The Night Watch by Neil Lancaster is a very interesting and intense police procedural. Lancaster served on the police force for over twenty-five years. His expertise in writing crime fiction shines through in the intricate details of the plot. Each character is a potential suspect leaving readers scrambling to figure out this twisty whodunit. DS Max Craigie and his team, Policing Standards Reassurance Team, sniff and stamp out police corruption. DI Ross Fraser, DC Janie Calder, and their analyst, Norma, act on the information gained from Shuggie Gibson – a Journalist with grit, determination, and an ethos for doing the right thing. He informs Craigie and his team that the killer is a Police Officer. He doesn’t need to question this information too far – a taser, the nature of the victims, and the killing itself scream a vigilante on a mission. The ice has melted in the frosty relationship between the two and Mrs. F has returned to the family home. She’s now on a mission and a one sided comedic exchange results as we’re informed by Ross of her efforts to prolong his longevity - through dietary changes. We’ve never met Mrs F in person, but she’s as prominent as any of the other characters and equally unique.

DS Max Craigie and his wife Katie are entertaining, their friends from when he was in the Met is visiting, the memories are, for the most part, good and everyone is content. His partner, DC Janie Calder is also there so when his phone pings on a Sunday afternoon they know their relaxation is over. A few days later, a lawyer who had been out on an early morning run is found dead at Dunnet Head on the northernmost tip of Scotland. I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of The Night Watch, the third novel to feature DS Max Craigie of Police Scotland’s Policing Standards Reassurance Team. For many years, he never thought of himself as creative as he was never artistic. However, once he started writing the words just came and flowed.On the northern most tip of Scotland at Dunnet Head, a lawyer out on an early morning run on the cliff tops, is also found dead. Turns out this guy was on his honeymoon - oh, and he just happened to secure freedom last week for Scott Paterson, in what was a very high profile criminal case. Over many months, much window staring, and many coffees, he finally had his draft of more than 100,000 words.

Max, Janie and Ross return in the latest gripping novel in this explosive Scottish crime series. Fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride and Marion Todd will love The Night Watch! Readers LOVE The Night Watch! The mystery part of the book was veryy disappointing. The angle of the serial killer being a cop on the investigation team was such an interesting concept but it was taken in a weird direction. Plus, the plot was predictable and that ending had me rolling my eyes out.

Advance Praise

Max Craigie, Ross Fraser and Janie Calder are a tight knit team and this is reflected in their understanding of one another and the light relaxed banter between them. They are ably assisted in this case by Norma, and by Niall, an old friend of Max's from the Met, and who he brings in to work undercover. One of the sources of mirth being the tireless complaints of Max Craigie’s curmudgeon boss DI Ross Fraser - about his wife Mrs. F and home life in particular.