LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 McILVANNEY PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR

Book blurb

This grave can never be opened.
The head of Scotland’s most powerful crime family is brutally murdered, his body dumped inside an ancient grave in a remote cemetery.
 
This murder can never be forgotten.
Detectives Max Craigie and Janie Calder arrive at the scene, a small town where everyone has secrets to hide. They soon realise this murder is part of a blood feud between two Scottish families that stretches back to the 1800s. One thing’s for certain: it might be the latest killing, but it won’t be the last…
 
This killer can never be caught.
As the body count rises, the investigation uncovers large-scale corruption at the heart of the Scottish Police Service. Now Max and Janie must turn against their closest colleagues – to solve a case that could cost them far more than just their lives…

My thoughts

Tam Hardie, patriarch of the renowned Hardie family renowned gangsters in Scotland, is researching his ancestry and goes looking for an old family grave in the highlands. In doing so he goes missing and his son, Tam Jr., goes to the police. DS Matt Craigie is put on the case along with DC Janie Calder they trace Hardie’s last whereabouts and travel north to see if they can locate him. Senior officers are concerned about the possibility of the Hardie brothers, Tam Jr., Davie and Frankie, using their muscle to get answers if they do not deal with the matter.

With information from the village pub owners Craigie and Janie find the site they are looking for. They find Tam’s car. They find a grave marked ‘Do Not Open’ and with some effort see that Tam has been placed inside. Sergeant McGee who is a local traffic officer assists. The case is handed over to Inverness Police who cover the area.

On their way back through the village Craigie and Janie spot a possible suspect, Will , whilst they talk to him he confesses. The Inverness DI arrives and they take Will into custody. The DI, her officers and Craigie search Will’s home and find a journal which displays his obsession with a family feud decades old with the Hardie family.

Jack Slattery, aged forty-two, a private investigator and former police officer with Police Scotland. He’s on the books of the Hardie family and is tasked with finding out what happened and cleaning some things up.

They have their murderer and senior officers indicate ‘it’s done and dusted’. Inverness have their own thoughts but move on. Craigie feels that there is someone else involved. When deaths start happening Craigie continues to investigate. After attending a wake for the pub owner Ferguson he finds a link to Will. He is warned off by his senior officer Detective Chief Superintendent David White and ultimately suspended.

A death in London and information about a death in the highlands have him travelling south. He visits an old colleague and friend Jan who helps him get a meeting with a very senior Met Police officer. He’s sure that something is very wrong in Police Scotland – information is getting to the Hardie family and it could only come from inside the force!

Chief Constable Chris Macdonald, head of Police Scotland, is read in by the Met officer and a covert operation is begun. Craigie, Janie and their immediate boss Ross along with a couple of other trusted colleagues, including Jan along with armed response colleagues and intelligence/communications from the Met. Will they root out the corruption and get the Hardie family?

The first half builds the story and is a very good insight into how a police officer operates both when on the job and when he’s officially off the books. The second part is about the investigation into officers suspected of being crooked. The pace certainly picks up in this part of the book and I found it equally enjoyable although police procedural purists might struggle feeling the story becomes more of a thriller. It held my interest for both reasons. There was still enough about the covert operation procedure that I liked whilst delivering it in a speedy manner. It was well written and researched making it a believable story and I was happy with the outcome.

The first in a series it was an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a new series to read and enjoy the mix of police procedural and thriller style this would certainly fit the bill.

Book: Purchased

Once again it was great to have the author joining us for the first part of our book club meeting this month. Neil Lancaster answered questions and chatted about his writing. Thanks to Rebecca Bradley our host and to Neil for his time. You can see the chat on the link below.

Deadman’s Grave by Neil Lancaster was October’s The Virtual Crime Book Club read.

⚠️Do be aware there will be spoilers so if you are reading the book take a look afterwards.⚠️

You can watch the video below and for what we are reading next HERE.

If you would like to see the other meetings please go to A Virtual Crime Book club on YouTube we’re you can find all of the recordings.

⚠️Do be aware there will be spoilers so if you are reading the book take a look afterwards.⚠️

We will be choosing our next book shortly so if you’d like to join go to Rebecca’s website for more information.

The next meeting is Monday 30th October at 8.00 p.m. BST. (The book club is every 4 weeks so the November meeting falls at the end of October. Adjustments may be made in December/January due to the holiday season.)

Information

Published: HQ Digital (16 July 2021) | HQ Digital (30 Dec. 2021) | @HarperCollinsUK

Buy: HarperCollins | Hive UK | AmazonSmileUK | Bookshop.org.uk | your local library | your local bookshop

Author: Neil Lancaster is the No.1 digital bestselling author of the Tom Novak series. His latest novel, Dead Man’s Grave, was longlisted for the 2021 William McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Book of the Year. He served as a military policeman in the RAF and worked as a detective for the Metropolitan Police, investigating serious crimes in the capital and beyond. As a covert policing specialist, he used a variety of tactics to obtain evidence against murderers, human traffickers, drug dealers and fraudsters.

He now lives in the Scottish Highlands, writes crime and thriller novels and works as a broadcaster and commentator on true crime documentaries. He is a key expert on two Sky Crime TV series, Meet, Marry, Murder and Made for Murder.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@neillancaster66
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/@NeilLancasterCrime
Website: www.neillancastercrime.co.uk

Books

Authors website | HarperCollins – DS Max Craigie series