Blood Runs Cold is the fourth book in the Max Craigie series and they just keep getting better and better. What starts off as a missing persons case soon becomes about so much more – people trafficking, drug smuggling, prostitution and police corruption at the highest level.
Trafficked from Albania by drug dealers, Affi had been rescued and was living happily with her foster parents in Easter Ross in Scotland, and hoping to be reunited with her sister. On her fifteenth birthday she goes for a hill run and disappears. Max Craigie’s wife, Kate, has been working towards bringing Affi’s younger sister over from Albania so that Val and Reg Smith can adopt them both. She asks Max to look into Affi’s disappearance as the local police don’t seem too concerned. Max and Janie find out that someone has leaked Affi’s location, and that she is not the only girl missing.
Max, Janie, Ross, Norma and Barney have their work cut out in this investigation as the criminals always seem to be one step ahead. It becomes clear that the Albanian gang boss is getting inside information from a fairly senior source in Police Scotland. Neil Lancaster manages to convey how inhuman these villains are without being too graphic, but it was still difficult to read – it made me very angry and made my skin crawl all at the same time. What saves it is the humour used to offset the darkness of the story. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Affi’s ex-boyfriend Lewis McPhail attempts to talk like an American rapper.
Blood Runs Cold is a fast-paced story with strong characters and a great setting. The tension is ramped up to eleven as we rush headlong towards a very satisfying ending. Looking forward to the next book, and hoping this series goes on for many years to come. Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

A jaw-dropping, rollercoaster of a book that kept me enthralled to the last page. someone is getting access to sensitive information concerning an Albanian asylum seeker. Is it a corrupt cop or higher up the food chain? There are some ruthless people out there who will stop at nothing.

Another superb outing for DS Max Craigie and his cast of motley characters searching for corrupt officers. This starts with the abduction of a young Albanian girl from her foster family in the Highlands that develops into the hunt for Albanian gangsters who have no conscience when it comes to extreme violence and murder. They always seem one step ahead of Craigie and it becomes obvious there is at least one person providing information on the hunt. It all builds to a violent climax in this excellent series.

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read the newest outing for DS Craigie and team and it lived up to all expectations. The team are again investigating corrupt police officers, this time stemming from a case of a kidnapped trafficking victim. Right from the start the story drew me in, and what followed was a relentless, intriguing plot which was both engaging and compelling with plenty of twists which kept me guessing right to the end. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more. This author is an absolute master of the police procedural, with this book being one of the best examples of the genre.

🏃Thrilling race to reveal a bent official with gang ties😲

Wow! What a thrilling police procedural set in one of my absolutely favorite locations: Scotland! Nothing appears straightforward about this case although my instinct did kick in as soon as one of the bad guys working with some really violent Albanian criminal gang members hit the scene.

When Affi, the young former trafficking victim, goes missing and it's pretty evident that a breach of official records security could have led the traffickers to her, DS Matt, his irascible boss Ross and their special anti-corruption squad get cracking to find the girl and the trail to the official involved. This investigation had all the bells and whistles, including some danger that truly had me dreading to turn to the next page🙈. The thrill and tension continue from start to finish and I loved it all!

Barney, the contract investigator who provides so much surveillance and technical expertise, was a real character in all senses of the word. He provides one of the most exciting moments when he gets too close to the Albanian crime boss and he adds quirky touches of whimsy: definitely my favorite character.

Great plot, fast-paced, important anti human trafficking, anti corruption theme, and written with a high level of technical detail that lent realism but made me shake my head at the ability for a determined investigator to uncover all the details of our lives through phones and computer networks.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This book was the best in the series so far! I am glad I got this book as an ARC b/c it gave me the opportunity to start the series from the beginning, so binged the first 3 books so that I could read this final one. And it was truly a great book. I can't wait for another DS Craigie book to come out - I love him and his entire team! Now I am off to look for more books by Neil Lancaster, he has been added to my always-read list!

#BloodRunsCold
#NetGalley.

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this gripping novel

what have i just read...well for one it was one i couldnt put down and i will be keeping an eye out for more of this authors work

but this story had it all...

police corruption
trafficking
underage girls

the momentum never stopped from the first page and you are left hanging wanting to know more after each chapter, plenty of cliff hanging moments and tension all the way throughout this book

i cant wait to read more from this author

This, the 5th book in the series, again has Max Craigie, Janie Calder and Ross Fraser tracking down corruption in the police. Fast paced and action packed there is plenty to enjoy. On this occasion the plot centres round Affi, a 12 year old drug mule, rescued from her Albanian controller and re-housed with a loving family in the North of Scotland.
Three years pass before she goes missing and Max Craigie finds himself drawn in to investigate how her location was leaked. From this point the plot gets darker and increasingly dangerous as it becomes evident not only are the Romanian mafia involved, but also they clearly have information sources high up in the police ranks that threaten to prevent any arrests.
Maybe this critic reads too many detective novels but I found myself predicting many of the events and this, regrettably, reduced my enjoyment.
So, only 3 stars from me, but don't let that be a deterrent as Blood Runs Cold is most definitely a good read.

I have loved this series and this lives up to previous novels by this author.
Max and the team are back, on the trail of a trafficked Albanian girl who has gone missing. And the local police aren't doing much about it. As the team investigate, the extent of the criminality of the gang, their reach and the number of girls who are missing, makes the case a big operation.
As usual the characters are strong and well developed. The story is dark and violent and is told in a gripping way.
I read this over two days and was hooked.

Wow ... just wow!!!

Once again, Mr Lancaster has written an absolute cracker in this brilliant series and whilst this is the fourth, it is quite successful as a standalone however, I would highly recommend you go back and read the other three because it will help with getting to know the main characters but also because they are just really good books!

DS Max Craigie and his team are strong characters that work well as a small but formidable team rooting out corruption within Police Scotland; Mr Lancaster has written them so well that I have found myself becoming really attached to them. Their relationship and dialogue feels authentic and I found myself tittering away to myself at times which helped to lighten what is, essentially, a very dark story.

This is a dark, gritty and fast paced police procedural that I was totally and completely absorbed by from the very start. The plot is scarily plausible and realistic with some excellent twists and turns which adds to the intensity.

Highly recommended and I urge everyone to read this excellent series; I can't wait for the next instalment and I must thank HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of the brilliant Blood Runs Cold.

I've read all the previous books in this series, so I was excited to read this new one. It certainly didn't disappoint! !5 year old Affie Smith had previously been trafficked from Albania but had been rescued and is now happily living with foster parents in Scotland. When she suddenly disappears without trace the police suspect a nasty gang of Albanians. After it becomes clear that there is a mole among the police, Max, Janie and Ross are called in. This is a fast paced story which will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Neil Lancaster doesn’t disappoint again. As a lover of crime fiction, this series has everything I look for - great plot, characters I warm to and great descriptions of beautiful locations. Surely a TV opportunity before too long……

This is a brilliant crime series and each book gets better and better.
Max, Janie and Ross are soon knee deep in a new investigation when a teenage girl from Albania is abducted.
It catches their attention as she was taken several years ago but then rescued, and her location kept secret. So who has leaked her whereabouts to the Albanians?
Max and Janie are close at one point to catching some of them but when it ends up in murder, they know things are worse than they thought.
This is a brilliant crime thriller and I loved trying to work out who was corrupt in the Scottish Police.
Highly recommend this series.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The fourth instalment in this excellent series sees Max Craigie and his team investigating the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl, Affi, who was a trafficking victim as a young child. As it becomes clear that Affi is not the only girl trafficked by the Albanian Mafia to go missing in such circumstances, Max knows that there is a leak in law enforcement that must be uncovered before the corruption leads to more victims being taken.

As ever with this series, the plot is great and the action is fast-paced. The characters are wonderful and the relationship between the members of the Police Standards Reassurance team are what really make this series so special. I can’t wait to read the next one!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and – the publisher for the arc to review.

This was a brilliant police. procedural. murder/mystery.. It had it all, great characters, tense, exciting story line and a fantastic conclusion. There was a lot of violence but some gentle parts too. The storyline seemed so real that i was absorbed to the very last word. What a story!!

Blood Runs Cold by Neil Lancaster is book 4 in the DS Max Craigie police series and it is a superb police thriller with non stop action and plenty of bloodshed and dark humour.
Have read all the books in the series and this is another action packed storyline with murder, trafficking, blackmail, corruption and so much more. I enjoy the dark humour throughout the book and the characters of the police men who are now an accomplished working team now.
Highly recommended

Thank you Neil Lancaster for Blood runs cold, you have restored my flove of reading, I seem to of read/listened to a lot of mediocre books recently that have been okay but not made me want to devour the story in a day and then I read this. The latest installment of DS Max Craigie and his partner DC Jainie Calder , there is nothing not to love about them, all of the characters are great and I especially like their boss, the long suffering DI Ross Fraser who says exactly what he thinks. The pace is fast and the writing flows and even with the difficult subject matter it isn't to graphic. Definitely worth reading.

Neil Lancaster is one of my favourite go to authors. These police proceduals featuring Max Craigie are without doubt some of the best you will ever read.

All the characters are true to life and it's clear that Neil has first hand experience in this field as the writing is so believable.

Max and the team are back, clamping down on corruption within the force.

A case which starts with a missing teenager soon escalates to trafficking, organised crime, manipulation and of course, major corruption.

Chapters written in current time making it easy to follow. It was so fast paced that I just kept page turning, wanting to discover who, why and how would it end. I wasn't disappointed. What an absolute cracker!

If you haven't already read 'Dead Man's Grave', 'The Blood Tide' and 'The Night Watch' then what are you waiting for?

I just can't wait for more from this fantastic author. Every book Neil has written so far has been a five star read for me. I just hope I don't have to wait too long for the next one!

.Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and author for an ARC.

Thoroughly enjoying the Max Craigie series and this latest book is yet again a great read. The settings are immersive and this latest human trafficking plot is very dark but the character development of Max and his team make it again an enjoyable and exciting book.

DS Max Cragie #4

On her fifteenth birthday, trafficking victim Affi Smith goes for a run and never returns. With a new identity and a secure home in the Scottish Highlands, she was supposed to be safe. With personal ties to Affi's case, DS Max Cragie 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.

Neil Lancaster certainly knows his stuff, and it shows in this gripping and realistic thriller. The characters are well developed and believable. A police procedure that evolves around police corruption. Someone is leaking police information, so the Albanian gangs are always one step ahead of the police. The story starts with events from three years ago that lead to the saving of a young girl who was being trafficked by an Albanian gang. Three years later and Affi has been kidnapped again. This is a fast paced and gripping read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #NeilLancaster for my ARC of #BloodRunsCold in exchange for an honest review.