I am delighted to share my review of The Night Watch by Neil Lancaster. This is 3rd book in the DS Max Craigie series, and true to dorm this is the first one I have read. It is a belter of a book and I have now bought the previous two on kindle. I don’t think there is any need to tell you how much I enjoyed this one 🙂

This is not however the first time I have read a book by this author. I have read the first two books in his Tom Novak series, and this reminds me I must read the third one 😁

My huge thanks to HQ Digital for granting my request to read this title via NetGalley.

He’ll hunt you.
The case is linked to several mysterious deaths, including the murder of the lawyer’s last client – Scotland’s most notorious criminal… who had just walked free. DS Max Craigie knows this can only mean one thing: they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands.

He’ll leave you to die.
But this time the killer isn’t on the run; he’s on the investigation team. And the rules are different when the murderer is this close to home.

He knows their weaknesses, knows how to stay hidden, and he thinks he’s above the law…

MY REVIEW

This is the 3rd book in the DS Max Craigie series but the first one I have read. This book worked well as a stand-alone and I was able to keep up to speed with all the characters. The author does mention what I am assuming are brief background events.

The case is an interesting one as it is an investigation within an investigation. While this does sound complicated the author has made it really easy to follow. It does though cause a bit of a headache for me as I try to review this and still make some sort of sense!

The death of a lawyer and then the death of a man having recently been given a “not proven” verdict are just the tip of the iceberg and the body count doesn’t stop. The nature of the deaths is a little unusual as there appears nothing unusual about them. Yeah, I know!

So begins the investigation, this is also the start of another investigation by Max and his team. An undercover detective is brought in and with a small team, Max starts to piece things together. When they discover that the killer could possibly be on the main investigating team things get difficult. There are not many clues or signs of evidence as they are aware of forensic evidence.

This is such an amazing story and one that had me hooked. It has great pacing and even though there are several investigators that are essentially working on different teams I was able to follow along. The overall feel of this story is tense and there is a palpable sense of danger that lurks in the background. Max and his team have to tread quietly and keep things close to their chest for fear of their suspicions leaking out.

After reading this 3rd book I am definitely going to go back and read the previous two. This is a great intro for me to this series and yes part of me wishes I had read them in order.

Fabulous crime and thriller read that I do think police procedural readers would really enjoy. Great characters, complex plots and quite a few false leads and red herrings to keep you on your toes. It is a book I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT 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.

Here is his Goodreads Author Page.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx