Night Shift

by Zelda Rhiando

Charlie and Eva love each other, but nothing is ever that simple.
Whilst Charlie is distracted running a busy mortuary, Eva leads a double life, troubled by strange events and haunted by magpies. Faced with the inevitability of death, she dreams of a different ending.
As Eva’s hidden world increasingly collides with reality, Charlie must make a choice.
Is love enough to fill the hole inside us?

280 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2024

About the author

Zelda Rhiando lives in South London with her husband, two daughters and three cats, and is one of the founders of the Brixton BookJam - the quarterly literary event that has hosted readings by established and emerging writers since 2012.

She is the author of three novels, Caposcripti, Fukushima Dreams, and Night Shift, and is currently working on a fourth. When not writing she can be found child-wrangling and making digital products.

Reviews

[Kim Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book with The Pigeonhole, but couldn't finish it as it is not my cup of tea.

[Vanessa Wild · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book via the Pigeonhole app, one stave a day over ten days. It’s about two very different young women, Charlie and Eva. Charlie works in a mortuary and Eva works in a bar and has a murky secret life with a fascination for magpies. It all seems quite dark and creepy, just right for this time of year. Sadly, it missed a little for me. I enjoyed it to begin with and then I think it just lost the plot. It’s confusing and somewhat weird. I’m all for an ambiguous ending but I hadn’t a clue what was going on by the end of the book. I think a little more explanation is required. Suffice to say it wasn’t really my cup of tea but, as they say, one man’s meat is another man’s poison.

[Laura Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this 3 stars, in anticipation of the improvements made with editing, etc.
This was an intriguing story and characters. There were just too many errors, such as timeline confusion, the titles of the police (changed from one page to another), if characters had told others something important to the plot or not. These caused a lot of confusion and slightly spoilt the story. Also unclear about the Paranormal elements to the story, which made the ending very abrupt and confusing. Hoping an editor can help the author fix these to ensure the story lives up to it's potential.
With thanks to the Pigeonhole and the author for the opportunity.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed Fukushima Dreams by this author so was looking forward to reading her latest book. However, although it was intriguing to start with, it seemed to lose its way. There were also some editing issues which made it somewhat confusing but hopefully these can be addressed before publication. I was confused quite a lot while reading the book and the ending was bizarre. Thanks to the Pigeonhole and the author for the opportunity of reading this book.

[Terence Rusike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters all pivot on the theme of wanting to belong and be made whole. There's love and longing. The otherworldly setting is very much grounded by her accurate descriptions of
London and it's inhabitants. Who is Eva? Is she one of London's own or the child of something more sinister? The gut wrenching ending reveals all.
Loved it.

[Mags Schofield · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good premise, but not so well executed. Lack of editing and continuity errors certainly don't help the reader. I was left with more questions than answers, and found the ending very disappointing. Thanks to Zelda and Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read, but this book really wasn't for me.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark, fantasy tale with lots of different strands. It intrigued me enough to keep reading but fell a little short in its execution. The ending felt abrupt and unsatisfactory.
With thanks to The Pigeonhole and the author for the first read opportunity.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off well, with plenty of atmosphere and general creepiness - great for this time of year.

I did continue to enjoy the read, however, I was left a little confused by the ending.

Thanks to The Pigeonhole and Zelda Rhiando for the reading opportunity.

[Amanda Steel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this on The Pigeonhole, in return for an honest review.

I understand that not every ending has to wrap everything up and explain in extensive detail. However, the ending for this is far too vague, so the most I can give it is 3 stars.

[Gill Marshall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably a 2.5, I don't really know what to say about this book; I started off by thinking how interesting it was, to wondering if I could actually finish it. Repetitive, badly written and edited, and possibly one of the most confusing books I've read. There were some scenes involving Eva and Victor that I found triggering and incredibly uncomfortable to read, (what did actually happen to Victor in the end?)
Thanks to Pigeonhole and the author for the opportunity, but I shall be giving anything else written by her a miss.