So, I'm definitely late to the party with this one and it showed. The story itself is both interesting and complex: a baby is abducted and another left in it's place, women are missing and there is an unsolved rape case all mixed into the plot. Well written and with gritty characters, I was ready to love this book. Sadly though, I just struggled to keep up and follow it.

Since reading it, I have found out that this is actually book nine in the DI Costello and DCI Anderson series and The Suffering of Strangers brings with it a lot of that history. Both regards to plot and relationships. If you've read others in the series I have no doubt that this will be another great read for you, however most of it was lost on me and it never quite fully captured my attention.

Apparently I’m very late to the Caro Ramsay party. This is book #9 in the Anderson & Costello series. Where have I been hiding? Police procedurals set in Scotland, these are crime thrillers that I’m sorry I’ve missed. If you have missed them as well, never fear, you can start at any time with this one. You don’t need to have read the previous books.

Roberta is an exhausted mother driving her 6 week old son around in the car to try to get him to stop screaming. Just as soon as he quiets, her husband calls to tell her to stop at the store and pick up some champagne. Should she just run in quickly and grab a bottle? Why not. She parks within view of the store’s window and pops in. Even though both she and the shopkeeper are keeping watch, by the time Roberta hops back in the vehicle, her baby Sholto is gone and in his place is a different baby. So the story begins.

This is a twisting and turning character laden story. Yes, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but each one is unique in its own way. I didn’t struggle after the first couple of chapters (even being new to the series.) The story is well written, a number of crimes and bad behavior take place. There are also references that seem to lead to both previous and future tales. While I’ve missed out on Caro Ramsay’s previous books, I know that there are plenty to catch up with. 

Highly recommend if you’re a fan of mystery, suspense & crime.

I really had a tough time getting through this book.  I didn't understand the characters or a lot of their language.  Perhaps it was because, as I learned, this was part of a series, and they had been more  clearly defined in previous stories.  And it was very British, which made for slow reading for me.  I had heard good things about this author and was eager to read her, but I don't believe I'll pick up anything else she's written.

I really wish I had read other books in this series prior to reading this one.  Took me probably 30% to get into and even at the end I'm not quite sure I have figured out all the characters.   Once into it, the writing is excellent and I enjoyed the back and forth going and coming.  I will look forward to reading her next book in the series.

The book was interesting and catchy, however it did not keep me awake at night. I did struggle to follow the plot and dont think would recommend it.

As always another great book Caro would highly recommend it. Looking forward to your next book. We'll done

This is the first book I have read with DI Costello and DCI Anderson and I shall have to go and purchase some more as I found this one to be excellent. The story begins after a gruelling court case in which Costello was heavily involved and as she is on her way home for a well earned rest she is called to a child abduction/child swap from a car outside a delicatessen. Baby Sholto a perfect baby in all respects is taken from the back of the car and replaced with a baby with Down's syndrome later named Moses by the child protection team. As the investigation progresses Costello attends a meeting with the head of Social Services to discuss other cases where children have been abducted which leads them to think that they could all be connected in a baby brokering ring. Meanwhile her ex boss DCI Anderson is in charge of the Cold Case Unit and is looking at old rape cases to see if they can be linked and if any DNA not able to be processed at the time can now be carried out with the advances in DNA testing, he is also asked to find a poster girl for Police Scotland to use in a campaign about rape. As the case progresses both cases seem to merge and the old team are brought together to bring it to a conclusion.

This was interesting, and not just because I live very close to where it’s set. I did enjoy how well I could follow Ramsay’s protagonist’s jaunts around Glasgow though, and some of the descriptions were spot on - the Kirklee newsagents as “like a few Lego bricks in a house wall, too bright, too modern” in particular. This novel is clearly one of a series, and there were a few references to past activities that I couldn’t quite follow because I haven’t read the previous ones, but that wasn’t too distracting and I could still follow the plot as a stand-alone story. Everything tied up satisfyingly neatly, as crime novels tend to, but it also ended with a mystery and a hint to a future plot line so I guess I’ll be going in search of the next one to satisfy my curiosity!

I enjoyed reading this book, there was lots of different characters that all seem to be connected. would recommend

This was a confusing police procedural for me. I had difficulty following it and keeping all of the many characters straight. Some of that was probably due to not having read any of the previous books and unfamiliarity with the main characters, but I also feel the writing was jumbled and the many Scottish phrases not understood. Confusing relationships and coincidences, but a decent ending with a suggested lead in to the next book.

The Suffering of Strangers  (2017 UK/2018 North America)
By Caro Ramsay 
Black Thorn, 257 pages.
★★

The problem with a series is that if you show up late, it's hard to catch up. The Suffering of Strangers is book nine of Scottish fiction writer Caro Ramsay's Costello and Colin Anderson series. If you are addicted to Ms Ramsay's "tartan noir"* detective novels, you will probably devour it with gusto. If not, you'll probably share my judgment that it's more mess than mystery. My late-to-the-table status notwithstanding, this is simply not a very well written book.

In The Suffering of Strangers we find that Freddie (a woman) Costello is now a Detective Inspector (DI) and Colin Anderson a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) who has been promoted to the Cold Case Unit, which investigates unsolved cases. Each will be drawn into a distressing incident in which 6-week old Sholto Chisholm has gone missing in an unusual way: when his mother Roberta ducked into a store for just a moment, Sholto** was gone but a Down syndrome baby sits in his place in a nearly identical car seat. 

Costello is reluctant to get involved as she's still licking her wounds from botching a previous case–presumably described in book eight of the series. She's also angrier than usual as Archie Walker–her superior and covert lover–seems to be cavorting with a younger woman. Anderson, however, sees similarities between Sholto's switcheroo and other missing child cases. Even worse, as the investigation unfolds, several women go missing in ways that suggest the pattern of a serial rapist whose unsolved crimes gback at least 20 years and ravaged Colin's university flame, Sally Logan. 

This novel is overpopulated with characters. Again, I presume that much of the detective force has been introduced in earlier novels, but be wary of reviews that say this book works as a standalone novel. It does not. I had to make lists of characters and relationships to keep them straight. This is problematic on several levels. First, my list was much longer than it needed be. Ramsay drops names in ways that give a new reader few clues as to whether the character in question is relevant, or just police station wallpaper. The same is true of past and pending cases mentioned. Second, Ramsay complicates matters by introducing new characters whose relationships to the story are murky. There is, for instance, a child support services caseworker named Deliana Despande. "Dali" ticks some boxes in that she's of Southeast Asian descent, non-white, and obese, but none of these portrayals are flattering. She seems to be in the novel to bond with DI Costello, whom most of her colleagues find cold and domineering. In truth, Dali doesn't need to be in such an already overstuffed book.

Colin is tasked with reconnecting with Sally and her now-husband Andrew Braithwaite, who was also one of Colin's university friends. This is also awkward because Colin hasn't seen either of them in many years; he is married with two children, but still carries a romanticized torch for Sally. At this juncture, the novel begins to unravel. In a short spate of time we hear of several woman who have disappeared, including one who vanishes just out of sight of the now ubiquitous CCTV security cameras and a drone. Toss in a young caseworker who screwed up when one of the missing women crawled out a bathroom window, a subplot involving Walker's goddaughter, several detectives who may or may not be withholding investigative details in hope of an advancement scoop, a legend of an underground city, some stumbling around in a subterranean car park, a yoga studio, a baby-selling network, a rooftop, and some high-powered water jets. 

Ramsay brings all of this to a conclusion through logic-defying subterfuge. If that's not enough–and believe me, it is–Ramsay tacks on a cloudburst of coincidences that revolve around Anderson. This book has more contrivances than a Rube Goldberg machine. If only it had Goldberg's humor, his sense of irony, and his devotion to making his contraptions do just one thing. 

Rob Weir

*American crime writer James Ellroy coined this wonderful term.

** This name sounds odd to North American ears, but not those in Scotland. It was the first name of the 8th century chieftain who sired the Douglas clan. It comes from a Gaelic word that means fruitful.

Enjoyed this book. Kept me interested all the way through. Would recommend to a fellow reader.  Love the cover.

I haven't read this series of books, which I think did put me at a disadvantage as I found out this is the ninth book, so an awful lot of back story that, as a new reader, I knew nothing about.

The book opens with the kidnapping of a 6 week old baby, whose exhausted mother has gone to the shop, and left the baby asleep in the car, when she comes out her baby Sholto has gone but another baby has been left in his place.

In charge of the case is Costello, who is just recovering from a harrowing child abuse case, we learn snippets about this. We also meet Anderson who is working a cold case involving a rape.

Somehow these cases eventually collide, perhaps I think a little too neatly, and it gets even more coincidental at the end.

There are characters mentioned in the book which you don't get, there is a seemingly unconventional marriage maybe mentioned in previous books, plus injuries to police officers who are now sidelined to said injury.

On the whole an good read but would not recommend as a stand alone, think you would need to read the books in order perhaps to enjoy more.

What starts as a child abduction slowly grows into a web of many interconnected crimes that span decades.  It will have you questioning who is the perpetrator and who is the victim.  Does a witness have a moral or legal responsibility to act?  What constitutes abuse or neglect?  Can domestic crimes be prevented?  The story is like a gemstone ... so many facets that come together to create a brilliant story about the value of life.  If you like thrillers with many subplots, definitely add this book to your TBR list!

I was confused for most of the book.  The many, many characters—most that popped in with no introduction—the jumping around of story lines, the less than plausible premise, the over abundance of murders, and the weak twists made this less than enjoyable for me.  

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Suffering of Strangers.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best.

A baby is abducted from outside a shop whilst the mother pops in to buy something quickly. But this is no ordinary abduction as a another baby was left in it's place. On the case is DI Costello and Anderson. This is the ninth book in a series of 10, a brilliant standalone novel set in gritty Glasgow.
This is my first book by Caro Ramsay and does not disappoint. There are other stories happening in the book, Malcolm the runaway and a rape victim, domestic abuse, it all comes together. If you are familiar with the Costello and Colin Anderson series, you will find their colleagues, Mulholland and Wyngate helping out with desk based duties. A good read.

An excellent thriller, I loved the way the plot unfolded, the main characters were strong and very relatable. This book had me hooked from the first page ... I cannot wait to read the next instalment. Five stars!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Caro Ramsay for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

WOW, I thought this was a unique book: a little hard to follow but WHAT a FINISH!   WOW  Very interesting

The first time I've come across the Anderson/Costello series and I wasn't disappointed. Believable and likeable characters - flaws and all - add to an equally believable story line, compelling in itself because it could so easily be true. Taking you into an underworld of inequality, social injustice and the bad twists and turns that life can take, this is an excellent read.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I found the story to be dry and wordy.
The characters were not very well developed , and I found the storyline lacking. Not a book for me, but I sure others might enjoy it  
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book. 
#netgalley 
#blackthorn