A very gritty story following DS Max Craigie as he investigates, what the local police are calling, a tragic accident called Leanne Wilson who fell off a cliff but something is not right. With his trusted team. including a feisty woman DC Janie Calder. they start to uncover more women who have been murdered falling off a cliff. and they were all blonde. On top of the investigation, max is expecting his first child due in 2 weeks time. So the pressure is really on. Loved the characters and the gritty tension with a surprising ending. Would recommend for a exciting read and gritty. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Having read the previous five books I was looking forward to this latest tale and it doesn’t disappoint. Rich characters and a dark twisty plot line make for another great read, the Scottish settings and banter are so believable and often hilarious which counters the grisly subject of the book. Max uncovers a link between several deaths of female adventure seekers in the wilds of Scotland. His team have to work hard and utilise special skillsets to delve into the mystery and unmask the evil perpetrators whilst his personal life conflicts with the demands of the job as the story unfolds at a blistering pace.

This Max Craigie Series has been absolutely brilliant from the get go and this storyline, I thought, was especially chilling. The thought that there are people out there who hate women so much that are willing to kill them just for their pleasure, and in such a way that it’s almost impossible to prove, was truly scary and thought provoking. I won’t précis the book, that is done by better writer than me in the blurb about the book and in other reviews, so you know the gist of it, I’ll just tell you what I thought about it. Lovely to see the progression in Max’s life too, and a bit more insight into Ross’s life. I have one small gripe, and it’s not enough to lose a star because frankly the book deserves more stars than five anyway. But, I looked back over the previous five books and it would appear that Ross’ potty mouth and the amount of ‘Scottishisms’ is growing exponentially. Now I’m a Scot myself and so I understood all the dialect use but even I just found it too much in this book. Even Janie it seems is becoming a slang/dialect user. Ross has always been sweary but now it seems every other word is foul. For me, it detracted from the book and was unnecessary. However, having got that off my chest, don’t let that stop you reading this book. The whole story is thrilling and I got nothing done for several days and opted to read instead of watching TV at times as I couldn’t wait to read what happened next. Did I guess who was bent? Only the last one! Can’t wait for book seven!! My thanks go to the author, the publishers and, of course, NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this wonderful book.

When a woman falls from a Scottish Munro suspicions arise as it's the fourth incident in a matter of months. The local police believe they're all accidents but Max Craigie isn't so sure. A walker, critically injured from a fall, is rescued by Mountain Rescue working with the Coastguard. The pilot of the helicopter happens to be a friend of Max Craigie and voices his concerns. This is the fourth lone female walker to plunge in the space of a few months. The local police don't seem overly concerned, categorising them as accidents but Craigie wonders if there's something more. It could be laziness, incompetence or something much more sinister. When Shadows Fall by Neil Lancaster is the sixth book in the Max Craigie series. Max works as part of a team investigating police corruption. Under the guise of a review of death investigations, they look more closely at the accidents and the members of the police force involved in investigating them. The team are as foul-mouthed as usual. The boss, DI Ross Fraser is very much a technology dinosaur but is extremely creative with his vocabulary. The rest of the team, Janie, Norma and Barney, don't hold back either. There is a very strong sense of camaraderie among the team, mainly because they are so self-contained, the nature of investigating other members of the police means that they have to keep what they are doing secret. This book works extremely well as a stand-alone story but I heartily recommend reading the rest of the series to see the character development. I found this story the most chilling of all of the books in the series. The nature of the crimes and the fact that social media was used to target victims came across as immensely plausible. Neil Lancaster has also taken inspiration from real events which makes things even more horrifying. The pace never lets up, from the first page to the last, and my heart was in my mouth on a number of occasions. Alongside uncovering the villain, Max also has the worry of balancing his job with his home life, something that is getting more difficult by the day since his wife is about to give birth. This adds extra tension to the storyline as you can never tell what twists a writer holds in store.

This latest book from Neil Lancaster does not disappoint. The fast paced story kept me gripped from beginning to end. The Scottish setting is beautifully described, despite the gruesome events taking place there. The police officers are a great bunch, the banter between them is a key feature. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!