By Neil Lancaster https://neillancastercrime.co.uk/ @neillancaster66
Published by HQ Digital https://www.hqstories.co.uk/ @HQstories (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
384 pages ISBN 9780008551322
Publication date 18 March 2024
Blood Runs Cold is the fifth novel in the Max Craigie series.
Click on the links to read my reviews of The Blood Tide, The Night Watch and Blood Runs Cold the second, third and fourth novels in this series.
I was allowed access to a pdf review copy on Net Galley https://www.netgalley.com/ @NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I would like to thank the Author and Publisher for organising this.
My review
Six years ago, a young Polish woman went missing and there have been no leads until now. A gangland boss confirms that she was murdered, and he is willing to provide details of the deposition site of the body and evidence to convict an individual, who has since risen to some power. There are conditions that need to be met, but these would be acceptable in exchange for a spectacular collar.
The criminal is Davie Hardie a man who is well known to Max Craigie, who put him behind bars. Part of the deal is that Max and the team have no influence within the case. An outrageous demand, but with Chief Constable Macdonald on holiday it suits the plans of his deputy DCC Campbell, who sees sidelining them the first step in getting rid of them entirely.
Sadly for the DCC, events take an unexpected course and the Chief Constable places the PSR team in charge of rescuing the position.
The Policing Standards Reassurance Team are back doing what they do best investigating police corruption, sending miscreants scuttling off for cover like disturbed cockroaches. Such units are never likely to be popular but in this story an attempt is made to sideline them entirely. Officialdom rarely tolerates loose cannons, but Max and the team get results and as readers we love mavericks like them.
The question the reader must ponder over, in this story, is the morality of doing deals with convicted killers. This is a question posed in the real world, where quite rightly there is a reluctance to do so and be seen to be rewarding murderers. This is particularly difficult where the offer is to reveal where bodies are buried, thereby giving some measure of closure to the family left behind. Career minded senior officers can see the rewards of clearing up old cases as a boost, as does DCC Campbell, but how far do you trust a lying ‘lag’? In the case of Max Craigie not far at all. Max ends up with a compliment from the most unlikely of sources, as the only copper to be trusted as being straight in Scotland.
Once again, the action is quick fire and relentless. Like those before it, it is a real page turner but one where you will have to pause to catch your breath at times. There are grim prison scenes, aspects of violence and bloodshed at times, which go hand in hand with the subject matter and give it a sense of authenticity. So, there’s more than enough thrills and danger for most readers.
The darkness is offset with a rich vein of humour with contractor Barney a particular delight as the tight Yorkshireman, but they all get some great lines. It is very much an ensemble piece with fabulous interactions between the team members, with their individual stories growing with each new instalment.
Naturally away from the central players, the other characters become sketchier but avoid being cartoonish caricatures, although one is nicknamed Droopy after the ever-morose cartoon dog. The Hardies and Droopy pack enough menace to go around, though my personal favourite was Leo the dodgy solicitor acting for the Hardies.
Once again, the author has managed the crime fiction equivalent of cramming a quart into a pint pot and downing it in one, without spilling a drop. Another expertly balanced story that will delight fans and leave them waiting to pre-order book six.
The Devil You Know delivers fast paced, high octane crime thrills with a touch of Scottish humour.
The Devil You Know can be purchased via the publisher’s website here
The author
Neil was born in Liverpool in the 1960s. He recently left the Metropolitan Police where he served for over twenty-five years, predominantly as a detective, leading and conducting investigations into some of the most serious criminals across the UK and beyond.
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 mixes freelance investigations with writing.
Source: Goodreads author profile
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