Book 6 of the DS Max Craigie series and Lancaster has written another winner here.

For anyone unfamiliar with this series, it follows DS Max Craigie and his team (led by DI Ross, or to give him his full title DI f***ing Ross) as they attempt to uncover corruption within Police Scotland.

This novel begins with the death of a female climber on a Scottish munro. Initially written off as an accident by local police, the team uncover what appears to be a string of experienced, female climbers all falling to their deaths over the past years. When further investigation uncovers what appears to be a group of incel-type men involved in the deaths, the team are horrified to discover that a police officer may be amongst them and the investigation deepens.

For anyone who is familiar with the series, this is another great read from Lancaster, following the team during their investigation. Although the series is named after DS Craigie, Lancaster continues to develop all characters within the team including the lovable IT guru Barney and his new friend, Clive the hacker.

So ingrained in your mind are these brilliant characters, as soon as you pick up this book, you immediately remember all that has gone before. Whilst this book can be read as a standalone, it would definitely benefit from starting at the beginning of the series given the character development through the 6 novels, but don't let that put you off if you want to jump right in.

I will just finish by saying in a series such as this, I was concerned about the longevity of the team - how many corrupt officers can they find in the Scottish Highlands? - but Lancaster hints at a significant change for the team moving forward in the next book so I can't wait to see what comes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ | HQ Digital for an ARXC in exchange for an honest review.

Climbing accidents happen all the time, lone hikers who slip or lose their footing on a narrow trail next to a sheer incline. For search and rescue pilot Shay Hammond recently returned from recovering a body, somethings off. In recent months the cases involving lone females seems to have increased dramatically and the local police don't seem too bothered about it. A quick phone call to long time friend DS Max Craigie of the Scottish Policing Standards Reassurance Team and everything changes.

The chilling start on a mountain incline had me hooked, reading late into the night and finishing the next day. A real page turner from start to finish with perfect pacing, nail-biting drama and a great cast of characters.

I'm a huge fan of the series and love reading about the characters who make up Scotlands policing standards team, each individual carefully crafted with strengths and flaws (yes I'm looking at you Ross Fraser) and I wouldn't want them any other way. Together they make a great team and the cameraderie and dark humour that comes with being close colleagues is well written and believable.

Book six in the DS Max Craigie novels this could definitely be read as a standalone but in a series that goes from strength to strength I'd definitely recommend reading them all

Due for publication March 25 - My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early review copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

Brilliant. I was so impressed with the excellent way this was written, and the excellent technical detail that basically went over my head, but was intrinsic to the storyline. I really struggled to put it down and read it within 24 hours.I have read all six of the Max Craigie series, and love all the characters, especially Ross with his ‘potty mouth’ and his soft spots that appear from time to time. The one criticism would be the length of time it took Barney to travel to Haifax and back!!! Did he fly? All joking apart I really cannot wait for the next book, I just hope Max is in it! Would give it 6 stars if I could.

This novel was a real page turner that kept me up late, because I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. Well drawn characters and a brilliant story. Highly recommended.