The Graveyard Shift

Ben Garvald, newly released from nine long years in stir, is back in town to claim what is rightfully his. That doesn't bode well for his ex-wife Bella, now married to one of the wealthiest men around. You see, Ben is not your garden variety criminal. He's a former Marine Commando, highly resourceful and used to getting what he wants. But Ben may have met his match in Sergeant Nick Miller, one of a new breed of police detective. Multi-talented, supremely confident and every bit as determined as his newfound adversary, the rugged Mr. Garvald. Fast paced and action packed, The Graveyard Shift by Jack Higgins is a fine example of 1960s pulp fiction British style. Most of the quick moving narrative takes place over the course of a single rain drenched night, giving the proceedings an undeniably noirish quality. As Garvald and Miller cover much the same territory, Higgins cleverly alternates the perspective of the third person narration from one to the other. This technique has the effect of keeping the reader on his or her toes while contributing greatly to the book's overall suspense quotient. Highly recommended to hardboiled crime fans.

While this is certainly not the Higgins many of us expect in his present day writings, it is still a very nice piece of work. Those who pick this book up, expecting an Eagle Has Landed or The President's Daughter, will be disappointed. This book pre-dates much of Higgins' work, but it does offer us insight into how he crafted his tales. We see him ply the descriptions that we have to come to expect and his characters all have nuances that make them almost real. At times you can hear them talking to you. The story takes place essentially within the span of 12 hours, covering the Graveyard Shift of the Central Division of the London police. A newly assigned Sargeant is called into duty a few days early, due to a lack of personnel and a flu bug making the rounds.His task is simple enough. Find a recently released felon and inform him that he should not go near his ex-wife, who has remarried. But the felon is intent on seeing her, and as Sargeant looks for him, the underworld of London's nightlife becomes the focus of the story. When the felon turns up dead, the Sargeant begins to put the pieces together, and the perpetrator is caught.This is a quick read that is hard to put down, as many of Higgins' books are. It's a great book to use to introduce Higgins to a new reader. This book will remain on my shelves for years to come, and I have placed in the local public libraries here as well.

This was the first book of Jack Higgins I have ever had the pleasure to read. I spent the evening reading it and finished it in three hours. The plot was well paced and the characters interesting, a fine book and a good read.