Another tortuous outing for Max Craigie and his team of dedicated misfits tracking down corruption in the Scottish legal system. This outing involves ruthless Albanian gangsters operating in the UK, and a missing teenager originally trafficked to Britain, but recovered and issued with a new identity to keep her safe. The team initially are involved because Max's wife Kate was supporting the missing girl.
The heat soon turns up, and the team are in a race against time to save the girl.
Super page turner, where you can't get to the end quickly enough and then are disappointed when you've finished.

A good edge of your seat thriller with a great leading character.
DS Craigie is a flawed, no nonsense figure of authority with a big heart, his back story really got me involved and I definitely want to follow more of his outings.
The plot was gritty and evenly paced, with a beautiful Scottish setting which was well described.

I have devoured this book in one sitting. Once I was pulled in, I couldn’t put it down. I was desperate to find out what was going on. Also, I didn’t want this books to end.

Everything about this book has been brilliant. I absolutely loved getting between the covers of this. This was everything I hoped for and so much more. This is a book which should be on everyone’s radar.

I absolutely recommend this book to other readers.

Book 4 in the DS Max Craigie series. WOW this has to be the best one in the series yet! The main characters personalities have grown throughout the series and DI Ross Fraser brings some light heartedness to the storylines . Brilliant series that’s got better with every book.

Another fantastic addition to the Max craigie series. Great storyline as always, full of tension and excitement with a bit of humour throughout.

Another great book in the Max Craigie series! I love that these books are basically Line of Duty, but in written form and set in Scotland.
A very different slant from the previous books, and although it took longer for me to get into this one, it was as tense and suspenseful ever!
I love Max and the team and all the dynamics between them - Barney is fast becoming my favourite though! Love the amount of detail and precision that goes into these books.

With thanks to the author, publishers HQ Digital, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is the fourth instalment in the author’s Max Craigie series and, having read the previous three, I was delighted to see that this latest work did not disappoint.

With a plot touching on themes of drug trafficking, prostitution, and (like the previous instalments) police corruption, this was another gripping read, packed with action and suspense, and thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.

I am already looking forward to Book 5!

I loved this book,it’s ,a must read,kept me guessing till the end well written.great story not weak at all.I’m sure you will enjoy it

This novel deserves another 5 stars! With plenty of twists and turns, it takes place partly in the Highlands of Scotland and Glasgow, with perfect attention to detail. The characters are believable, with just the right blend of menace and humor.

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

Loved all of this series so far and this latest one did not disappoint!

Please keep them coming. Brilliant writing.

Thanks to NetGally for this advance copy.
I've enjoyed be all of the Mad Craigies series but Neil Lancaster and this is book 4 in the series. It does stand alone, but reading the series in order gives context and helps with the flow.
I'm drawn to Scottish crime thrillers and this latest one does not disappoint.. I found it hard to put down and raced through it quickly.
The story is of an Albanian girl trafficked into the UK a number of years ago. She escaped and was given a place of safety and a new identity. She disappears, abducted in her 15th birthday and while investigating, Max discovers this has happened to others too. As the story unwinds it's apparent there's is a leak in the team. His wife is helping Affi to gain her residency in the UK, so there is personal involvement too.
Full of twists and high tension, this is highly recommended and I'm looking forward to book 5.

Before Line of Duty, I didn't realise how much I enjoyed investigation and exposure of corrupt police officers in the force as a concept and credit is due to Neil Lancaster for writing books which surround that premise and doing it so well!! This is the first book I have read by this author and it was an all rounder, the right amount of suspense and thriller and speckled with moments of humour (Ross and Barney are my favourite characters and had me chuckling away with their one liners time and again) and then taking it down a notch when dealing with the issue of child trafficking victims as a central point of the storyline; the risk with multiple character narrative is having a reader struggle to connect to the story because the characters are unfinished or weak in the detail but I did not find that here. Each character was fleshed out so that I enjoyed both the characters influence on the plot and the plot itself. It was so easy to read this book and I can't recommend it enough. Easy 5 stars! Thank you @netgalley and @HQstories for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a great lover of police procedural novels and have been avidly following the team in this book with great interest. They investigate police corruption in ‘Police Scotland’ but on the quiet.

This book starts with a missing Albanian child and the case rapidly blows up into a huge investigation. The team are tight: Max and Janie have a great understanding of each other having worked together over several cases; their boss, Ross, seems to take pleasure in being sarcastic and caustic, and Norma the whizz data analyst to mention a few.

I find that these cases are so fast-paced, I hardly dare breathe and I can feel the exhaustion of the team in the hours they devote to solving a crime. They are both reactive and proactive, going to work and never quite sure when they will next be home, dogged in their pursuit of criminals and pull in a wide variety of contacts with specialised skills to help them.

There are nods to previous cases from earlier books which I enjoy, but each can be read as a stand-alone.

These are brilliantly plotted, fast-paced and twisty tales. They reflect the dark, sordid underworld and it is very clear that there is never an easy way to solve a crime, except hard work, research and determination.

One of my favourite series of books, a thrilling, tense, tough read!

Wow, what a book. There is no messing about with this one. Straight into the action. A fantastic read that keeps you interested throughout so you don't want to stop reading.

The world truly can be a cruel place for some and their are a few people who do not care about others or the pain they are causing, just there own wealth and success.

5star review from me.

Brilliant read, very well written and very tense. The brutal story of Albanian traffickers is horrible and it must be a terrifying experience for anyone to have to undergo.
The police chase to capture them is very well described.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I will post review with Waterstones

Wow, Neil has done it again, and has given us another masterpiece! I absolutely loved this Scottish crime thriller/police procedural. It is absolutely amazing!

Little Affi Smith has been through a lot in her life, and she continues to encounter bad experiences, with bad people, even with the good guys helping her. Will she be able to overcome this cycle, and have a happy ending?

Max Craigie, Janie Calder and Ross Fraser are back, investigating Affi's case. I really love this team when they work together, as they are so funny, especially Ross. He has me laughing out loud a lot. I love all three of them.

With trafficking, dirty cops, and brothels, the book is full of drama and action, being fast paced and addictive. If you love books by MW Craven, or if you love police procedurals like Line of Duty, then you will love this book! It is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend Neil's other books in this series, which are all superb!

Also, if you get the chance to listen to Neil's books in audio version, then go for it, as they are amazing, especially the parts where the narrator is doing the voice of Ross Fraser! The narrator is perfect for these books.

I hope this series of books gets made into a TV series, it is that good. And, I can't wait for the next book!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, for a copy of this book.

Fourth installment in this gripping and pacy series which sees DS Craigie and a small team of officers rooting out corruption in Scottish law enforcement and connected agencies.

Through his wife's involvement with an asylum application, Craigie learns that a young Albanian girl has gone missing in suspicious circumstances but without any trace of her whereabouts. Further investigation reveals links to organised crime groups, prostitution, and corruption at the very heart of law enforcement.

Great series, well executed and hard to put down.

I never repeat the blurb. Another top class, well informed and expertly penned excursion with the crack anti-corruption team in Scotland. Right on point as ever, this is such an excellent series - I cannot recommend it highly enough. Top top class.

I absolutely loved this installment of the Max Craigie series. At this point I would probably read Neil Lancaster's shopping list.

As with the rest of the series, its difficult to put down and i just wanted to keep reading until I had got to the end of the narrative. I found it kept pace and tension well and felt well planned. There were still some aspects of the story I didn't see coming which I like. I don't like when I can predict the ending. Perhaps a few moments of violence would be difficult for some readers, but I don't think they were unnecessary.

If you've read any of the Max Craigie series and enjoyed them, this definitely doesn't disappoint. If you haven't read any yet why the heck not?!