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…
Max, Janie and Ross return in the second gripping novel in this explosive Scottish crime series.
I can't quite believe it's April already but today is the first Monday of the month, which means, of course, that it's First Monday Crime time. This month's fantastic line-up will be on Facebook Live at 7:30pm so be sure to come along to hear Tony Kent (No Way To Die), Imran Mahmood (I Know What I Saw), Graham Bartlett (Bad for Good) and Joy Kluver (Left For Dead), with Neil Lancaster (The Blood Tide) moderating.
Many thanks to HQ Digital for my digital copy of The Blood Tide which I received through Netgalley, and to Joy Kluver for inviting me to review for First Monday.
It's taken me far too long to read any of Neil Lancaster's books, I've been meaning to for ages. The Blood Tide is the second book in his Max Craigie series but fortunately can easily be read as a standalone – although there are references to events in Dead Man's Grave so if you're the sort of reader who prefers to avoid even a hint of a spoiler, you're probably better off reading the series in order. However, it actually left me even more intrigued to read it; I thought Neil Lancaster did an excellent job of integrating what had occurred previously in the plot to bring new readers up to speed without too much exposition.
The book opens with a tense exchange that soon reveals the ruthlessness of some of the characters before another suspenseful scene with a tragic outcome. Although this is a Max Craigie novel, he doesn't actually appear until the third chapter after another police officer, Hamish Beattie witnesses a suicide and then contacts Max when he begins to suspect the death isn't as straightforward as it appears. The victim makes some worrying accusations before he ends his life and his words immediately suggest that this is going to be a shocking case for all involved, with some devastating revelations. Max is part of the small Policing Standards Reassurance Team, working alongside DI Ross Fraser and DC Janie Calder, and their wide-ranging remit to identify and tackle corruption gives them what should be a huge advantage as they are given unrestricted access to all Police Scotland databases. However, they are dealing with professional criminals who have employed threats and bribery to infiltrate all levels of law enforcement and consequently face a formidable task to bring the perpetrators to justice.
There are multiple viewpoints here, with the narrative switching between protagonists and antagonists which builds the tension superbly as it's never really clear just who has the upper hand. The propulsive contemporary storyline also explores issues which have long been a problem for rural areas and as is suggested, here, are likely to become worse as drug cartels look to new, more clandestine routes into the country as import checks are stepped up following Brexit. The first-rate sense of place evokes all the beauty of the Highlands but also underlines just how remote these areas are; with little police manpower, it's no wonder that county lines trafficking has resulted in a huge drug problem in the fishing villages.
As the body count rises and it becomes ominously evident that Max could be in the firing line, he begins to experience a grim recurrence of the nightmare that has plagued him since Helmand Province. The authentic portrayal of his PTSD is clearly an ongoing theme in the book and is written about with obvious empathy. The characterisation throughout is impressive and I loved the interplay between the main characters which is full of humour as well as more tense scenes. Neil Lancaster's extensive, first-hand knowledge of police work imbues the novel with expert, gritty realism and I particularly enjoyed the surveillance scenes which emphasise how well-functioning, cohesive teams work together.
The pace rarely lets up in The Blood Tide and it's packed with high octane, emotive moments and shocking twists. The storyline reaches breakneck speed towards the end of the novel as Max and his team face a race against time to prevent a dramatic escape and to expose the mysterious high-level contact whose insider knowledge has long been vital to the major drug dealer operating in the area.
The Blood Tide should come with a health warning; may lead to raised blood pressure and reduced sleep! I'll take those side effects though because this is a cracking read and I tore through it in a day. Top-notch plotting, characters I soon became invested in and set in my favourite place in the world, it's as if it was written for me, so of course I loved it. The third book in the series, The Night Watch will be published in September and after the deeply satisfying ending to The Blood Tide, I can't wait to see what lies in store for Max Craigie and his team next!
The Blood Tide is published by HQ, purchasing links can be found here but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
About the Author
Neil acted as a surveillance and covert policing specialist, using all types of techniques to arrest and prosecute drug dealers, human traffickers, fraudsters, and murderers. During his career, he successfully prosecuted several wealthy and corrupt members of the legal profession who were involved in organised immigration crime. These prosecutions led to jail sentences, multi-million pound asset confiscations and disbarments.
Since retiring from the Metropolitan Police, Neil has relocated to the Scottish Highlands with his wife and son, where he now writes crime thriller books, walks his dog, and looks out of the window at the view a little too much.
Comments
Post a Comment