His suicide had raised a few eyebrows at police headquarters and hence Beattie knew he had to consult the higher-ups. He primarily served as a detective conducting and leading investigations into some of the most serious criminals in the United Kingdom and abroad. I raced through this in a little more than twenty four hours, desperate to discover just who the vigilante was. The answer was surprising, the final expose even more so. From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada:

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.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. 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. Things get interesting and it is soon clear that the death of both police officers has something to do with corrupt elements in the Police Service.

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.

Publication Order of DS Max Craigie Books

They unearth large-scale corruption involving the Scottish Police Service. Max and Janie may have to turn against the very people they have been calling colleagues for months. It was at this time that he began ruminating on what Christopher Hitchens used to say. The author used to say that most people who believe they should write should never do so. 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. These deaths are then linked to further murders, meaning DS Max Craigie and his colleagues have a particularly vicious serial killer to apprehend. His team are determined to catch the killer, and prevent further deaths, but how do you catch a killer that knows your every move? - and trust me the killer does know exactly what the team are doing and when they’re doing it because the killer they are looking for is one of them - a cop!

DS Max Craigie’s team, the innocuous sounding Policing Standards Reassurance team whose task is actually to root out police corruption, smell a rat and Max, DC Janie Calder DI Ross Fraser and their analyst, Norma, swing into action. Snuggie Gibson, one of the more ethical journalists says a source tells him that the killer is actually in the police force. That answers a lot of questions. It reeks of vigilante justice. A suspect is identified and a sting operation planned but when they break down the door of this suspect they are too late. He is dead in the bathtub - another apparent suicide. But Max is having none of it. Somehow they will prove it was murder and they WILL catch the perpetrator! 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.

What a great series this is! I was thrilled to get the arc for this, book 3 of the DS Max Cragie series. The action starts with finding the body of crime enforcer, Scott Paterson, slumped against a tree in a boggy copse on a golf course only a few days after his release from remand due to no conviction. This does not mean not guilty. His throat had been slit. The cops are, however, puzzled how anyone could overpower this man mountain who exhibited no defence injuries. The next morning, Fergus Grigor is found smashed up at the bottom of a cliff. Suicide is ruled out as the man was on his honeymoon but accident also seems unlikely. It turns out he was the barrister that got Paterson released. Another of his clients who escaped justice was also killed five years ago. 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.