I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the ninth in the Anderson & Costello series of Scottish police procedurals, but I have not read any of the earlier instalments. I suspect that if I had done so, the first few chapters would have been an easier read for me, while I was trying to piece together who everyone was. Still, this works quite well as a stand alone story, despite the whole "getting the gang back together" scenario that develops.

The set-up is intriguing: a mother leaves her baby in the car outside a shop for a few minutes and when she returns, her baby has been switched for one of a similar age with Downs Syndrome. Costello is handling this case and also that of a mother who has climbed out of the window to escape from her social worker. The social worker was insisting on seeing her six week old baby and there is no trace of the baby in the home. As is so often the way in crime fiction, the two cases turn out to be linked.

I enjoyed this story enormously. The detectives were sympathetic characters with distinct personalities and back stories, but the focus was on the work. The police work itself felt realistically portrayed; it was certainly a lot more chaotic than is often the case in crime fiction. There was a section towards the end with a lot of action and excitement, but then there was still further investigation to be done, which gave the reader a chance to "catch up" with the plot.

Recommended; I am keen to go back and read the rest in the correct order.