The Blood Tide (DS Max Craigie Scottish Crime Thrillers, Book 2)

Neil Lancaster

Feb 2022 · DS Max Craigie Scottish Crime Thrillers Book 2 · Sold by HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

‘Think Jack Reacher fronting Line of Duty’ Ian Rankin

You get away with murder.
In a remote sea loch on the west coast of Scotland, a fisherman vanishes without trace. His remains are never found.

You make people disappear.
A young man jumps from a bridge in Glasgow and falls to his death in the water below. DS Max Craigie uncovers evidence that links both victims. But if he can’t find out what cost them their lives, it won’t be long before more bodies turn up at the morgue...

You come back for revenge.
Soon cracks start to appear in the investigation, and Max’s past hurtles back to haunt him. When his loved ones are threatened, he faces a terrifying choice: let the only man he ever feared walk free, or watch his closest friend die...

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 McILVANNEY PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR! Max, Janie and Ross return in the second gripping novel in this explosive Scottish crime series.

Readers LOVE The Blood Tide

‘Line of Duty on steroids... It just never lets up!’ John Barlow

‘The Blood Tide grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. Be warned: don’t sit down planning to read only a few pages!’ Kate London

‘Tightly plotted, tense and thrilling. Neil Lancaster just gets better and better’ Marion Todd

‘You can’t beat the voice of experience... A rugged tale from a writer who’s done this chilling stuff for real’ Paul Finch

‘A rattlingly good read. The pages practically turn themselves...’ John Sutherland

‘An absolutely thrilling read from a brand-new star of Tartan Noir. Superb.’ Cass Green

‘Authentic to a tee. A story to die for. Characters that leap of all the page-turny pages.’ Imran Mahmood

‘What a gripping page-turner – it kept me guessing until the very end’ Michelle Davies

‘I’ve been hooked on this for a few days. It has it all: action, humour, tightly plotted with the most satisfying of endings!’ Chris McDonald

Ratings and reviews

Three and a half stars. A police officer witnesses a suicide, but the man who committed suicide says that he is being forced to commit suicide in order to protect his family, and he references that they have accomplices in governmental agencies and were responsible for a recent murder at a loch. The policeman is sufficiently convinced that the man is being coerced by persons unknown that he records the conversation carefully in his statement to PIRC (the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner) and calls his old friend DS Max Craigie to discuss it and invite him over for a dram while he (Max) is touring the Highlands on his holiday. When Max arrives to see his friend however he finds him hanging from the bannisters of his home, his police notebook has disappeared, and his witness statement has no references to coercion or any other murders. As the member of a small (three person) team with the long-winded title The Police Standards Reassurance Team, Max is responsible for identifying and tackling corruption and this stinks to high heaven. So this is a police procedural with a difference, in so far as the reader knows who committed the murders, the mystery is who is the mysterious person feeding them information. I enjoyed the pace and plot of this novel, the first I have read by Neil Lancaster. However, I did have some concerns that there seemed to be a lot of coincidences/strokes of luck where someone not only could make the necessary connection but then off-the-cuff provide chapter and verse about the person and their associates (being deliberately vague). There were at least two separate instances where that happened. Also, I still can't wrap my head around how the final 'thing' happened and how they found out. Maybe I need to reread the book ... Overall, another Scottish detective series to add to my growing list - what is it about Scottish murder mysteries? I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I’m only sorry I didn’t start this series sooner – it’s a cracking read! Two isolated incidents seem to be just that until DS Max Craigie joins the dots; a fisherman has vanished in the west of Scotland and a young man jumps to his death from a bridge in Glasgow. Max knows he needs to find out why both of these happened or more will follow. But this investigation isn’t straightforward and, as cracks begin to appear and Max’s loved ones are threatened, the last thing he needs is for the imprisoned man from his last case to be involved. What a terrific read! I freely admit to having a penchant for books set in Scotland and this is definitely one of the best I’ve come across. The characters are wonderfully crafted and the story is gripping all the way. I was never quite sure exactly where it was heading and was surprised more than once! An absolutely excellent read by an author I most definitely recommend. No doubt about it, this is a solid five star read.

I loved the first book in this new DS Max Craigie series, and The Blood Tide is even better because now we have a relationship with the characters! We know who’s a pain in the backside; we know whose heart is always in the right place, and we know who we can trust...or do we? If you have read the first in the series, you will be familiar with what Max and his small team do, basically searching out dodgy law enforcement guys and making sure they are brought to justice, whilst solving the crimes at the same time. The Blood Tide is gritty, dark and often violent, so if you don’t like dead bodies, then it’s probably not for you! Throughout a lot of the book, I found myself thinking that he or she had turned into one of the bad guys, and the author kept me guessing with every turn of the page. Was it safe to let this character have the information they are being given or not? I found myself muttering out loud sometimes when I voiced my opinions and often cringed when some of the scary and bad things were happening. This is why Neil Lancaster is such a talented author, he puts his readers in the situations and they live the scenario along with the characters. Dead Man’s Grave is the first in the series, and no, you don’t need to read that first, but it will give you a better insight and introduction to the characters if you do. If I were you, I’d definitely add both to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Blood Tide by Neil Lancaster.

About the author

NEIL LANCASTER is the No. 1 digital bestselling author of both the Tom Novak and Max Craigie series. His first Craigie novel, Dead Man’s Grave, was longlisted for the 2021 McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The second Craigie novel, The Blood Tide, topped several ebook and audio charts. It was also longlisted for the 2022 McIlvanney Prize and shortlisted for Best New Series at the Dead Good Reader Awards.

Neil served as a military policeman and worked for the Metropolitan Police as a detective, investigating serious crimes in the capital and beyond. As a covert policing specialist, he used all manner of techniques to investigate and disrupt major crime and criminals. He now lives in the Scottish Highlands, writes crime and thriller novels and works as a broadcaster and commentator on true crime documentaries. He is an expert on two Sky Crime TV series, Meet, Marry, Murder and Made for Murder.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@neillancaster66