The Night Shift

Cavendish & Walker #0.5

by Sally Rigby

A kidnapped baby. Press intrusion. A rogue police officer.

DS Whitney Walker wants promotion but it’s hard when she’s trying to balance motherhood with a career. When a newborn baby is kidnapped from the local hospital she draws on her skills as a mother to help.
Despite being ordered not to, when the leads are going nowhere, Walker enlists the help of a local journalist, who’s convinced that it’s the work of an international baby smuggling ring.

Walker’s plan backfires and she fears they’re running out of time.
The Night Shift, is a novella introducing a younger Whitney Walker, of the Cavendish & Walker crime fiction series. If you like intense UK crime fiction then you’ll love Sally Rigby’s page-turning novella.

Genres: Audiobook, Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Procedural, Mystery Thriller, Detective

62 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2019

About the author

Sally Rigby was born in Northampton, in the UK. She has always had the travel bug, and after living in both Manchester and London, eventually moved overseas. From 2001 she has lived with her family in New Zealand, which she considers to be the most beautiful place in the world. During this time she also lived for five years in Australia. Sally has always loved crime fiction books, films and TV programmes, and has a particular fascination with the psychology of serial killers.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is between a 3.5 - 4 star read.

A wonderful introduction to the author's main protagonist Whitney in her Cavendish and Walker series, this was written a few years in the past whilst Whitney was a DS. We are given an insight into Whitney's first case where she is the officer in charge, and one that resonates deeply with her. I love her feistiness and inability to hold her tongue and not kowtow to the bosses she has no respect for. She's going to make for a very interesting series - one I have already downloaded the first novel to read!

I received a free ecopy of this novella from the author through a Bookfunnel giveaway. I have voluntarily chosen to review the book and the gifting in no way influences my review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion.

[Jennifer (Jaye) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Promising Start*

I started reading book 1 and saw this short story labelled book 0. This is the first outing of the then DS Whitney Walker. Here we see her balancing motherhood with wanting to work through the police ranks which is tough as a woman in an industry dominated by men.

Whitney is on an emotional case of a baby that is kidnapped, in this particular case as she is a mother she taps into her experience to help her case. Whilst doing so a very insistent journalist suggests there is more to the case. Whitney superiors warn her against it but Whitney is not the type to follow orders, will it backfire….

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice mystery with police procedural

A baby goes missing and DS Whitney who comes in after just losing her father is put in charge of the case.

The case had its twists and turns as Whitney tries to find a culprit and with a boss who does not like her or her methods and a journalist with ideas about a baby smuggling ring. 

Neat story. Liked it.

[Tejaswini Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baby is kidnapped from the hospital and it is up to DS Walker to reunite the baby with her parents. I read this from audible and got to know that it is actually a prequel to the Cavendish and Walker series. Despite being a prequel, it is a good standalone. Walker puts all her effort in order to find the kidnapper and save the baby and takes the help of a journalist. The book is small and the story would have been great if everything that took place was mentioned in detail. Overall, it was a good read and detective/mystery fans will enjoy this book!

[Tgordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short prequel to a series. This was a pretty good start in my opinion. The theme is a pretty common one-newborn taken from a hospital. I hope the series goes to new themes that are less done.

[Candy Robosky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how despite having such adversities Walker still does what she needs to save this family and return the baby. She is not some little woman who bows down to the harassment and bullying behaviors of an egotistic superior. Does she need to be more diplomatic in her conversations, yes but at the same time she lets the department and citizens know she is there to do her best and she will do it. Rugby did a nice job of giving us background of the protagonist and her main antagonist in the series. I really hope Walker wins out over Douglas in the series. This single mother, now caregiver to whole family needs to be sure to balance herself so she can be successful.

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Night Shift” is a prequel novella to Sally Rigby’s currently 11-book Cavendish and Walker series, although herein only a young DS Whitney Walker is introduced prior to her teaming up with forensic psychologist Dr. Georgina Cavendish in the full-length novels to follow. Walker is put in charge of a middle-of-the-night newborn abduction, her first big case becoming only more important as the father involved is a prominent local businessman. As a police procedural, we thought it represented thorough work by the cops to reach a convenient solution even though as so often happens our protagonist strays from accepted procedure more than once to produce a satisfactory result. We suspect this trend and a tendency to speak sharply without thinking might well persist throughout the set.

Summing up, this reasonably well-written novella is fun enough reading for a maybe half an hour, and will no doubt encourage many a reader to follow Whitney in her debut as a DCI, partnered with Dr. Cavendish.

[Aymee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short audiobook prequel to an established series.

Set ten years before the novels, The Night Shift is a good look into Walker's life before the series starts. Interesting and intriguing, I now need to see if my library has the next in the series. I enjoyed the author's writing style, the characters were good (and some annoying jerks lol), and I loved the narrator. So, ebook or audio is my only choice!

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novella introducing a new police character in a series of books. The plot was unoriginal, but the character has promise, so I will not write off future books in the series yet.

[Ian Mcnamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one, looking forward to getting into a new series.

[Trish Goodgame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable UK police procedural type novella. Interesting characters, well paced although I felt the ending was almost anticlimactic, as though there could have been more to the bringing of the kidnapper to justice. This is actually a prequel novella to the Cavendish and Walker series, so I don't understand why it is listed as book 2 in the series on the listing page on Goodreads when it is clearly listed elsewhere as The Night Shift (Cavendish and Walker Novella). I guess everyone succumbs to typos at times!
The Night Shift

The first book is Deadly Games: A Cavendish & Walker Novel (book 1)
Deadly Games: A Cavendish & Walker Novel
The second book is Fatal Justice: A Cavendish & Walker Novel - Book 2.
Fatal Justice: A Cavendish & Walker Novel - Book 2

[Alison Alice-May · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was lovely to meet a younger DS Whitney Walker in this book. She is balancing being a young single mother with a career in the police force. She is an outspoken young officer and sometimes I cringed at the things she said, or rather the way she said them. She is no different as an older, more experienced Detective who we meet in later books.

This is the first time Whitney is told to take charge of a case, and she gets into the role immediately, knowing her team so well she is able to match the tasks with the officers abilities. A newborn baby has been abducted from hospital and it is up to Whitney and her team to find the baby and reunite her with her family.

Her superior officer is unsure of her abilities, but her next in line is sure that Whitney has what it takes to make a great lead detective. Whitney is openly rebellious towards her superior officer and she finds herself having to control her tongue, a skill she will need as she progresses up the ranks.

I enjoyed reading about the procedures involved in an investigation which were greatly detailed in this short book. It is a great introduction to Whitney and anyone who reads this will find themselves excited to read her next adventures.

[Chloe's Little Book Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella; which I finished within a day, I found it to be a great introduction to Sally Rigby's Cavendish and Walker series.

The story follows DS Whitney Walker, on her first case as lead officer, investigating the abduction of a newborn from a local hospital.

Walker has been written particularly well. The fact that she's trying hard to remember not to say everything she thinks without filtering it first, not only makes her human but relatable. Her open rebellion to her superior shows her ambition and determination and her personal nickname for him, and being caught using it, made me laugh. I was also quite shocked to find the lullaby I sing to my son incorporated into the story.

A great look into police procedures and how an investigation is carried out. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

[Book Monitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed 03-12-22
An interesting prequel novella
I have read some of the Cavendish and Walker books so I was intrigued by how this would play out. The story focuses on DS Whitney Walker as she is put in charge of a case to find an abducted baby. Being a short book there are no twists or surprises really, just a straight up police procedural. We do get to see a younger Walker though as she returns from Bereavement leave following the death of her father and gets into the nitty gritty of tracking down who has taken the baby. We are introduced to other characters that influence her and discover that her blunt manner and lack of control over her mouth are clearly long-standing character traits.
I am now motivated to re-read the early books in the main series.
Overall 4 out of 5 stars
Performance 4 out of 5 stars
Story 4 out of 5 stars

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Night Shift - a review by Rosemary Kenny

When a baby's abducted by an unstable individual, it's down to DS Walker to lead the team finding out who and how the kidnapper got away with it - and for what reason.
Supporting her ambitions is DSI Mason - he's recommended her for promotion, depending on her reliability and ability to respect authority, (such as that of her newly-returned to the station Nemesis, DSI 'Dickhead' Douglas - her superior once more.
Can she cope with her home issues and the added stress brought on by his 'storm cloud' of negativity hanging over her?
Read The Night Shift, the prequel backdrop to the Cavendish and Walker series, by the talented Crime-Thriller Queen, Sally Rigby - it's a fair cop of a novella, guvnor!

[Priyanka (ReadwithBanner ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

DS Walker back from her leave after her father's funeral. She is struggling with the emotions and responsibilities of her daughter, mother, and brother. On her first day back at her job, she came across a case of abduction of a newborn baby. She was assigned this case.

Being a mother herself, she is struggling with too many emotions thinking about what she would do if it was her daughter Tiffany.

Walker soon starts looking into the all possibilities for abduction: revenge against parents, planned abduction for baby trafficking, and other areas. Will DS Whitney be able to get the baby back to the parents??

A crisp and entertaining Novella with and fresh writing style. If you are looking for a quick read, choose this one.

[Sandra Leivesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Deadly Games by this author which I enjoyed very much, and when I got to the end I signed up to the author's newsletter and received this novella free of charge. It is a prequel to Deadly Games, and takes place several years earlier when Whitney Walker is a DS and takes charge of her first case, the kidnapping of a newborn baby.

This is a short novella so only took me 90 minutes to read, but the story is an interesting one. As in Deadly Games, Whitney is hot-headed and finds herself at odds with her DCI, but despite this manages to solve the case.

I look forward to reading more in the Cavendish and Walker series in the future.

[Deb Threadgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. A baby was kidnapped from the hospital only a few hours after birth. Detective Inspector Dan Mason puts Detective Sergeant Whitney Walker in charge of the case even though she had just came to work one day after her father’s funeral. She hits the ground running and is willing to follow any lead even though Detective Inspector Grant Douglas is not happy about it. He and Walker had history where he was sexually harassing her. He just got moved to a different station. Now he is back at the one she works at, but she is not going to let him stand in her way of trying to find the baby.

[Di Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella is an introduction to DS Whitney Walker. It was written as a prequel, but is my first experience of Sally Rigby's police detective, and I enjoyed it immensely - I have just bought the first four books in the Cavendish and Walker series. In this episode, Walker is a young detective, starting out in her career. She's given her first case as lead detective, where she has to find a missing baby. She doesn't take orders very easily at times, particularly when they potentially contradict her intuition, but she has good instincts, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about her and seeing her grow.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the introductory novella to the Cavendish & Walker series, however, this is only about DS Whitney Walker. It takes place about ten years prior to Deadly Games, book 1. This is a UK police procedural right up my alley as I'm a crazy anglophile and I love reading these types of books. I will say I had a rough time liking Whitney at first. She's very brash, doesn't have a filter, and seems to not show feelings much. Now, take that with a grain of salt because she's working in a male-dominated job (although I think women in police were accepted sooner in the UK than the US, that doesn't mean they didn't have to deal with attitudes). You start to realize what Whitney is dealing with on a day-to-day basis between her job and family, if she would just get out of her way now and then. She's a methodical newly minted detective sergeant who has one superior's support (mostly) and one superior with an axe to grind. She's given the lead on the case of a newborn that disappeared from the hospital while the mother is recovering. The author takes us on twisty road to resolution in this short story.

[Chris Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really entertaining short book from Sally Rigby set during the early days of Whitney Walker, one half of her Cavendish and Walker series. It’s always interesting to see characters you’ve come to love in their earlier lives. Although there’s no Georgina Cavendish in this one Whitney more than makes up for it during this tense story of a stolen baby. Sally Rigby writes with an easy to read style that lets the story fly by and with this being a short it’s over before you know it. Despite that it’s entertaining and fully thought through, highly recommended.

[Brad Audiobibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've not read any other books in the series this prequel really is the starting book for me. Short but well written and with a good story it introduces the main character, Whitney Walker, though all other characters are names only and not fleshed out, understandably in a prequel novella I guess.

Well worth a read and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

I received a free copy of this audiobook either from the author or a promotion or giveaway and am voluntarily writing an honest and unbiased review.

[Carla Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE NIGHT SHIFT

Book 0. The prequel to Sally Rigby’s Cavendish & Walker series.

And what great start to the series.

An enjoyable police procedural and a great introduction to the main characters of the series.

A short novella, perhaps a bit predictable but gratifying none the less. I can’t wait to continue with the series.

Thoroughly enjoyable narration all accents were well executed. I couldn’t believe there was only the one narrator.

#TheNightShift #author #SallyRigby #narrator #ClareCorbett #womensleuths #policeprocedual #moderndetective
#audiobook #Audible

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Storm Publishing for allowing me to read and review this novella by Sally Rigby, ‘The Night Shift’.

In the middle of the night a newborn baby goes missing and DS Whitney Walker is assigned to the case. While searching for clues and fighting with her superior officers, she and her team know the importance of quickly finding the baby.

This was a nice, shorter story that gives us a good picture of who Whitney is and how well she can lead the team, in spite how she is ‘managed’ by the DCI, who she never got along with.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Night Shift is a good police procedural featuring Whitney Walker. Whitney is a bit of a rogue following her gut and mouthing off a little when she probably should keep her mouth shut. All of that makes her a sympathetic protagonist for those of us who are like her, or wish we could be like her.

The story is engaging and the tension is high in the police headquarters and the hospital as they try and find an abducted baby.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short novella about a young detective, DS Whitney Walker, who is still grieving over her father’s recent death when a new born baby is abducted from the local hospital. She is a single mother so she knows how it would feel to lose your child. She is eager for promotion, but has bad history with the new DCI, so he may not be very supportive. Whitney solves the case and returns the little girl to her parents. Great narration by Clare Corbett, easy to listen to.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has quite a quick start and immediately gets into the plot of the story. I found DC Walker a likable character that I could root for, especially with everything that has been going on with her personal life. The story was short and a great introduction to DC Walker that provides good background for the series.

Thanks to VRO and the author for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[karin whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book through another authors promotion in exchange for an honest review. A baby girl is kidnapped from the mother's room two a.m., By a woman in a nurses uniform, telling the mother she's taking the baby for tests. Mother goes back to sleep, only to wake at seven a.m., Baby isn't anywhere in the hospital. Fast paced, well developed story, and characters. The book held me hostage to the end! Bravo! A fine read!

[Glenda Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Sergeant Whitney Walker is back on the job. Her father had recently died and she had taken time off. Her first case is a missing newborn. Just two hours old when the child is kidnapped. It really hits home on this single mother.
This story is well written and heart breaking. A must read.

[Robin Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduces D.S. Whitney Walker.
A baby is abducted from a local hospital. Fleur Simmonds is the daughter of a local property developer who isn't particularly popular.
D.S. Whitney Walker has to solve the case while struggling against unfair opposition from her newly promoted boss who holds a grudge against her for refusing his advances in the past.
A first rate preview for an excellent series.