Max Connor is the pseudonym for Neil Lancaster, an author whose Max Craigie crime series are among my favourites in the genre. No Mercy is the first in what is to be a new series featuring Josie Chapman. In this book Josie's father has just been tragically killed in a bungled burglary where his extensive collection of well earned military medals is stolen. .Josie's mother is in care, suffering from advanced stage dementia. 30 year old Josie, an outdoors enthusiast, skilled climber and runner, joins with her father's 4 ex military colleagues, now all in their 60s, to retrieve the medals. All have their own skills and assets to bring to the arduous task of recovering the medals from a heavily guarded castle in the north east of Scotland owned by a Slovakian oligarch. In the process they discover that expensive goods acquisition is not the only activity of 'The General' who is also involved in human trafficking.
One of the aspects of Neil Lancaster's writing which I admire is his character development. He is clearly developing his new characters in this novel also but perhaps rather too much time is spent on this which leads to repetition of certain aspects and a detraction from the plot. I felt the book required some careful editing to remove some of the unnecessary repetition. The setting of this book, particularly the castle and its surrounds, is very clearly described. Aspects of the plot rather stretched the bounds of credibility although the team's solutions to the difficulties they faced in the pursuit of the medals were an interesting read.
I have high hopes that the continuation of the series will achieve the level of the Max Craigie books and look forward to reading more about Josie in her new role.

Each year, the 11/06 unit reunite to commemorate their time in the Falklands, a time that bonded them for life. When Josie's father dies after a mugging gone wrong, whereby his medals are stolen, the gang, along with Josie, their fallen comrades daughter go on a mission to ensure the medals are returned.
I found it a great read with good characters, storyline and lovely settings especially the Castle. The banter between the lads was great.
Having read all of the Max Craigie series, I was happy to get this book written under Max Connor.
I don't think it is quite as good as Neil's the Max Craigie series but that's probably just because that is a great series in my opinion.
Looking forward to more books in the hopefully new series
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the digital advanced copy

Exciting story about a set of stolen medals and the ensuing operation to rescue them carried out by four veteran special services men more than ably assisted by the daughter of the late recipient killed in the initial robbery. At times somewhat annoying with an overuse of Cockney rhyming slang it all zips along with a clever investigation to discover its route to the secretive buyer. All builds to an exciting climax in an old Scottish castle, the lair of a classic Bond villain as the truth is revealed. Good fun!

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, as I was worried it would be a bit "gung-ho" but I loved it. The story is a good one, and the main characters are all very appealing. There is quite a lot of technical detail but this doesn't spoil the pace of the story, which is completely absorbing. I'd love to see this as a film!

When their old comrade, retired veteran and decorated Royal Marine, Frankie Chapman, dies during a home invasion, the 11/06 club comes back together to recover his stolen military medals. After they find out that his medals have fallen into the hands of a wealthy billionaire who dabbles in human trafficking, they form a plan to get the medals back - and Frankie's daughter, Josie, wants in on the action. But Josie wants more than just her father's medals returned, She wants retribution, and she's out for blood.

The 11/06 club members were all on the Falkland Islands during the war on 11/06/1982. The story starts as one of the 11/06 club members, Frankie Chapman, medals are stolen. His daughter meets up with his old comrades, needing the help of the 11/06 club members to help her get her father's medals back. But Josie also wants revenge.

Each character is well-developed and they each have their own unique skill set. Josie is a courageous girl, but it wasn't long before she started to get annoying. I loved all the retired Marines and the banter they shared.

Published 5th June 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQStories and the author #MaxConnor for my ARC of #NoMercy in exchange for an honest review.

After enjoying Max's books written under another name I expected to like this one.
But sadly this didn't work for me.
I found the writing style to be slightly different and I just couldn't get into the story at all.

Max Connor is the pseudonym for a bestselling and award-winning author (one of my favourite authors as it happens)! Oh ok then, it’s none other than Neil Lancaster, he of the extremely popular DS Max Craigie series.

The Battle of Mount Harriet was an engagement of the Falklands War, which took place on the night of 11/12 June 1982 between British and Argentine forces.

Our protagonists are a group of ex military veterans who took part in that battle, and they are banding together for one last time after their old comrade, retired veteran and decorated Royal Marine Frankie Chapman, dies during a home invasion.
This then is the story of how our four veterans more commonly known as the 11/06 club set about recovering Frankie’s stolen military medals some 40 years after the Falklands war. The medals are worth quite an amount of money, but it’s Frankie’s honour that is at stake here not the monetary value.

Frankie’s daughter Jose joins the guys in their endeavour, but much as she wants her father’s medals back, she also wants revenge, someone will pay, and she is one determined woman!

Their search leads them to a billionaire, who is willing to pay for whatever his heart desires, regardless of how the items were acquired. In addition, he’s also involved in human trafficking, and clearly has no moral compass whatsoever.

This was a terrific storyline. The author has created a team of ex military veterans, (very ably assisted by Jose), who display the personal tensions and dark humour of a group of committed professionals used to operating in a high pressure environment. It was hugely entertaining, lots of tension, and interlaced with great big dollops of banter. Recommended.

Having read all of the Max Craigie books by the same author under a different name I was happy to get the opportunity to read this.
As expected it was well written with believable characters. I found Josie annoying but I think that proves that she is believable.
I don't think it is quite as good as the Max Craigie series but that's probably just because that is a firm favourite of mine.

Looking forward to more books under this pen name.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the DRC.

I am a great fan of Neil Lancaster so I was presently surprised to learn that Max Connor was a psuedonym of his. Having said that, the DS Max Craigie novels, in my opinion, are on a higher level than No Mercy.
However, No Mercy was a fun read and had quite a pace although it was slowed down by frequent bathroom breaks. Seems like one of the characters has a bit of a prostate problem. From the outset the novel had a 'Hatton Garden Heist' theme to it, but this team shared a common history back in the Falklands. When a group of medals are stolen and one of the team died as a result, these yesteryear heroes all over 60 decide to get them back. It's a classic villain in a castle story and these former yompers have to use cunning to gain access, ably assisted by the daughter of the robbed Royal Marine 'Chappers'.
There were a few loose ends and we never got to know if Macca had his meal date with CIA agent Laurel Freeman. Maybe that's for another book?
Looks as though Josie Chapman (daughter of 'Chappers') has a new career awaiting her in another novel by Max Connor.

3.5 rounded up

Standing at the top of Mount Harriet during the Falkland War are five comrades, Royal Marine commandos, Frank ‘Chappers’ Chapman, Pete ‘ Charlie’ Drake, Neil Asquith, Jacko and Macca. They have a bond forged by being commandos, by war and of undying friendship and solidarity. By 2021, retired Chappers has served his country well and has a prosthetic leg to prove it and a bunch of highly distinguished and valuable medals. Sadly and tragically during the course of a robbery in which the medals are taken, Chappers dies. It seems the medals have been stolen to order, the burglar is caught but the medals are gone with the wind. His daughter Josie is a bubbling cauldron of emotions, she’s lost her beloved father, her mother is in late stage Alzheimer’s and those medals and their legitimate sale have been allocated for her expensive care. She’s sad but seething and so Josie and all of Chappers ex-colleagues vow revenge by hook or by crook they’ll get those medals back.

Max Connor is the pseudonym of Neil Lancaster, a favourite author of mine with his Max Craigie series being cracking thrillers, I don’t find this new series initially grabs me in the same way as those do, especially in the first half of the book. It seems to take a while to get going, for a pacey stride to emerge but thankfully it does. In the first half there’s an obsession with Jacko’s tombstone teeth which gets a bit wearing and he does seem to be a stereotypical villain with appropriately matching dialogue although he is very likeable and does come through for the others. Ditto for comments about Josie’s am-dram skills and her dislike of the comrades use of
‘girl’ which I can’t say I particularly blame her!

However, this team may be knocking on a bit
(not you Josie) but you wouldn’t want to cross them, as there are still a formidable bunch and I like them, and thankfully their banter gets better and better. Josie is quite the character too, she’s very fit, in fact she’s an adrenaline junkie which proves very useful here. She’s also creative and very resourceful, so go girl! As the plot develops it gets more intriguing and there are some excellent scenes in Scotland where the group get creative, brave and daring and it’s most enjoyable and entertaining. It has a good ending too and I look forward to the next in the series especially anticipating what this group might get up to!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated early copy and return for an honest review.

New series and new author alias, however, if you enjoy the Max Craigie series from Neil Lancaster you'll love this book.

Four veterans go on a heist mission aided by their old comrade's daughter, to recover said comrade's stolen medals.

A Scottish castle with a nefarious villain and plenty of action & wide cracking between the five heroes of the book, make for a perfect holiday read.

More please!

Very enjoyable in typical aqction-packed, page-turning Neil Lancaster style.
There are some very obvious holes in the plot and a rather cartoonish not very villainous villain, and once again there is the deus ex machina in the form of the American spook, but happy to recommend and look forward to what I hope will be a new series.

Heart breaking and emotional book.
Murder and retribution. Not your usual gang with 4 over 60 veterans as the gang.
Excellent story that will tug at your heart strings.
Really hoping this is the start of a series.
I will definitely be looking out for more books.
Family, lovey, loyalty and revenge when the justice system doesn't work.

When I requested this, I wasn't aware that Max Stone was a pseudonym for Neil Lancaster. However, after reading a few pages, I would have been able to guess. Told with his trademark characterisation and dialogue this is definitely one for fans of Lancaster's work. Loved it

“Old soldiers never die, they only fade away” goes the old saying, but their skills can come in handy – especially for a heist for just reasons. Retired RSM Frankie Chapman, “Chappers” to his friends, was a multi-decorated hero of many conflicts, earning his highest honour during the Falklands War, when his bravery on Mount Harriet on 11th June 1982 saved the lives of his Section. Although they had all continued in different parts of the military after the war, they tried to meet up annually in a group known as the 11/06. A modest man, he keeps his medals in a shoebox under the bed, despite being worth at least £100K, and one day a burglar, intent on stealing them, accidentally kills him. The 11/06 join with Chappers’ daughter, Josie (an ultra-marathon runner and mountaineer), combine their skills, contacts and experience to trace and retrieve them, and ensure that all the perpetrators face justice.
This is a well-structured but not particularly original plot, but then it’s a heist story so the reader expects that. To make it stand out, it needs: original, well described and believable characters, a complicated target with a series of hazards and detailed descriptions of how these are circumvented, a number of twists to the linear course of events, and a satisfactory ending. Fortunately, these requirements are all met in this tale. The author has used his own military experience to provide convincing members for the 11/06, particularly their language and banter. The relationship between the veterans and Josie, is initially a bit problematic, but develops well, as she moves from being a potential concern to becoming, in essence, the leader of the pack. It isn’t perfect but my 4.5 rounds to 5.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Great story about Josie who when her father Royal Marine Frankie Chapman, dies during a home invasion, and his medals are missing she gets together with his old comrades to find the medals. While his comrades just want the medals returned to Josie she wants revenge on whoever brought them.
This is a story that pulls you in and gets you rooting for Josie and her dad's comrades who all have different skills to suceed.
Would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. I am already a fan of the Max Craigie books, and it was a pleasure to meet a new cast of characters. In this book, Frank Chapman a retired serviceman, is killed after he disturbs a burglar stealing his medals. The police are a bit slow in their investigation, so Frank's old comrades, and his daughter Josie, devise their own plan to recover the medals. They each have their own skills and contacts, and it's a very entertaining tale, with lots of twists and turns, including many sentimental moments.
I'd be very happy if there were a sequel.
Highly recommended.

Having previously read all Neil Lancaster’s Max Craigie series I wasn’t sure what to expect from this pseudonym of his. Well, I absolutely loved it. A great story that flowed throughout with much tension but also plenty of banter from the excellent characters. The story starts when Frank Chapman, a much decorated ex military man finds a burglar at his home, stealing his valuable medals. In the ensuing scuffle, ‘Chappers’ suffers a fatal injury. As his grieving daughter later meets up with his former comrades, a determination to recover the stolen medals is formed and an unlikely group begin their task. The five of them are all totally different but each has a unique skill set. The daughter, Josie is a feisty young lady, who doesn’t appreciate being belittled or patronised. She proves herself beyond doubt to the old soldiers and they begin their mission with renewed respect. An excellent story that had me totally hooked and if the rumours are true, I would love to meet some of them again in a future book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for my copy of No Mercy by Max Connor.
A great adventure story about a group of old soldiers. When one of their own is killed during a robbery in which his medals were stolen.
His old comrades decide to get them back.
Get stuck in to a good yarn.

This was an enjoyable book about a heist undertaken by a group of mature ex-military men, the 1106.
When one of their group is attacked and killed for his rare group of medals, the rest of the 1106 decide to come up with a plan to track down and retrieve the medals. This takes them on a daring adventure to a castle in Scotland
The male characters in this book were great. I was less keen on the key female character, Josie. Whilst battling inappropriate sexist language at every turn, Josie used derogatory ageist remarks throughout. A minor point and still a great book.