The Graveyard Shift

Nick Miller #1

by Harry Patterson

Ben Garvald is out of prison. After nine years in lockup, he’s coming back to the old neighborhood. Back to his remarried ex-wife. Back for revenge. That’s what the cops think.

But Detective Sergeant Nick Miller isn’t worried. His highly unorthodox methods are perfectly suited for the graveyard shift – the midnight hours when the driven and desperate come out to play. Tonight, Nick Miller’s toughest opponent will be Ben Garvald…

And only one of them will live to see the dawn.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Action, Espionage, Mystery Thriller

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

One of the many pseudonyms used by Henry Patterson. See Jack Higgins for more complete information.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The attack was sudden – but not wholly unexpected. Ben Garvald had just been released from prison after nine years incarceration. He was determined to catch up with his ex-wife – who had remarried while he was in prison. Bella’s sister visited the police station to let them know of the letter Bella had received – the subsequent search for Garvald by Detective Sergeant Nick Miller consumed the graveyard shift he was working.

Would Miller find him? The criminals in the area were a brutal mob and revenge was on their minds.

The Graveyard Shift is the 1st in the Nick Miller series by Jack Higgins and I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I have done all of Higgins' books in the past. Fast paced, it was a quick, easy read with the two main characters – Miller and Garvald – both tough and ready to take on the world. Originally published in 1965, it was re-released in 2012 after being out of print for some years. Highly recommended.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent audio book since it was read by Patrick MacNee (aka John Steed of the Avengers) & the main character resembled Steed in many ways. He was a cop, not a spy, but he had the same class & excellent skills, even though it was his first day on the new job. While the coincidence & some of the cliches might seem like a bit too much if I were to describe them flatly, in the context of the story, the way everything twists together & contrasts at the end make it a masterful, interesting tale of mystery & mayhem. It's only when it is all done that it's possible to look back & just marvel at how he braided all the similarities & disparities together - if things had been just a little different...

I don't know if reading the next in the series is such a good idea. It has a lot to live up to, but I'm going to give it a shot soon.

[David B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Miller, a detective working the graveyard shift, looks into the matter of a newly released ex-con with a fearsome reputation who may be out to settle some old scores, only to learn over the course of an eventful night that both honor and sin often exist where they are least expected.

I grew up seeing Jack Higgins books on my dad's bookshelf but I never read any. I gather that this book was written before his golden period in the 70s when Patterson began turning out bestsellers under that pseudonym. This is an efficient thriller with a strong plot that manages to illuminate a lot of character through action. Unfortunately, the main character remains something of a cypher, though an intriguing one—a bit of a dandy, pretty well off but dedicated to police work, with a real streak of brutality. My favorite character was the American expatriate drug addict who makes ends meet by playing piano; he has a strong and rather touching chemistry with Nick, and I hope he figures in the two books that round out this trilogy.

https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com

[Laura Snider · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a fan. It’s pretty blah all the way through.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is "a night in the life" of a British supercop from the 1960s. There's a bit of tension and a bittersweet twist at the end of the book. A quick read.

Synopsis: After nine years in prison, thief Ben Garvald has been released, and he’s headed back to the old neighborhood. His remarried ex-wife and sister-in-law aren’t happy about it, and they’ve asked for police protection. Det. Sgt. Nick Miller, meanwhile, is hopeful; this may be an opportunity to finally locate the stolen money that was never recovered after Garvald’s last heist. But a colleague of Miller’s is jealous: He wants to crack the case himself, and will risk endangering everyone to do so.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick paced

It's always interesting to dive into a book by Jack Higgins / Harry Patterson. There is grit, action, characters you find yourself intruiged by, and I enjoy them. This is a series first book that I'd never heard of before, and now I want to see more of Nick Miller. Twists all the way through.

[Tom Petit · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 20+ Sean Dillon books it's was a refreshing change.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thief is released from prison and is hunting for his ex-wife.Detective Sergeant Miller is tasked with finding him to talk him out of any criminal action. The local criminal organization is also involved. This is a good British story in the vein of Agatha Cristie.

[Book Him Danno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Jack Higgins Novels. They have a way of pulling readers in from the first page using graphic imagery to tell a story with such detail that readers feel they are walking on the streets of NYC or Ireland.
Jake Higgins Novels have twist and turns readers will never see coming to the point they will be shocked and excited to start the next book in the series.
Thank you Netgalley for the updated Cover which is beautiful and a chance to reread an another I fell in love with as a kid.

[Welugewe Aningo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book during a road trip. Kind of stereotypical but fun. Calling the doctor "The Indian" startled me and prepared me for "The Negro". Beyond the stereotypes, the writing captured my imagination and plot was sufficient to keep me engaged during the drive.

[Lori Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

listened to as book on tape during work out. kept my attention and interest

[François · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in England in the 1960s, this early work of Jack Higgins is more a police mystery than anything else, and for this reason it is quite atypical. It is the first offering in the Nick Miller series (‘The Graveyard Shift’; ‘Brought in Dead’; ‘Hell Is Always Today’).

Its plot is fast, if only because it spans an eight-hour overnight shift of a young detective. For this reason, the novel suffers from the simplicity of its storyline: a man convicted of a heist is released from prison before being harried by his ex-wife’s gangster husband and his cronies. Yet, in its own way, this novel is redeeming, for one can read it for what it is - a very quick yarn which is meant to convey what it is like to conduct a single shift of police work.

The main characters are somewhat interesting: Nick Miller as the newly commissioned detective, an intelligent, jazz piano-playing man in his mid-20s; Ben Garvald as a career criminal who sporadically emits shards of beneficence, cutting a tragic figure; Jack Brady as the older policeman who shows his jaundiced eye at being surpassed by the younger university-educated Miller; Chuck Lazer as a sincere person and pianist-for-hire who provides a shocking illustration of the depths of despair that drug addiction brings; Jean Fleming as a prim-and-proper lady who is mysterious in her motives, despite having some childhood history with Miller on the wrong side of the tracks; Bella as Garvald’s ex-wife who is seemingly innocent yet salacious; Harry Faulkner as the villainous husband of Bella.

Overall, the Nick Miller series is good, but in my opinion it does not come close to the Paul Chavasse series.

Across the different novels of Jack Higgins are many similarities: there is a Detective Nick Miller in ‘A Prayer for the Dying’ although I am certain that they are not the same characters, as that one is described as being street-smart as opposed to being academically intelligent; Jean Fleming transforms from a dainty lady into a fiend with apoplectic rage, in a manner similar to Sara Hamilton does momentarily in ‘Night Judgement at Sinos’. If you know of any other similarities, please comment.

Feel free to read my other reviews.

© François

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meşhur İrlandalı kabadayı Ben Garland bir soygundan dolayı 9 yıl içeride yatmış ve çıktığı gün iki kişi tarafından saldırıya uğramıştır. Eski karısı Bella, Henry Faulkner adında biri ile evlenmiştir. Kız kardeşi Jean Ben'in ablasına zarar vereceğini düşünerek Londra Suç Araştırma Bürosu başı olan Grant'e şikayette bulunur. Grant de elinde adam olmadığı için Çavuş Brady'ye, birime yeni atanan Nick Miller'ı bulup getirmesini söyler. Nick, abisi zengin biri olan, ama polis olmayı seçen biridir. Mezarlık nöbeti denen akşam 10 sabah 6 arası mesaiye başlar. Önce Ben'in gidebileceği yerleri araştırır. Chuck Lazer adlı Amerikalı uyuşturucu bağımlısı piyanist bulur. Jean ve Bella'ya eski mahalleden tanıyan Nick Jean ile yakınlaşır. Ben'e saldıran kişiler Sammy Rosco'nun adamlarıdır. Ben'in eski ortağı Fred ayarlamıştır. Fred de Henry'ye çalışmaktadır. Ben, Fred'e gider ama buraya Brady de gelir ve Fred ona vurarak merdivenlerden düşmesine sebep olur. Öldü zannederler ve vurkaç hikayesi olsun diye başka bir yere bırakırlar. Ben bu arada Rosco'yu kovmuştur. Bella'ya gider ve ondan parayı ister. Bella da birini arar ve rıhtıma gideceğini söyler. Ben burada öldürülür. Nick ve Grant ise Chuck Lazer sayesinde Fred ve ekibine ulaşır. Fred tutuklanır. Eski bir EOKA elemanı olan Junha itirafçı olur. Nick Bella ile yüzleşmeye gider. Kadınlara kibar olan Ben kim tarafından öldürülmüştür? Bella birini mi korumaktadır? Nick nöbet bitimine yakın ne yapacaktır? Keyifle okunan bir roman.

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished 25th march 2024 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner have read two other from patterson/higgins another writer who published in a number of names this one from 1965 looks like although dates on goodreads are suspect...reading some most of the nero wolfe stories goodreads says "published...1975" or even later when they came out decades earlier. anyway.

this is a fast moving story reads quick set in england and it is after the second world war by a few years has that 50s vibe you don't have a bunch of characters concerned about their navel or their sexuality or politics or shopping malls or green space or the fate of the timber wolf. just characters set on a mission damn the torpedoes full speed ahead. some cop to cop conflict...guy gets out of prison belief is he has money somewhere from a heist. higgins uses words like "heist" although i can't say if that particular word is included. uses another word...twee as in the road was twee...no clue, me. kerb...for curb. bloody english. what can you do with 'em. can't speak like normal english speaking peoples. a real travesty. guy has a pile of stories out there...i think some have been made to movie...anymore that's not saying much.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to a 3.5 but a solid crime story with a smart determined detective, written well with a quick pace. Seems that a tough thief was released from prison and it was feared he was looking up his ex wife who is now married to an important (though crooked, nothing proven) man. The sister of the ex wife asked the police to do something, new detective Miller was the only person there was. It should have been simple find the thief and tell him to stay away, though finding him isnt going to be easy, seems that the thief is feared in the underworld and that sets up a lot of roadblocks.

Highly recommended, first book in a trilogy of Detective Nick Miller tales written by Henry Patterson best known as Jack Higgens. Again just a solid novel has aspects of an 87th precinct novel but also of a Luis Mendoza (a series by Dell Shannon) book, in that he is a wealthy man who just wants to do police work and has a gift for it.

[Oli Turner]

The fifteenth jack higgins / harry patterson / henry patterson novel the graveyard shift published in 1965. The first nick miller tale. A solid short and fast paced thriller. It takes the premise of his third novel from 1961 the thousand faces of night and follows the tale through rather than going off in an unexpected direction like he did 3 years earlier. This was much more up my street. A convict released from prison meeting up with old criminal colleagues with a view to collecting the money he is owed from the heist that put him in jail. The brilliant young policeman on his trail. Two men both charming and brutal on opposite sides of the law. Plenty of shady criminals to act as cannon fodder for the two complex and interesting main characters. A bittersweet tragic twist ending I didn’t see coming with an unexpected femme fatale of sorts. Great stuff.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a Jack Higgins novel that I hadn’t read before and loved it. This novel has a character, Nick Miller, that is a Detective Sergeant, but also happens to be wealthy and educated. He is given the task of speaking to a man, Ben, who was just released from prison, to tell him not to bother his ex-wife.

Nick proceeds to track him to various haunts all over town, never managing to catch up with him, but learning a lot about the character of Ben. There is lots of action in this graveyard shift, but Ben is not located alive. Ben was there to retrieve his money, stolen long ago, but the money is gone and someone doesn’t want him to find out.

I was impressed that this book didn’t seem to be dated. There were no cell phones or internet, but the characters could have existed in any era.

[Sage S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Graveyard Shift by Jack Higgins is a decent read if your looking for a mid 1900’s detective/ thriller read. The way that the protagonist is introduced in a great fashion in the beginning because you don't know a lot about him aside from the fact that he just got out of prison. The reason i gave this book three stars is because it was personally difficult to follow along with which character was being focused on during the story, as if it were switching characters whenever it felt appropriate. It however has a great use of descriptive vocabulary when talking about scenery or the way that a character looks. Overall i thought that this book had a great cast of likeable characters and i decent plot twist that pulled me in along with a good pace or story line.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book. No great shakes as far as lterature goes but who cares. I just enjoyed the ride.

It was an a lot like watching a movie, as the only took a few hours to read. Lots of twists and turns and the book reads so fast I'm sure I missed a couple of plot holes....maybe.

The end twist was fun though I'm sure I should have seen it coming. Oh well.

And Detective Miller was a jazz pianist too. Who'd have figured. It slipped through the plot smoothly and didn't seem clunky.

I'd be reading another Nick Miller detective story if it ever comes my way.

"Yeah! I've been there, General!"

[Chris Haughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Higgins. He had a way of knowing how to get the pace off to a great start. This was one of his earlier books, and it is not only fast-paced, but it makes for a fast read as well. The story is very easy to follow, and Higgins was a master at not over explaining details. Man gets out of prison, and the police get notified about him going to see the ex-wife, who has remarried, that brings in Nick Miller. A young, tough, and smart cop. It's the first of three books with Miller. I enjoyed this one. On to the next one.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stumbled upon this one, which apparently is a classic from the 60’s but was reprinted. As one of a trilogy, it was a quick read with our cop vs our felon. Where was the money that was heisted before his incarceration?? Now out of jail, our felon goes back to his old life, followed by our cop Nick and his side-kick the drunken piano player. I will read the other 2, to see what other shenanigans Nick gets into by working the graveyard shift.

[Alexander Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery involving detective Nick Miller who is to investigate Ben Garvald, a prisoner recently freed from jail. The story descends through the London underworld and involves the take from a robbery which occurs before Garvald's jail sentence. The story is well written and evokes the atmosphere of 1960s London.

[Gagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my cup of tea but a decent, light read. In fact, reading this felt more like watching a movie. This is a crime novel where the entire storyline revolves around one night - a night on which the dashing and rich protagonist manages to accomplish an implausible number of tasks to get to the bottom of the mystery. While the concept is certainly unique, the story has not aged well.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who came in late - Harry Patterson is Jack Higgins - so not two authors here just the same geezer.
This is also book #1 of the Nick Miller series.
This is my 15th Higgins book I have read.
This one - well short, and sweet and nothing to memorable really.
One of his lesser lights so far.

[paddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very light hearted who dunnit, with easy to follow plot and believable characters but just seen a little rushed could have had 100 more pages added to give it more depth but overall an enjoyable little read

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy keeping several of Jack Higgins' books on hand, for quick reads in-between longer books. His books typically get 3 stars from me just for lack of sentimental, surprised, etc. type feelings. Once in a while one of his books might surprise me.

[Isabel McEniry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for this book.

About a thief who just got out of jail again. Before he he went to jail he stole a huge amount of money and now everyone is trying to find the money from his last heist.

[RICHARD BRUMBAUGH · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Old Time Shell Game

An interesting cop mystery. Everyone wants to know where the missing money from a ten year old robbery is. Who has it? The ex wife, the associate, the former partner, the old boss?

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright crime story. The English system of handling addiction and police work is a bit off putting.

Garvald was probably the most honorable character along with Miller and Grant.

Jean was the most vitriolic and got her due.

[Don Benevento · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

I have enjoyed many of Jack Higgins books but not this one. Too many characters and not one of them was compelling the plot was thin and the whole thing read like a short story. If you want Higgins go with The Eagle has Landed.