Set in Edinburgh/Stirling the reader is faced with the past, retribution, politics, corruption, fear, relationships, manipulation, closure, and a search for justice and the truth!
Wow! I’m ashamed to admit that although I have a few of Neil Broadfoot’s books on my kindle, this is the first I’ve read – but what a book to start on! I was gripped from the start – my adrenaline was pumping and my heart was racing when I read the prologue and didn’t really stop until I came to the very end of this high octane read!
An original and breathtaking storyline glued me to my chair and I knew that there would be nothing getting done in my house that day! Told from various POV’s, you get immersed in the riveting plot and if you like a gruesome read – and I do LOVE a gruesome read – then the murders in this novel will chill you to the bone! Action-packed, full of intensity, suspense and some incredible twisty moments – you won’t go wrong by picking up this #badboy!
Shall we chat characters? First up – CONNOR FRASER – well helloooooo, Connor! Absolutely loved him. He’s a bit of a badass with a heart of gold and I was drawn to him immediately. Well developed and as a reader, I loved the fact that the author left me wanting more. BRAVO! Connor’s past seems to be coming to bite him on his arse and it’s a race against time for Connor to connect the dots before someone else ends up brutally murdered. I really liked Donna Blake as well. You get a real insight into journalism through the eyes of this character and I loved the way Connor, Donna and DCI Ford used their skills to get to the truth.
Would I recommend this read? That would be an absolute Hell-to-the-yeah! With a great sense of jeopardy and urgency, the reader is compelled to turn the pages in this fast-paced thriller. I for one can’t wait to read the next book in this series and I urge you all to grab a copy of No Man’s Land today!

Stirling’s history just got a little bit bloodier, thanks to Neil Broadfoot’s introduction of close protection specialist, Connor Fraser, to the city.

With a prologue full of promise of what’s to come, No Man’s Land, starts off with an almighty roar and keeps up the pace all the way through. Jam packed throughout this latest offering from Neil Broadfoot, is full of action. The murders are gruesome with finishing touches that will leave your jaw dropping! Yet the violence is never gratuitous, we only witness the aftermath, yet Neil Broadfoot manages to get right inside your head, painting a picture that you never want to see for real! I love Stirling and the sense of place created is breathtaking: if you’ve been there you will recognise it, if you haven’t you will feel as though you have by the time you have finished

You can definitely tell the writer has a background in journalism and a working knowledge of the current political climate; themes are current and most certainly relevant. With more than a passing reference to the bureaucratic nightmare that is police Scotland, the resulting reduction in staffing and Brexit, No Man’s Land is not only action packed but also highly topical, all of which adds something special to his writing.

Three very different characters, Connor Fraser, DCI Ford and reporter Donna Blake all embroiled in the investigation into a brutal death in the historical town of Stirling, we watch as the writer effortlessly weaves each narrative together resulting in a jaw dropping WTF conclusion.

I think I might have just found myself a new #CharacterCrush in Connor Fraser! He is a compelling character to read; as his background is revealed little by little throughout the novel, we learn just what has made him the man he is, flaws and all. Despite the hard shell, there is also a softer side to him, evident in his love for his gran who has dementia. And at this point, I’d like to commend Neil Broadfoot for his sensitive approach to the condition. Too often, dementia is written as a loss of identity and individuality, of suffering and anguish. And while the condition is dreadful, I’m a firm believer in not losing sight of an individual and replacing them by a label. The author does a fantastic job or retaining the sense of person through Connor’s relationship with his gran. However, before I digress onto a rant about stigma let’s get back to the characters and plot.

Donna Blake had me rooting for her from the start. A single mum with a mother who doesn’t tire of judging her, the very real feeling of internal conflict was created. She’s a strong character who is determined to make a name for herself in the world of the media without compromising her relationship with her son. We are given snippets of information about her background, all serving to draw us closer into her life.

DCI Ford finds himself marginalised from the investigation as political tensions run high. The author utilised this character extremely well, using him to highlight the current tensions within Police Scotland. The narrative was so credible; it was difficult not to believe that I had been caught up in a current news story taking place.

It’s tense, it’s brutal, it’s edgy and it’s raw! And it had me hooked from beginning to end! It is definitely a “read past your bedtime” kind of read! Don’t miss it!

This is the first book in a new series starring Connor Fraser, an ex Northern Ireland Police Officer, now a close security contractor working for Sentinel Securities ran by ex army lieutenant colonel Lachlan Jameson

Set in Stirling , Scotland , Whilst Connor is looking after a local celebrity, who is a star witness in a murder, a gruesome discovery is made at a popular tourist hotspot , Cowane’s hospital, a brutally decapitated body. An investigation is led by DCI Malcolm Ford, who seems to be mentally disturbed by this discovery, taking the murder almost personally

Connor keeps an eye on the investigation through Social Media and local radio in the name of reporter Donna Blake, a single mother, struggling with her parents caring for her son yet fiercely ambitious to become more than the local radio reporter.

When a second body turns up Connor realises he is inexplicably linked to these murders, Donna continues to push the bar, desperately chasing the story , trying to get info to impress, whilst Ford becomes more and more emotionally involved

As the story develops, Connor and Ford are forced into an uneasy alliance, together to fight the greater cause , Connor calls in his best friend Simon from the PFNI to help him with the investigation.

Connor is a proper hero with echos of a young Jack Reacher, Connor is a bit of a machine, he has his issues from his past and his sick grandmother to contend with but nothing will stop him in his pursuit of the bad guys

This is atmospheric, bloody, brutal , tense, and at times, disturbing, a compelling tale soaked in blood and gore, throw in a bit of brexit and politics, this is a bang up to date thriller.

The writing flows perfectly, attention to detail is just right, it’s very descriptive and brilliantly savage at the gruesome parts, this book is a winner, I loved it,more Connor please!

I really enjoyed this book. A different take on the typical crime novel and the setting of Stirling made a pleasant change

A new author for me and a gripping crime thriller set in Scotland. As far as I'm aware there were no previous books in this series (actually not sure if it will be a series!!) and there was a fair amount of time given to providing the background to Connor's character which was needed to understand what makes him tick. The crimes were violent and the book captured this in great detail. I liked the character of Connor and hope that this will be a series as I would like to see more of him. The only thing I did not particularly enjoy was the way the book was told from the perspective of three different people - Connor, DCI Ford and the journalist Donna. I found just as I was engrossed with whichever character, it suddenly changed character and I was left feeling that I wanted more. It didn't stop my overall enjoyment of the book - just left me frustrated at times!

Firstly thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the copy of this book in return for an impartial review.

Neil Broadfoot is a new name to me and a welcome addition to the growing group of Scottish crime writers. I believe he has had several other books published and I will be checking out his back catalouge of publications on the strength of this one.

The book introduces Connor Fraser, a private protection officer based in the Scottish city of Stirling but an ex serviing Northern Irish police officer. Within a very short period of time, three bodies turn up at various locations, each of which appear to have been tortured pre killing. We are given a degree of background on Fraser and his time in Northern Ireland and it appears as if his past is coming home to haunt him all over again.
Really enjoyed this publication and look forward to future books involing this character.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a review copy of No Man's Land, a tale of serial murder set in the historical Scottish town of Stirling.

For Connor Fraser, ex PSNI officer and now close security specialist, the first gruesome murder is of note due to its nature but the second draws him in with its hints of a connection to his past.

I thoroughly enjoyed No Man's Land with its mix of high octane action, well concealed perpetrator and Scottish setting. The novel opens with an injured Connor fighting for his life and then flashes back to the previous three days to explain how he got into that situation. It is told from various points of view, mostly Connor, DCI Malcolm Ford who is leading the murder investigation and reporter Donna Blake who is hoping to restart her career with her reporting. Normally I don't like this switching of perspective as I find it distracting but a strong plot and credible, realistic characterisation make it a compulsive read. It should be noted, however, that the novel is not for the faint hearted as the murders are violent and stomach churning. I loved the plot with its various twists and turns and found the solution ingenious, surprising and well worth the read.

Despite the strong plot I think it is the characterisation that really makes the novel. Connor Fraser is the protagonist but he's fairly generic - smart, attractive and resourceful with troubles in his past. He's well drawn but I found Donna Blake and Malcolm Ford much more interesting. Mr Broadfoot uses them to explore the wider concept of their roles, the politics of modern policing and the crisis in journalism. I found the obsession with spin, instant gratification and unrealistic expectations fascinating, repulsive and wholly believable.

No Man's Land is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Three bodies, all connected. DCI Ford finds himself mixed up with reporter Donna and security agent Connor. And a message with one body, taking Connor back to another crime in Belfast

Fast paced

No Man's Land is the first book by Neil Broadfoot that I have read and it was a very enjoyable police thriller with good potential for future books in this series.

Connor Fraser used to work for the police in Northern Ireland but is now living in Scotland. As the book progresses the reasons for Connor having left the police force are revealed especially he becomes involved in a series of high profile murders.

The writing is good and whilst I solved the case it was still engaging and entertaining

Recommended

This is a terrific beginning to this tense and atmospheric new Scottish Noir series set in Stirling featuring Connor Fraser, an ex-Belfast police officer now working as a close protection officer for Sentinel Security that is owned and run the by ex-army Lachlan Jameson. In one of Stirling's tourist hot spots at Cowane's Hospital, a decapitated body is found by a dog walker showing all the signs of a medieval sadistic savagery that horrifies all who are unfortunate enough to see it, destined to guarantee ongoing nightmares for all of them. The murder inquiry is led by DCI Malcolm Ford who cannot get the brutal crime scene out of his mind, vowing to find the deranged perpetrator in an investigation that is hampered by political and media pressures. The resource strapped and troubled Police Scotland hierarchy is more engaged in political intrigue and scapegoating, leaving Ford often with minimal power on the case.

Connor is keeping up to date with the news about this gruesome murder, but it is the photographs that show a book at the scene of the next murder that has him beginning to panic, it has echoes of his past in Northern Ireland and the paramilitaries operating there. An ambitious freelance journalist Donna Blake is a single mother with a baby son, Andrew, living a financially precarious existence, forced to rely on her parents for childcare. She is currently working at Valley FM radio, but she has big plans to move into TV reporting, she just needs that big story and a series of exclusives. The murders provide her with that opportunity as she mines all her contacts for that cutting edge information, but she is not prepared for the killings to come so close to her personal world. She is desperately scared and right to be afraid. Connor looks for an inside source of information on the murder inquiry, and his close friend and police partner from Belfast, Simon, offers his help and support. However, can Connor trust anyone close to him?

Broadfoot gives us a thrillingly compelling brutal and blood drenched story where recent contemporary political events such as Brexit and police restructuring driven by budget cuts are integral to the novel. The author's complex plotting is impressive, with a multilayered narrative that is suspenseful, full of twists and fast paced. The characters are gripping and well fleshed out, Ford who is struggling to survive in the viper's nest that is Police Scotland, Donna's ambition that curtails the time she spends with her baby son, and Connor who tries to reign in his volatile temper when it threatens to get out of control. This novel is not for the faint hearted, but it is for all those who love edgy, well written, grab you by the throat Scottish crime fiction. I cannot wait for the next in the series. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

A new series from Neil Broadfoot and boy he likes to kick things off in style.

No Man’s Land is a tense and beautifully plotted thriller with some great characters and a setting known to me courtesy of the Bloody Scotland Festival- which made it twice as good for this reader although even if you’ve never been to Stirling you’ll feel like you have.

Connor Fraser is a highly engaging protagonist to follow along with and old sins cast a long shadow….

When people start dying (horribly- I do not recommend eating whilst reading) Connor is caught up in a case that has roots in his past, along with DCI Ford and reporter Donna Blake both in it for other reasons. These three are all separate yet together in a story that is both thrilling and considered, with plenty of obfuscation and a hugely addictive mystery element.

No Man’s Land is one of those page turners, a proper piece of inventive crime writing, the sort that I love. An authentic feel with plenty of heart and a perfect finish.

Recommended.

This is a fantastic start to a new series by Neil Broadfoot. A mutilated body is found in Stirling, closely followed by a second one near to the Wallace Monument. Connor Fraser, a close protection officer, receives a message similar to one he received in Ireland where he was a police officer. DCI Malcolm Ford is in charge of the investigation and facing pressure to solve the gruesome murders. Throw into the equation, local reporter Donna Blake and you have a dark, twisty and compelling thriller. Well written with great characterisation. I would recommend this book to thriller lovers. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Reviewed on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.