Being a fan of Neil Lancaster’s Max Craigie series I was very intrigued by this one and was looking forward with high hopes for this one, I was not disappointed.
The story was well written and the characters developed well, the story drew me in and kept me wanting more. I’m looking forward to more from this author.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast paced mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for offering this ARC in exchange for my personal thoughts.

What an excellent book. Very tense and thrilling with lots of chases and twists. I devoured this one. It was one of those books that I just had to keep reading. Was exhausted at the end with all the tension. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher's for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Having read and loved all Neil Lancaster’s Max Craigie cop series, I was very pleased to be granted this title by Max Connor. I wasn’t too sure about the synopsis as I’m not a huge fan of combat stories. This wasn’t a combat story as such, but did involve a group of forces veterans. I was disappointed with the characterisation, some of the veterans were walking cliches. The daughter of Chappers, Josie, I got very little sense of her at all. She came across as chippy and aggressive, with little warmth about her, except when with her ailing mother. Her constant harping on at the veteran members about being called ‘lassie’ or ‘my girl’ or any other feminine term, became very irritating very quickly.
The storyline was ok, if a bit ‘Boys Own’ annual.
Neil Lancaster writes his female characters in the Max Craigie books very well, they are women the reader can relate to
even in the testosterone-filled environment of undercover police operations, and Max Craigie’s team. If Josie is going to feature in more books, she will need to become a less confrontational, more rounded and approachable character, in my humble opinion.
This author is a brilliant writer, and I hate to write that this book did not really grab me. I will still read anything else he writes in the future. I look forward with great interest to his next book, whether it’s Neil or Max writing it.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

No mercy by Max Connor is a fascinating story of a group of retired commandos, who when one of their own former colleagues is killed during a home invasion to steal his military medals to order, they devise a plan alongside his daughter to get them back.
Josie ‘s father wanted the money from the sale of his medals to go towards paying the nursing fees for his wife, who has dementia and wanted Josie to have the family home.
Neil Lancaster is writing under the name of Max Connor, and I found this story most enjoyable.
Highly recommended

I have read quite a few of Neil Lancaster's books and enjoyed them. This one is the same author and more concerned with the military than police procedurals. I did enjoy this book, but had difficulty engaging with the crimes. It just did not grab me at first, though I could enjoy the book despite that feeling. Josie, the main female character takes some getting to know, but I did like her relationship with her father's ex comrades as well as their cooperation when solving her problem. It is fairly fastpaced and the suspense picks up in the closing chapters. A good read and hopefully the start of a new series. I`ll definately look out for more .
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

Having read and enjoyed Neil Lancaster's books in the Max Craigie series I was equal parts unsure and excited to see what 'Max Connor' might produce. The writing is obviously similar, fast -paced with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing along the way. However, clearly there is also a different cast of characters with which to acquaint yourself. The back stories of these characters and their relationships to each other add a richness to the storyline. 'Max' is obviously writing from a position of knowledge regarding the more technical aspects of the equipment and operations described but successfully avoids becoming too drawn in to the minutiae of such things. Altogether it's an engaging and exciting story with the right amount of emotional intensity balanced by the humour.

I really enjoy the Max Craigie books so I was interested to read this new book by Neil Lancaster,which features a different set of characters.It’s a very good read which kept my attention to the last minute and was very enjoyable.
It starts when a Falkland War veteran ,Frank Chapman , is killed during the robbery of his valuable war medals.His former colleagues and his daughter decide to find out who ordered them to be stolen and then try to recover them before they leave the country.The rest of the book is an exciting,gripping account of how they manage to find out who has the medals and how they try to get them back.The characters are all in their sixties ,which adds a bit of humour, and Josie,Frank’s daughter ,is a force to be reckoned with.There are some real villains and a couple of interesting side plots which made the book more interesting too.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

As an avid reader of the Max Craigie books, I was both excited and a little wary to venture into another series by this author. I needn’t have been, I was gripped & enraged at the shocking opening scenes and from there on I was willing Josie and the crew on in their mission.

There is a fabulously strong range of characters, all quirky, unique and so realistic, who I felt I cared about! The stories of their escapades, their comradeship and their banter had me enthralled. And for them to be back in action was a pleasure to witness, even though they had to deal with the normal effects of ageing alongside!

Prepare to visit a variety of settings, each described so clearly that I was there with them all the time, almost holding my breath to stay quiet in moments of tension. The plot was realistic, skilfully developed and delivered, visiting areas of crime that are sadly more prevalent in society.

This book was a delight to read, I felt a range of emotions throughout, a lump in my throat and tears pooling at certain points. Absolutely loved this gem!

Whilst this story doesn't quite have the edge of the DS Craigie series, it's action-packed, with a good dynamic between the veteran commandos and a strong female character, Josie, the daughter of the man they are seeking justice for. It's a mix of crime and military fiction, and has an authentic ethos. It's a pacy read which draws you into the action. The use of sensory imagery makes the action easy to imagine, making it an immersive story. I like the settings, the older demographic of the heroes and the vengeance angle that Josie brings to the story.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I really enjoyed this book, being a fan of Neil Lancaster's Max Craigie series. In this book, ex marine Frank Chapman dies when someone breaks in and steals his collection of military medals. A group of his former comrades and his daughter make it their mission to get them back. What follows is a fast paced adventure story that will keep you on the edge of your seat to the end.
Thanks to Netgalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A really exciting, suspense-filled story, as a group of military veterans plan to retrieve medals stolen from their former comrade, with the vital help of his daughter. I always enjoy Max/Neil's books and this is well up to his usual standard.

I have previously read some police crime books by Neil Lancaster so I was excited to read this new book by his other pen name. I really liked the story and the characters. It was really fast paced and kept me hooked until the end. I can’t wait for the next instalment to see what Josie and some of the gang get up to now. Well recommended.

📚 OUT NOW!

So now that I’ve finally realised that the author is writing under a pseudonym for book No.7 that I have read. I’m thinking ‘oh they have the wrong author name on the book pic’. To be fair lack of sleep and all that 🤣🤭🤣 …. Sorry I digress!!

The old unit will reunite to complete one last mission in honour of their fallen comrade.

When retired Royal Marine Frankie Chapman is killed during a home invasion, his valuable military medals are stolen. The medals resurface on the black market, and members of the 11/06 club discover they might have fallen into the hands of a wealthy billionaire who dabbles in human trafficking.

They may be old hard-cases living on past glories from the Falklands but they're still an elite group of ex-military operatives. Each one owes Frankie their life and will stop at nothing to repay their debt, so they come together for one final mission – to steal the medals back.

And Frankie's daughter, Josie, wants in on the action. But Josie wants more than just her dad's medals. She wants revenge…

This book … (after I got over my strop, that my favourite characters were not to be had and totally different story - what can I say. I’m an only child lol!!).

The character’s were just fab. Josie and the group of men that were in the forces with her father. The bond that formed & progressed between them throughout the book, was just magical. My cheeks were sore smiling at parts and next I would be reaching for a tissue. These men would do anything to keep her safe, but Josie lets them see, that she is a chip off the old block (aka her dad).

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I have read several books by Neil Lancaster, Max Connor’s, other pseudonym. His police crime drama series are fantastic. With this new identity he is breaking into the thriller genre. No Mercy is a great read and slow burns through several episodes to a multi chapter crescendo. The characters are well built, human and fallible, which sets them apart in a genre filled with Jack Reacher’esque hard men. It feels an ensemble cast after the first few chapters and the opening twist with the various different characters each bringing their own contributions to the story.

The final ‘heist’ is crazy enough to be exciting, has enough twists to keep you enthralled but retains a realism that keeps it grounded. Possibly my favourite line was when facing a meticulously planned but tricky exit to disappear into the night the gang opts for “or we could nick their Land Rover”. It’s what I would have done!

At times the book felt more screenplay than novel for me, with several dramatic events on the gangs journey that felt like the culmination of this week’s episode. I think it would make a very fine four episode TV drama. My only story criticism is quite how neat and tidily everything gets wrapped up at the end… Although I do like a tidy ending.

All in all a great thriller, with I suspect more to come from Max.

Thanks to NegGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this book.

Absolutely loved this book and the story it gave. With a group of retirees then a young lady, this story takes you on a real journey that is interesting, intriguing and hard to put down!

This is a story of a group of ex military veterans all in their sixties now but they took part in the battle of Falklands on the night of the 11/12 June so now they call themselves the 11/12 .Frankie Chapman dies when someone breaks into his home and steals his precious medals and the group are determined along with Frankie's daughter Josie to get them back and in doing so uncover a ring who specialises in supplying precious medals to very rich men who ask no questions. Fast paced and gripping ,action packed crime thriller just brilliant I wish I could give it more than 5 stars ! I loved the ending .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

I am a huge fan of this author with his DS Max Craigie Scottish Crime Thrillers and this deviation away from that was just as fantastic to read. Great characters and a storyline that had me hooked from the very beginning, so much so I didn't want to put the book down - my sign of a fantastic book! I loved the swap of Stonehaven Castle for Dunnottar Castle, set 20 miles away from where I live and kudos too for not changing local names either! I highly recommend that this book is to be read!

I was invited to read a copy of this book in return for my honest review-thank you very much!
Max Connor has written a cracker of a book which is a little different to the police procedurals written by his alter ego Neil Lancaster.
However, that’s not to say that this doesn’t move at the same pace.
When Josie Chapman’s father is killed when he disturbs a burglar in his house, at first it’s thought that it was pure bad luck - wrong place, wrong time. When it is discovered that the only items stolen during the burglary were Frankie Chapman’s medals, it becomes apparent that they were stolen to order.
With the help of the members of the 11/06, Josie is determined to recover the medals.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to more.

Firstly thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review
Secondly although this appeared to be a new author to me, it is in fact an author well known to me, Neil Lancaster, written under a different name. Thirdly I have loved all the Neil Lancaster series about Max Craigie but this is different type of book and not a police procedural story.
Whilst I found it a reasonably enjoyable read, I did find some of the detail a little too much e.g. when discussing the type of kit they required and exactly what each piece's capabilities were. If you are in to climbing and military operations then this will be fine for you. All told at the end of the day, a reasonably enjoyable read to which I would award three and a half srars, rounded up to four as no option on NetGalley to award half stars.

When a gang of ex marines learn of a former comrade's untimely death at the hands of a petty thief, they plot revenge. The group are getting on a bit but aided by the grieving daughter of the victim who brings some unique skills to the party the adventure begins. The book picks up the pace and eventually leads them to a remote castle in Scotland where they must pull off a daring mission to recover lost medals, they soon however uncover more drama than they bargained for. Comradeship goes a long way and whilst they are very different characters the shared service and experience at war drives them to put right a wrong and a few more as well. Highly entertaining, great characters and loved the Scottish backdrop in the final chapters.