Another brilliant and nail-biting book from one of my favourite authors
Neil Lancaster excels in bringing to life a team of just six members of an elite team who fight not just criminals but police who have joined the elite of criminals.

I love this series of nail-biting novels which I can never stop listening to until the bitter end when criminal police, often high ranking officers who have gone over to the dark side have been safely locked up.

The narrator was brilliant! He was able to capture each characters' accent, whether make or female perfectly and not only that but do it in such a way that we were aware where the characters originated in Scotland. Not an easy task!

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group

I've devoured the five available books in this series in the past month and can't wait for more. Following the anti corruption team in Scotland I love the setup of these books.

I love that although the stories are mainly focused on the main plot crime and corruption we see a little more of the main characters each time.

As with all of the others I didn't see it coming who was involved in the crime and I was gripped from start to finish. I highly recommend this author and series and can't wait to see where the team go next.

Book 5 in the excellent series and it just keeps getting better. It's like Line of Duty with sparkles!!

In this installment we find Max and the gang involved in the murder of a Polish sex worker from 6 years ago which has links to the remaining Hardy family who are serving out their time in prison and a shadowy figure called Ace.

Written with the humour and bluntness I've grown to love from Neil this is I think my favourite of the series. I really hope that there will be more.

4.5 stars!

Six years ago Polish sex worker, Beata Dabrowski met up with her lover in a Glasgow hotel and then simply disappeared. The case has remain unsolved, until now.

In the present day, imprisoned gang boss Davie Hardie wants to talk to the police about the same missing person cold case in exchange for his freedom. Davie knows exactly where Beata is buried, and he’s prepared to take the police to her grave. But when the mission to locate Beata’s body is hijacked, DS Max Craigie is drafted on to the case. Someone is selling secrets.

Max will stop at nothing to expose police corruption and uncover Beata’s murderer. . . but can you ever really trust a killer to catch a killer?

I have read one other book in this series which I thoroughly enjoyed but you can definitely read this as a standalone. Neil Lancaster is phenomenal at unraveling a twisted tale about corrupt policing/police officers. From the beginning, I was hooked into this murder mystery which branches off into many different directions but is not confusing in its execution and comes altogether in the end. Given Neil Lancaster's lived history as a former serving police officer, he is convincing in portraying the investigative and strategic techniques adopted by the authorities but also the fast-paced plot and suspenseful, dramatic storytelling meant I couldn't get enough of this book.

DS Max Craigie is the complete hero, intelligent, suave, compassionate, resilient and his quick-thinking means he stays one step ahead of the game (which is just what you want when there are suspects being murdered at the drop of a hat that brings its own setbacks in the investigation). The supporting characters are also well developed, highly skilled and motivated individuals who work brilliantly together and work to their own strengths and you find yourself rooting for the whole team as they try and dissect the clues and work together to complete the mission. There are jokes and camaraderie between them which not only diffuses the building tension but also made me smile during the read.

If you are wanting to read a fast-paced thriller then I would highly recommend this book. I am excited to read the rest in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest unedited review.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of this book, as I'm a big fan of Neil Lancaster and this one did not disappoint.

Great characters, excellent storyline, and enough twists and turns to satisfy the most ardent roller-coaster fan!

If you've not read anything by this author, and you like the genre, give it a try!

I’ve loved every book in the Max Craigie series so far, and this fifth instalment is no different! We catch up with Max and the team as the devils they know – aka the Hardie family – are finally behind bars. When one of the brothers starts making plans to work with the police in exchange for a reduced sentence, both Craigie and the other Hardie brother’s suspicions are raised. When the deal goes horribly wrong, Craigie is forced to work out what happened, and why, with help from an unexpected source.

This is another absolutely riveting story, and I loved the interactions between Max and the supporting cast of characters, all of whom are brilliantly well written. The plot is fast-paced and there are plenty of humorous moments throughout. I can’t wait to read the next one!

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

A really gripping read - I found it very enjoyable and it kept my interest throughout.. Highly recommended.

What a tense page turner. I struggled to put the book down as I wanted to know what was happening.
This is another book in the Detective Max Craigie series but it is easily read as a stand alone book which I did. Characters are well described and come to life. I found it hard to put the book down. Very cleverly written with lots of twists. Loved it.
I look forward to reading more of Neil Lancaster’s books.

A woman is murdered and 6 years later Davie Hardie wants to expose the high profile murderer for an easier time at prison. He does not want Max Craigie involved as he and his team helped to convict the Hardie crime family. Then people are murdered who could be linked to Beata’s murder.

An enjoyable read. The setting is Police Scotland and there is gritty action and believable characters.
It is a similar style of writing to other well-known detective writers who specialise in the Scots characters. These are hard driven people, worse are the villains they are chasing. Very good.

I call these comfortable reading! It is a series centred around DS Max Craigie and his enemies, the Hardies. The crime family is now either dead or in prison. One of the remaining sons, Dave Hardie wants to strike a deal by showing the body of a missing person. His only condition is that Max isn't involved. As a body is found, a group try to free Dave Hardie, but hidden in the hills is a sniper, and so we enter into a fast-paced crime thriller. I enjoyed this from start to finish and would recommend it.

This is my first outing with the team. What an outing. Full of action with a realistic plot and characters which were well developed despite not reading tge previous 4 I was able to enjoy the relationships between the team and be comfortable in the writing. It was so engaging and full of twists and turns. It was good to have brutually honest characters abd realistic interactions with hints of corruption and rehabilitation as being possible. A pleasure to read was tge length it needed to be. Ideal fie anyobe who loves a good mystery which is well written full of fantastic chatacters. The other 4 are added to my to be read list . Thank you netgallery and publisher and author for thus highly recommended 5 star read.

Another story in the DS Max Craigie series by Neil Lancaster and it was very much in line with what I'd experienced before in this series. Having said that, this is a book that you could read without having read the earlier instalments. I know that I have read one of the previous books but am terrible at remembering a book once I've read it on kindle. That wasn't a problem with this book, which was quite self-contained, although you might get something different/more if you'd been following DS Craigie's story from the beginning. Very much reminds me of the Rebus series as a police procedural,set in Scotland, albeit Craigie, whilst still troubled seems a much nicer guy.

If you want a book that grips you from the start then this is a must read. Neil Lancaster has proven he is a fanatic writer once again. A book on Murder, corruption and getting justice. It may be in the past but it will catch up with you eventually!

This is the 5th book in the DS Max Craigie series by author Neil Lancaster. I came by this series rather late so have only read the last two books but that has not spoilt my enjoyment. I do plan to catch up with the first three books in time. “The Devil You Know” is a well written crime thriller featuring DS Max Craigie who is a determined and relentless detective but the novel is full of excellent support characters as well.

Six years ago, Beata Dabrowski vanished without a trace while on her way to meet her lover in Glasgow. The case had long gone cold until imprisoned gang boss Davie Hardie offers a breakthrough. In exchange for his freedom, Hardie claims to know the location of Beata’s grave and is willing to lead the police to it. But it was never going to be as simple as that.

The mission to recover Beata’s body is hijacked and DS Max Craigie is called on and there is a strong suspicion that someone within the police force is selling secrets.

This is a gritty crime series, with an excellent mix of humour, relationships and exciting action. I intend to continue with this series.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The plot is well paced and suspenseful. Trying to find who's on the top of criminal pyramid Max Craigie has to cooperate with the last member of one well known criminal family.
Not bad but not particularly gripping story.

The Devil You Know is the fifth book in the Max Craigie series which just keeps getting better and better. Davie Hardie is not enjoying his stay in Shotts prison, and wants to do a deal – something no one his family has ever contemplated before – but insists that Max Craigie is not involved. He claims to know the location of the body of Beata Dabrowski who disappeared without a trace six years previously. Her former lover is now a high profile individual who will stop at nothing to protect their reputation, no matter who gets caught in the crossfire. The plan goes awry, and Max’s team have their work cut out to discover the source of the leaked information, and who is behind Beata’s murder. Time is not on their side.
As with the other books in this series, humour is used to good effect to offset the dark subject matter. Neil Lancaster’s experience as a detective gives the narrative an authentic feel – he knows how it all works, and while it is a work of fiction, it rings true. It also raises the question of how ethical it is for the police to do deals with criminals, though the closure obtained by the families surely makes it worthwhile in most cases. The Scottish settings are an added bonus for me, as I can picture where they are as they travel about the country.
While the gripping plot and action-packed narrative will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, the reason this series is so good is the cast of characters that go to make up the Policing Standards Reassurance Team. In this fifth book in the series, the team is now well established with each of them bringing their unique skill set to the mix, and here they are not just fighting criminals and corrupt officers, but for their unit’s very survival. I look forward to reading the next instalment in this phenomenal series. Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

I'm now really into Neil Lancaster's series of books covering the goings on of Scotland's equivalent of Line of Duty's AC - 12.
Max Craigie and his small dedicated team are tasked to interrogate and keep safe a career criminal from unknown professional assailants, who despite everyone's efforts at secrecy remain one step ahead.
The pressure on the team ramps up, no one is safe from the merciless as they track their target. All to protect an mysterious personage known only as "The Ace".
Mr Lancaster keeps the reader on edge, and the under pressure team of excellent characters use dark humour as a release valve.
All around brilliant. Hurry up with the next book Neil

The latest novel in the Max Craigie series from Neil Lancaster is another well written, well thought out police procedural. Anyone familiar with the TV series ‘Line of Duty’ will know what to expect.
In this outing Max and the team come up against a new deputy chief constable who is determined to do things her way and thinks that the team should report to her and not directly to the Chief who is away on holiday. Consequently she tries to keep them out of the loop when one of Max’s old adversaries, Dave Hardie wants to broker a deal from prison by offering to show where a body is buried. But someone doesn’t want it found and when thing go wrong Max is once again there to pick up the pieces.
A good read.

A gripping and enjoyable read - a real page-turner. Will look for more by this author. highly recommended.

If ever a book series was perfect for a television series then this is it!
Action packed, fast paced and with a well drawn cast of characters it is a series that just keeps on giving.
Highly recommended and an easy 5***** rating.

***This is book number five in the DS Max Craigie series and although it can be read as a stand alone I highly recommend reading the previous books for the back story.