Dead Man’s Grave – Neil Lancaster

This grave can never be opened.
The head of Scotland’s most powerful crime family is brutally murdered, his body dumped inside an ancient grave in a remote cemetery.

This murder can never be forgotten.
Detectives Max Craigie and Janie Calder arrive at the scene, a small town where everyone has secrets to hide. They soon realise this murder is part of a blood feud between two Scottish families that stretches back to the 1800s. One thing’s for certain: it might be the latest killing, but it won’t be the last…

This killer can never be caught.
As the body count rises, the investigation uncovers large-scale corruption at the heart of the Scottish Police Service. Now Max and Janie must turn against their closest colleagues – to solve a case that could cost them far more than just their lives…

 

My thanks to Finn Cotton at HQ for the opportunity to read Dead Man’s Grave ahead of publication

 

Dead Man’s Grave.

This.

Book.

Is.

Brilliant.

I could stop writing at this point, I loved it. But I am going to rave a bit more…

Dead Man’s Grave grabbed me in the opening pages and is still in my thoughts a few weeks after I finished it. Top quality crime fiction with lashings of tension and drama, mysteries and secrets for the reader to discover as they read.  There is humour to break up the darker scenes and, despite the very clear presence of the villains of the piece, there are several untrustworthy characters who are hidden from DS Max Craigie. Watching him flush them out into the open is why you will keep those pages turning long into the night.

I mentioned Max Craigie – who he?  He is a name you want to watch out for! An officer with Police Scotland and working out of Glasgow he used to work for the Met in London and brings a wealth of experience to his team. And Craigie will need to bring every ounce of that experience to his next investigation as a leading member of one of Scotland’s most powerful crime families has gone missing. His family (the criminals) are prepared to co-operate with the police as they want their father back. But Craigie knows they have their own contacts within the police so everything he knows will soon make its way back. Who can he trust amongst his own colleagues to help him and who is passing information to the crooks?

Working with the capable and quirky Janie Calder the pair make their way North from Glasgow to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands to visit the last place the missing gangster was seen.  Their journey is far more successful than he anticipated and their missing person investigation turns into a murder hunt. This isn’t going to be the first murder either as a violent gang are hellbent on avenging a centuries old feud and a family who have no knowledge of recent events are now in grave danger.

The action moves up and down the country and Cragie and Calder discover the corruption in the police runs much deeper than a few informants in each station. Can they shine a light on the perpretators or will their interference prove too costly?  Craigie is at risk and as he unknowingly courts death I could not turn the pages fast enough.

Dead Man’s Grave was recently announced on the Longlist for the 2021 McIlvanney Prize, it’s already establishing its credentials as one of the best Scottish crime thrillers of the year. Trust me on this one, you will struggle to find a more gripping read.

 

Dead Man’s Grave releases digitally on 16 July 2021 and the paperback will be available in September. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0925KS87N/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0