Another excellent book in the Max Cragie series although it can be read as a standalone. Good to see the usual characters back again so it was just “the baddies” you needed to get used to for this book although good to see (minor) characters previously used feature too. A great storyline that has you engrossed and curious to know where things were going as the story unravels. Definitely a book I’d highly recommend!

This is the 6th book in this series and it's brilliant.

A young woman has fallen to her death whilst hiking and soon Max Craigie and his team discover she is not the first. In fact 5 more women have fallen and died.

I love a good police procedural novel and this is an interesting and slightly disturbing read.

There is a lot of human drama and a few OMG moments but this a book I really enjoyed and will be reading a few previous books just to catch up on the back story of Max and his excellent team .

Absolutely love the Max Craigie novels by Neil Lancaster Max and his team are fighting corruption with in the police force and all the stories are well written and keep you on the edge of your seat, I can't see why this couldn't be read as a standalone but it would be better to read the other books first to understand the back stories. Also I absolutely adore Ross his boss, who is politically incorrect and doesn't mind how he talks to people but he gets the job done and because of him Tw@tappotamus is now my go to word.

The 6th Max Craigie thriller finds him in the Highlands of Scotland. After an initial inquiry into a young woman who has fallen to her death whilst hiking on a munro it seems there have been more similar deaths in the past year which have only been classed as accidents and so Craigie and his team start a further investigation.
The novel is fast paced and tense and sometimes the team are put in danger but there is always light relief in the banter between Craigie, Janie and Ross. On occasions, however, this can appear forced and unauthentic and become slightly annoying. Behind the police procedural Lancaster continues Max’s personal story. His wife, Katie, is expecting a baby imminently and Max is torn between his desire to see the investigation to its conclusion and caring for Katie who is a hundred miles away.
Lancaster has written another thrilling, addictive novel which is highly disturbing in its content and one which hopefully will not deter people from continuing to climb munros to enjoy their beautiful views, This can be read as a stand-alone but I would recommend reading all the previous Craigie novels too.

Thank you very much to the publishers for the ARC.

Excellent twisty storyline.
Keeps you guessing right to the end.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Looking forward to the next one from Neil Lancaster
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

DS Max Craigie #6, he’s ex army, ex Met officer and now Police Scotland at Policing Standards Reassurance (anti corruption).

40-year-old Leanne Wilson is on holiday in the Highlands bagging Munro’s*, well away from her controlling ex. She begins the ascent of the challenging A’Chralaig and on reaching the summit, she uploads a picture as a kind of up yours mate. Shortly after, she has a chilling encounter on the narrow path alongside the rock face.

Meanwhile, Max is at Chanonry Point on the Black Isle watching the dolphins with his beloved aunt Elspeth. Happy days. His wife Katie is imminently expecting the arrival of their first child. He gets a call from an old pal Shay Hammond, a coastguard search and rescue pilot at Inverness, about a death on the hills that he’s concerned about. He asks Max to come and take a look as it’s clear to him that the experienced climber should not have fallen from where she does. Shay has five other reasons for concern, he believes someone is targeting lone female climbers. Who is stalking them and why? In addition, why have the investigating authorities not connected the dots? The team is on the case.

A new Max Craigie is always a cause for celebration and now it’s 6 for 6 at five stars from me, so that tells you all you need to know about this cracking series.

The characters in the team are what makes it for me although, of course, the plots are always tense and exciting. Max is extremely likeable, he’s hard-working and committed although his past is still an issue for him but his relationship with Katie warms your heart and there’s also lovely Nutmeg (the dog!). DC Janie Calder is a great sidekick and is one strong woman. At the heart of the team is the potty mouthed, hilarious, straight talking but very caring boss DI Ross Fraser, who underneath all the bluster is a diamond. He provides many LOL moments which is welcome relief amongst the dark plot. There’s also Norma with the data and ex MI5 Barney, who is a wizard with tech and surveillance and we’ve just been introduced to Clive, a hacker who plays a vital role in the escalating drama. Aunt Elspeth also always provides food and a chuckle or two and can give Ross a run for his money.

As always, the plot is a thriller. It’s scary, vertiginous and chilling with cruel and ruthless perpetrators. At times, my heart is in my mouth, there are so many shocks as the team try to unmask the corrupt. It becomes the worst kind of game playing, an evil cat and mouse scenario. It’s gripping, a genuine page turner which builds and barrels through many twists and turns to an edge of the seat/cliff path conclusion. As usual, the setting in the Highlands is full of atmosphere providing an awe inspiring backdrop to events.

I love the ultimate end and we get a useful hint of how the series may progress. That’ll be interesting!

It can be read as a standalone but if you do, you’re missing out on a belter of a series.

With thanks to Nick Galley and especially to HQ for the epub in return for an honest review.

* Monro’s are mountains in Scotland over 3000 feet, 914 m. The name comes from Sir Hugh Monro who published a list of the highest mountains in Scotland in the 1890’s. If you reach the summit of one, it’s known as bagging it.

Thanks to Neil and NetGalley for allowing me to read When Shadows Fall before the publication date.
It is a real page turner which I read over 2 days.

This is the 6th book in the DS Max Craigie series but it could be read as a standalone book.
The main characters are well developed and it looks like there just might be a new , quirky addition to the team in the future.

The description of the scenery in the Scottish Highlands is positively atmospheric, particularly the personification of a Munro.

It involves some very topical, distressing and thought-provoking subjects. (Well done Neil for the way which these are handled within the book).

The serious aspects of the book are lightened by the banter and the comical thread, mainly attributable to the actions of the irreverent D.I. Ross Fraser. His use of Scottish slang and an ever-increasing dictionary of words, which he makes up as he goes along, never cease to be amusing.

Yet some of the team perceive that Ross oversteps the mark, before being put firmly back in his box by the capable DC Janie Calder and intelligence analyst, Norma.

Of course, a Max Craigie book would not be the same without the adorable Nutmeg.

Since Katie Craigie has become pregnant, Nutmeg has changed allegiance from Max and has become inseparable from Katie. Nutmeg now spends most of the day keeping watch on the ‘bump’ and preparing to be a nanny to the, as yet, unborn child.

I was so excited t9 read this as I love the Max Craigie series and I have to say this really lived up to my hopes and expectations. Max’s boss Ross was on absolute top for in this and for me he’s my favourite as he’s just so full of character. I was initially unsure of how Max would be able to investigate when his friend contacted him concerned about a pattern of women climbers falling to their deaths but it was simply explained how it could fall under their remit and from there on in it was a whole lot of action. Neil Lancaster does a great job of keeping up quite a pace with many revelations along the way and I also love the politics between the team and the general police forces they work alongside. The team are on top form in this, the way they’ve developed though the series is fantastic but I’m looking forward to seeing if Max can manage a different work /life balance in the next book giving the intensity each of these investigations has but either way these are really well developed characters now. The storyline was in parts tense and terrifying and kept me glued (and also amused thanks to Ross) from start to finish.

Another very readable thriller featuring DS Max Craigie and his team. The squad reports to the Chief Constable of Police Scotland and has a wide remit to tackle corruption.

Craigie is alerted by an old friend in the Highlands who has noticed a pattern - a number of suspicious deaths of climbers. All are young women and none of the cases seems to have been investigated as it should. Craigie and co head north - and discover far more than they could even have expected.

When Shadows Fall sees a great deal of character development, as we get to know more about the team members, official and unofficial. Craigie himself is desperate to solve the case as the birth of his first child is imminent, but the complexity of the situation sees him many miles from home. The added tension is just one of many pressures on the case.

Book 6 of the DS Max Craigie series and Lancaster has written another winner here.

For anyone unfamiliar with this series, it follows DS Max Craigie and his team (led by DI Ross, or to give him his full title DI f***ing Ross) as they attempt to uncover corruption within Police Scotland.

This novel begins with the death of a female climber on a Scottish munro. Initially written off as an accident by local police, the team uncover what appears to be a string of experienced, female climbers all falling to their deaths over the past years. When further investigation uncovers what appears to be a group of incel-type men involved in the deaths, the team are horrified to discover that a police officer may be amongst them and the investigation deepens.

For anyone who is familiar with the series, this is another great read from Lancaster, following the team during their investigation. Although the series is named after DS Craigie, Lancaster continues to develop all characters within the team including the lovable IT guru Barney and his new friend, Clive the hacker.

So ingrained in your mind are these brilliant characters, as soon as you pick up this book, you immediately remember all that has gone before. Whilst this book can be read as a standalone, it would definitely benefit from starting at the beginning of the series given the character development through the 6 novels, but don't let that put you off if you want to jump right in.

I will just finish by saying in a series such as this, I was concerned about the longevity of the team - how many corrupt officers can they find in the Scottish Highlands? - but Lancaster hints at a significant change for the team moving forward in the next book so I can't wait to see what comes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ | HQ Digital for an ARXC in exchange for an honest review.

Climbing accidents happen all the time, lone hikers who slip or lose their footing on a narrow trail next to a sheer incline. For search and rescue pilot Shay Hammond recently returned from recovering a body, somethings off. In recent months the cases involving lone females seems to have increased dramatically and the local police don't seem too bothered about it. A quick phone call to long time friend DS Max Craigie of the Scottish Policing Standards Reassurance Team and everything changes.

The chilling start on a mountain incline had me hooked, reading late into the night and finishing the next day. A real page turner from start to finish with perfect pacing, nail-biting drama and a great cast of characters.

I'm a huge fan of the series and love reading about the characters who make up Scotlands policing standards team, each individual carefully crafted with strengths and flaws (yes I'm looking at you Ross Fraser) and I wouldn't want them any other way. Together they make a great team and the cameraderie and dark humour that comes with being close colleagues is well written and believable.

Book six in the DS Max Craigie novels this could definitely be read as a standalone but in a series that goes from strength to strength I'd definitely recommend reading them all

Due for publication March 25 - My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early review copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

Brilliant. I was so impressed with the excellent way this was written, and the excellent technical detail that basically went over my head, but was intrinsic to the storyline. I really struggled to put it down and read it within 24 hours.I have read all six of the Max Craigie series, and love all the characters, especially Ross with his ‘potty mouth’ and his soft spots that appear from time to time. The one criticism would be the length of time it took Barney to travel to Haifax and back!!! Did he fly? All joking apart I really cannot wait for the next book, I just hope Max is in it! Would give it 6 stars if I could.

This novel was a real page turner that kept me up late, because I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. Well drawn characters and a brilliant story. Highly recommended.