations of impropriety among leading officials this is a catch your breath and take a minute sort of read. The sort of read where you pause, just for a second to ground yourself, before plunging back into the world of Craigie and co.
The book flows beautifully with the reveals, breath taking moments and twists arriving at just the right moments.
As with all good series, we learn more about the key players in this one and the character development is superb. I can't wait to find out what Craigie and the team get up to next.

Blood Runs Cold(DS Max Craigie 4) by Neil Lancaster: ratings story 10/10, characters 10/10, got advanced copy of this novel by the nice people at net galley, another cracking police procedural crime thriller by this author , the story grips you and never lets go till the very end #neillancaster #bloodrunscold #dsmaxcraigie #crackingpoliceprocedural #crimestory #scottishcrimethriller #mustread

Another excellent book from Neil Lancaster. This is the fourth book in the Max Craigie and like the previous stories this doesn't disappoint. The storyline about Affie a young girl who is the victim of the sex trafficking trade. Nail biting definitely a book to be recommended.

Thanks to Neil and NetGalley for allowing me to read Blood Runs Cold before the publication date.
This is the fourth book in the series and the characters are now well established. +
The storyline is very topical with drug traffickers, modern day slavery and police corruption.
Neil continues to use descriptive language which leans towards onomatopoeic ( e.g. The Black Isle hulked).

15 year old Affi Smith was trafficked from Albania and used as a drugs mule before being rescued. She now lives in Easter Ross with foster parents, Valerie and Reg Smith. Despite initial problems, Affi has settled in well. When she goes missing, the family report it to the police.

DS Craigie’s wife, Katie, is a paralegal with the legal firm, specialising in immigration law, where Affi is a client. Concerned with Affi’s welfare, Katie asks Max for help.

Under resourced and overstretched, the local police welcome Max’s offer to help.
Analyst, Norma Kirk, identifies a pattern of trafficking victims disappearing.
As few people have access to any of the victims details, this suggests that there is a leak within the various organisations involved in managing the cases.
The team call on all their resources to find Affi and identify the source of the leaks.

Neil has delivered another page turner with more than a little humour thrown in for good measure.

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
Another intense and satisfying addition to this fantastic series. You won't want to put this down. The bonus novella at the end was great, giving us a glimpse of how Janie got her start on the police force. The camaraderie among the team members is first rate and I was glad to see Barney get a bigger role in this one. Highly recommend this author!

Blood Runs Cold is a book in the Max Craigie series about a team of Scottish Police standards investigators. In this latest tale Max is helping his wife look into the disappearance of Affi Smith a 15 year old trafficking victim who has been rescued and fostered to a loving home in the remote Scottish Highlands. Max soon comes to realise that Affi is not the only victim of trafficking who has gone missing and he suspects that there must be a leak somewhere. Max and the team, including ex-spook Barney are soon on the case where they get drawn into the world of serious gangland crime and corruption that runs top the very heart of the force.
Neil has a very easy writing style that will keep you hooked to the very end.

This is book number four in the Scottish crime thriller series featuring DS Max Craigie. It can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the previous books to get the back story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and heartily recommend it to all lovers of crime thrillers and police procedurals. It is a well written and compelling read that has well drawn characters and an amazing plot.
Easy five stars *****

I don't like giving spoilers but suffice to say this book did not disappoint. A new story but blended with the follow on detail from the previous one. This was definitely a "can't put it down" book.
Perfectly written to help the reader understand what's going on without the complex twists that other books have. Hooked from beginning to end.
Another amazing read from Neil Lancaster. Thank you.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

How do I even begin to review a book that took my breath away at times? I absolutely loved this gem of a read and think Blood Runs Cold is the best so far in the author’s Max Craigie series, and also the best book I’ve read so far this year. Neil Lancaster has really raised the bar with his writing here and it was great being back in the worlds of Max, Janie and Fraser. I love their characters, the banter, their working rapport and friendships and some of Frasers one liners were great bringing some lovely humour to the story. Here the team continue to uncover corruption which leads them into investigating people trafficking and ruthless Albanian criminals who will do anything to protect their own interests. I found this to be a very absorbing and entertaining read, I love the authors writing style here and feel he has a wonderful way of connecting with his readers through his writing by making his characters jump out from the pages where I can picture the scenes in my mind as I’m reading. I was invested in the story from the beginning and rooting for the characters all the way through to the end. . The last part of the book is a very tense and thrilling read which definitely had some wow moments along the way for me. I really liked the ending, it was very fitting for the story. If you like crime, police procedurals I’d recommend this although I’d say read the books from the beginning so you know the characters from the start.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blood Runs Cold by Neil Lancaster is the 4th book in the DS Max Craigie crime series, a top favourite series of mine!
DS Max and his team are back investigating the possible police corruption in the disappearance of a fifteen year old Albanian teenage girl, who at 12 was rescued by the police from an Albanian trafficking gang. As Max reiterated, “someone with access to the highest levels of intelligence systems to a notorious Albanian gang isn’t low level corruption!”
Blood Runs Cold is another gritty, pacy thriller…Neil Lancaster has delivered another winner again. I love the characters and how they are developing and this I feel anchors every book, obviously it helps having a cracking storyline on each crime case too! It’s an insight to how much intelligence is out there, the technical resources available to access information and even the amount of different police agencies there are, all fascinating reading and adds to the authenticity of the story.
Expect a thrilling ride every time when Max and his team get called on a case, I’m just ready for the next one!
Big thanks to Neil Lancaster, HQ and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

Another great addition to the Max Craigie series. It was gripping and with well developed characters, and the plot was fast moving. Excellent

I've now read a couple of books in this series, but as standalone and it hasn't impacted on my enjoyment. The characters feel real and believable. The 'team' dynamic is great and made me smile on more than one occasion. There were a few emotional bits plus a brutal murderer so plenty of action. A book worthy of my Sunday morning!

Blood Runs Cold is Neil Lancaster's best yet in this DS Max Craigie series. Fast paced and topical with trafficking and police corruption so time really is of the essence when a fifteen year old girl goes missing. Great characters, authentic and lots of black humour too. Lancaster is a talented writer and a master of his craft.

Could not put this book down, absolutely brilliant!

Affi goes for a run, it's her 15th birthday, she promises her foster parents she won't be long but never returns.

Affi is not your normal teenager, she was a victim of human trafficking and used as a drug mule, she has run away in the past but Katie Cragie, who happens to be married to DS Max Cragie, thinks something awful has happened.

Such a good read, with great characters, and interactions, twists and turns, just brilliant.

Highly recommended and look forward to the next one.

I have read and enjoyed the other books in the Max Craigie series, so I was delighted to receive an advance copy of Blood Runs Cold, out in April. Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my copy.

I got into the story straight away and if I could have, I would have read it in one sitting.

An Albanian gang has infiltrated the brothels across Scotland, and the leader is not to be messed with. Known as the surgeon, he mutilates his victims with a scalpel.
Max and Janie are notified of a missing persons case where a teenager has disappeared when out for a run. She was a victim of trafficking but is now happily living with a family in the Highlands. She mysteriously reappears, clearly traumatised, but won’t say anything about what happened. Max and Janie know there’s more to it than meets the eye, and their team begin investigating. They unearth corrupt officers and realise the extent of the Albanian gang’s activities.

Max and Janie make a good pairing and I have a real soft spot for a number of the characters, especially Barney. There’s dark humour throughout the book which breaks up the gruesome parts.

I was really gripped by the story and definitely found it to be a page turner. The twists and turns keep you reading and you just have to find out what happens.

As always, I love that the book isn’t focused on the central belt. A large part of the book is set in the Highlands and I can just picture the landscape.

The cover is very pretty and fits with the setting well.

I enjoyed this book and think it’s the best one yet!
If you’ve read the other books in the series, you definitely need to read this one. The book does work as a standalone but I think you appreciate the characters more if you’ve read the other books.
If you haven’t read the series yet then I definitely recommend it.

I’m already looking forward to the next book from this author.

DS Max Craigie and his team are back in the newest instalment of the series. When a 15 year old girl goes missing after going for a run whilst training for an event Max, Janie and the team are quickly involved as it becomes apparent this girl isn’t just another teen. Affi was trafficked from Albania and is living supposedly in secret in the Scottish Highlands with a foster family. When Max realises that other children have vanished in the same way, it can only mean one thing - police corruption. Catching bent coppers is the team’s speciality, so it’s now up to them to not only find out who’s behind the disappearances, but who is feeding the kidnappers inside information. Can the team pull this off and bring them to justice?

Neil! My goodness what have you done? This was absolutely brilliant! There is nothing at all not to love about this story!! The characters feel like old friends, the story line was excellent and the conclusion was sublime! A spectacular finish to an excellent plot! It was well thought out, planned and executed. Had me on the edge of my seat, a real car an mouse chase going on! Loved it! The best in the series so far, these books just keep getting better and better! I have to say though Tupac McPhail was my favourite character in the book!

Well done Neil, smashed it out of the park again, this is going to be a belter! Easy 5 stars from me even after I read the first page!