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.

A brilliant heist story with a heart. What a fabulous book, one that you still have your head in long after you should be in bed and asleep. Lighthearted, heart stopping, true to life (forces camaraderie), thrilling, great ending and just so damn good! This looks like it’s the beginning of a series and I just can’t wait to see what Josie gets up to next. Whatever name this author uses, his writing is always the best.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

No Mercy by Max Connor AKA Neil Lancaster
Ratings story 10/10, characters 10/10, easy to read 10/10, a superbly written heist story packed with action humour tension, plot retired marines reunite to complete one last mission to honour their fallen comrade frankie chapman whom military medals were stolen, they’re plan a heist to recover them ,But all his daughter josie wants is revenge,this novel is a joy to read,it will have you laughing with the banter not to mention gripped by the tension, I was kindly given advance copy of this book by the nice people at HarperCollins and NetGalley
#maxconnor #neillanchester #nomercy #action #humour #tension #gripping #exmarines #musthavebooks #mustreadbooks #highlyrecommended #harpercollins #netgalley

No Mercy Review

This is a truthful and honest review thanks to netgalley for allowing me this early access.

First and foremost I enjoyed the book. Not what I expected but still a really enjoyable read. The author has shown a lot of respect to fallen comrades and his intel and history of the Falklands war. These characters were there on the 11/06/1982 hence they are now known as the 11/06 club

The bit i loved most was the banter, 4 oldish ex marines you have to expect banter and it was delivered in spades. They were a determined bunch after learning what had happened to the former comrade, coming together to solve a mystery the police were unable to do anything about.

What let the book down for me was Josie, her attitude just annoyed me, she's too immature for my liking always complaining when the 11/06 lads called her Love. They are older than her and a little respect from her would have just made her a better character surely after knowing Macca for years she should have known what he was like. Saying that her risk taken thankfully always paid of which did make me think about the oh what if she was caught what would happen then my brain would go in all different directions, which is something I do like in a book.

The ending of the book has left me wanting more and in a good way Josie has been given a chance to take her adrenaline addiction to a new level,  this is something I am looking forward to. Also I do want to find out how Mecca’s date with the spoke went.

A brilliant read with well drawn characters and an excellent story. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book as I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it highly. I would give it more than five stars if I could.

Such a great read. A brilliant well constructed thriller that was well balanced meaning that there were no rushed parts of the storyline. It is so well written and so descriptive you could imagine you were the sixth member of the team watching the dramas unfold. It did have a few twists at the end which came from ‘left field’. I was so impressed with the ending, and can’t wait for Josie’s next exploits!

Max Connor is a new name but has a pedigree under his own name! This story pays tribute to the heroes of the Falklands. Their skills called upon to right a wrong done against one of their number forty years later. The ‘lads’ are great, loved their banter. Knowing the castle where the story is set really fixes the adventure in the mind.
Looks like Josie will have a few more escapades - I can’t wait!

Each year, the 11/06 unit reunite to commemorate their time in the Falklands - a time that bonded them for life. Whilst they've gone their separate ways, they make time to raise a toast to their fallen comrades and reminisce. But when one of them is killed in a mugging gone wrong, and his medals are stolen - the gang, along with their fallen comrade's daughter - set out to ensure that those medals are returned to their rightful owner.

This is a fantastic first book in a new series, written by the wonderful Neil Lancaster under the pseudonym Max Connor. A brilliant start - 5*.