DI Costello faces a disturbing child abduction case; a six-week-old has been stolen and replaced with another baby. The swap took cold and meticulous planning, so Costello treads the seedy, Glaswegian backstreets for answers. She’s convinced that more than one young life is at stake.

Promoted into the Cold Case Unit, Colin Anderson reviews the unsolved rape of a young mother, whose attacker is still out there. Each case pulls Anderson and Costello in the same direction and, as their paths keep crossing, they begin to suspect their separate cases are dangerously entwined.

My thanks to Amber at Black Thorn for the chance to join the blog tour for The Suffering of Strangers.

An Anderson and Costello thriller from Caro Ramsay always brings the promise of a gripping story and unsettling themes.  This is the 9th book in the series, it can be read and enjoyed without reading the earlier titles (though returning readers will likely get more satisfaction/reward from the character developments).

The Suffering of Strangers has two main investigations for the reader to follow. Colin Anderson is investigating cold case crimes and turns his attention to an unsolved rape case.  Anderson knows the victim and also knows the long-lasting consequences of the attack.

DI Costello also has a harrowing case to contend with.  A baby has been taken. Left unattended in his mother’s car for just a few short minutes, baby Shoto is gone – in his place is another baby. A swap. An exchange. A nightmare for Shoto’s parents. Costello will need to work with child services to try to track down new mothers who may now be caring for a child that is not their own.

Two extremely emotive crimes and Caro Ramsay tackles them brilliantly to ensure the horror and consequence of each is forefront in the narrative.  This is a well crafted police procedural where the investigations are diligently pursued by the lead characters and the reader gets the real feeling of being included in their quest for the truth.

On a personal note, I love reading books where the location can play a key role in the development of the plot.  Glasgow shines in The Suffering of Strangers and while no spoilers are permitted in my reviews, the city and its history has a fascinating contribution to make and this delivered a very unexpected twist in proceedings.

Both investigations will bring surprises and by the end of the book there will be significant changes to the lives of Costello and Anderson.  This story will shape things to come.

Hugely enjoyable reading.  If Caro’s books are not on your radar yet then I urge you to grab a copy of The Suffering of Strangers and start catching up on this terrific series.

The Suffering of Strangers is published by Black Thorn and is available in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L6GKVYH/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0