Gang boss Davie Hardie, wants to trade information about a cold case for an early release from prison. However, during Davie’s outing to find corroborating evidence the mission is hijacked - but why, and by whom? Enter DS Max Craigie to uncover the truth and expose police corruption. Watch out bent coppers!

I read Blood Runs Cold last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I fancied this the second I saw it. I have to say, it’s even better. The storyline is fast-paced and gripping, and the ending is very satisfying. The answer was there, I just hadn’t seen it.

It was great to see the team again, Max and (potty-mouthed) Ross particularly, have such a great relationship. Their interactions are hilarious, infused with Scottish vernacular, adding humour and authenticity.

I also really like tight Yorkshireman, Barney, who’s as smart as he is cheap. He hails from my hometown!

The banter between the extended team is hilarious, I was cackling in parts. Their camaraderie is clear, and no doubt, in part, attributable to their successes.

If you enjoy a police procedural with humour and Line of Duty vibes I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book. Whilst it’s book five in a series, the two I’ve read so far both work as standalones. I do intend to read them all though!

A huge thanks to NetGalley, HQ, and Neil Lancaster for the advanced copy - all opinions are my own.

Where have I been? This is book five in the series involving detectives Max Craigie, Ross, Janey and even Barney series.

Superb stuff set in Scotland involving the notorious Hardie family, a missing Polish girl and the possibility of finding her body in a Scottish lake.

I like Mr Lancaster's way of creating an exciting, page turning story with plenty of twists and turns.

Let's see if I can read one or more of the previous Max Craigie series. I will look forward to it.

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ Digital for the chance to read and review.

Six years ago, Beata Dabrowski arranged to meet her lover in Glasgow and was never seen again.
Imprisoned gang boss Davie Hardie wants to talk in exchange for his freedom. He 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.
The fifth outing for Max & another well written edge of the seat read, which is interlaced with witty banter. I love Max & the team & was drawn in from the first page & found it hard to put down. Fast paced. Great characters, tension all made this a very good book
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is the third book that I have read from the DS Max Craigie Scottish Crime Thriller series, and I must say I think it is the best so far. The main characters have all developed really well and the action and suspense is non-stop. Great stories and plotlines with excellent writing.
Mr Lancaster is clearing heading to the top in Scottish crime fiction.. Some points may seem a little far-fetched but this is fiction and it kept me engrossed from the first page to the last.
No spoilers here but there are a number of intertwining storylines that all unite in the end as the storyline takes you around Scotland with some great Scottish humour thrown in.
Many thanks to HQ, NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advanced electronic copy of the book in return for an honest unbiased review.
The book is released on the 28th March, in hardback, e-book and audiobook formats

A good read and I enjoyed it even though I hadn't read the others in this series. I was interested in the police procedures and found it very interesting. A twisty book which kept me on the edge of my seat most of the way through. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This latest DS Max Craigie novel reads well as a standalone novel with a hint every so often to previous books in the series. If you like Line of Duty you will love this book. Fast paced with a good story. Waiting for the next installment!
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the advance copy of this book.

Another great read from Neil Lancaster in the Max Craigie series.Once again Max and his team come up against the Hardie crime family when one of them wants to reveal details of a crime in return for a lighter sentence ,providing that Max is not involved.Things don’t go as he planned and soon a whole chain of events puts the team in danger.
I couldn’t put this down and finished it in a couple of days -highly recommended!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

This is book five in the DS Max Craigie series but can easily be read as a stand alone.
The Hardie family have been a thorn in Cragie's side for as long as he has been a police officer. But now with two of them out of the way and the other two banged up, life should be a lot easier.
Life does have a way of shitting yourself in the face as his boss Ross would say, especially as one of the Hardie family Dave wants to cut a deal.
That deal involves a crime committed six years earlier and with the help from the recently deceased Hardie sr.
All Davie wants is an open jail and reduced sentence to give the police what they want to snag a very prominent member of the society who orchestrated a killing of a young polish woman.
But things never go according to plan and when the body count starts to rise, can the team find out who is behind the killing's?

Another great crime thriller from Neil Lancaster.
Max has history with the Hardies so when he hears that Davie Hardie wants to do a deal with the Police, Max is immediately suspicious. His new boss tells him that Hardie has specifically said he is not to be involved so Max grudgingly takes a step back.
Barney is keeping an eye on things though and when his drone spots something concerning, he lets Max and Janie know.
Max and Janie are soon asked to help when things go spectacularly wrong.
Ross is on hand with his usual wit and charm and the team soon have their hands full trying to find the leak in the teams involved in this matter.
There’s a great dynamic between Max, Janie and Ross and it really makes this crime series stand out.
I highly recommend this series.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Max, Ross, Janie and team are on it again.

Davie Hardie wants to cut a deal for an easier life but Hardies don't do deals with the police so Max and the team don't trust him the Hardies are a criminal gang that don't mess. One of the terms of the deal is no Max and any of his team, mind technicallyits Ross's team. . There is a new DCC desperate to get to the top so while the boss is away she sees a chance and ignores the warnings from Ross and the team.

A dead Polish girl from 6 years ago is a threat to someone and this is about who and quite a bit more. So after things don't go to plan Max is brought into help sort things out. At the same time he gets some big family news so there's a lot going on

So great characters and storyline so a great start and it's an addictive read I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed every page and it's one of those books when you get to the end you want the next adventure to start straight away.

So for me this has all I wanted from a book and its all the qualities of a 5 star

The Devil You Know is another addictive, funny, full on crime thriller. From the brilliant Neil Lancaster.

Who delivers top-notch coppers and villains you just don't see coming.

As DS Max Craigie and his team are back ready to route out more corruption in Police Scotland. However, what they don't expect is a new DCC out to clip their wings and bring them under control.

But Max's boss the occasionally obnoxious DI Ross Fraser isn't having any of it and is ready to fight back.

And he soon gets his chance.

When Max learns from an outside source that one of the remaining Hardies is willing to grass to the police about a missing person and the conspiracy to kill her. As long as Max and his colleagues are kept well out of it.

However, they know a Hardie will never grass and try to warn against making the deal.

And they are soon proven right.

Which opens a whole can of worms and a thrilling cat and mouse chase to catch a mysterious influential figure known as 'The Ace'. Who always seems to be one step ahead.

And with twists you won't see coming and characters you can't help but love. This is a story I genuinely couldn't put down and one I'd thoroughly recommend to all.

Dave Hardie, incarcerated and desperate for a reprieve, strikes a deal with his solicitor: he'll divulge the whereabouts of a long-missing individual and their assailant in exchange for leniency and a transfer to a cushier confinement. There's just one caveat—he insists that Max and his team steer clear of the investigation.

This is book number five in the series but they can be read as stand-alone. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I've read a couple of books in this series, in no particular order, without it affecting my enjoyment of them. Therefore I think you can read them as standalone books. This book had plenty of twists and at one stage I even felt a bit sorry for one of the criminals. I love the way the team interact with each other and it can be quite funny. There were, of course, plenty of murders to investigate. A great addition to a brilliant series.

I feel like I know Max Craigie, having read and enjoyed the series since the first book and The Devil You Know is no exception. Neil Lancaster’s firsthand knowledge of Scottish policing shines through on every page, as does the meticulous research he does in related areas.
Once again, Max and the team are pitting their wits not only against the rapidly diminishing Hardie family but also against a powerful, shadowy figure who is bent on covering up past crimes, at any cost.
The plot moves smoothly, nicely balanced between tension and lighter moments as it reaches a satisfactory conclusion.
I have one small niggle (not that it’s going to deprive Lancaster of a well-earned five stars) and it’s that the character of Ross is heading a little too much in the direction of becoming a caricature. At times, it felt as though he had Tourettes and it diminished him to some extent.
All in all, though, a very enjoyable and satisfying read and I look forward to the next one.
I was given an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are mt own.

Six years ago, a young woman was murdered. Now a prisoner wants to negotiate a deal by revealing the important public figure who ordered the killing. Louise Campbell, the newly appointed DCC for Police Scotland is keen to make this work, as is DCS Miles Wakefield. However, DS Max Craigie and his colleagues in the Policing Standards Reassurance Team believe this must be a trick. The prisoner is Davie Hardie, scion of the formerly notorious crime family and notionally the head of what, if anything, is left of the gang after Tam Senior died and Tam Junior disappeared. Max and the team were directly or indirectly involved in the demise of the gang, and know that no Hardie would ever make a deal with the Polis. Initially sidelined by the DCC, their role is restored after Davie makes an escape attempt and is shot. Was his death linked to the death of the young woman? Is the important figure tidying up?
This is the latest in the series featuring Craigie and his team, and it is every bit as clever, cleanly plotted and thrilling as ever. However, it works perfectly well as a standalone, although I recommend you read the rest of the series to compound the treat. All of the characters are strong and believable and the story is plausible, if a little OTT. It moves at a significant pace, as usual, and is hard to put down (I read it in a day). It is a classic lesson in how to write a police procedural.

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

WOW Neil Lancaster, just wow.

#Book5 in the DS Max Craige series and in my opinion, the best one yet !

Lancaster really knows how to, not only grab the readers attention but to keep them hooked and turning the pages.
And he does just that with The Devil You Know I was gripped to this high octane police drama from the very first page.

Thanks #NetGalley and publisher # EmmaPickard from #HarperCollins for my e-arc copy of #TheDevilYouKnow in exchange for my honest review.

And I found it engrossing from start to finish as it maintains the tension throughout this fast paced story. And I can’t wait for book 6 in the series.


#TheFDevilYouKnow #author #NeilLancaster #Scottish #crimedrama #policeprocedual #corruption #dramatic #highoctane #gipping

Neil Lnancaster smashes it out of the park again. Another fabulous Max Cragie, gripping story telling and rich, darkly drawn characters.
A rollercoaster of a ride.
Highly recommend.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this fast paced book

wow when you read a book by this author you know you are in for a treat... its fast paced and its bloody... and the characters are still the same.... a elite team of investigators looking for corruption in the ranks of the police force they all serve

they only answer to a few people and are not well liked but they get the job done

when Davie Hardie wants to talk it sets up a chain of events that lead to a cold case and mole that has yet to be uncovered.... getting davie out of prison and where the suspected dead body is easy but its the chain of events after that have everyone scrambling

did i say this book was fast paced and bloody.... its one you cant put down either until you find out who the mole is and the ramifications of it all...

well written and cant wait to rejoin this team again when the next book comes out

This is the fifth in the Max Craigie series and like the rest it is a superb read with never a dull moment. The Hardie family, there with him from the beginning, are still bugging Max. This time it's Davy, shut up in prison but looking for a deal which will reveal the whereabouts of a missing Polish girl. It will also out who was to blame for her murder, someone who is now in a significant position of power in Scotland. But he is adamant, Max is to be kept well away from the goings on to the extent that he shouldn't even be told about it. Of course when Max finds out about it, he is deeply suspicious, quite rightly so as we find out..

Like the other books in the series, this is an exhilarating read with plenty of twists and turns. When, oh when, is it going to be made into a TV series? It had everything needed for TV,: great characters in Max, Janey, Ross and Barney,, fantastic scenery with frequent forays into the far north of Scotland and riveting plots. The Devil You Know can be read as a standalone but you get so much more if you read it as part of the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I haven’t read all the books in this series, but this works well as a standalone and I’ve really enjoyed the sense of a team working together and bouncing ogpff one another. Lancaster has a great ear for dialogue and the detail to make a police procedural plausible. The setting is Glasgow and as in other titles, his stories feel like a real peep into the seamy side of life, well away from the West End.

This is straightforward in that a gangland prisoner wants to trade information about the location of the body of a murder victim in exchange for his release. But nothing is straightforward and there are problems within the force too. Lancaster written style is engaging and I found myself skipping quickly through this, just wanting to read a bit more when I should have been going to sleep! That’s a,ways the sign of a great story. He nails the characters and I was totally immersed and sorry when it ended. On the strength of this, I’ll be looking out all of the earlier titles in the series to fill in some more background. I love Rankin stories and Lancaster is up at the top too.