The Cradle Will Fall by Clare Donoghue (
SYKM) is an introductory prequel short story to her Jane Bennett & Mike Lockyer series of contemporary police procedural crime thrillers starring detectives in London, this installment a pre-series origin story giving an early case from Bennett's constable days setting up the eventual partnership between the two, free courtesy of publisher Macmillan's Pan imprint.
The customer reviews seemed to find this really abrupt and more like a prologue to the novel than a full-fledged standalone story. YMMV.
Currently free on a long-term basis as an introduction to the series @
B&N (also
Sainsbury),
Amazon (available to Canadians & in the
UK),
Kobo &
Google Play &
eBooks.com (all available to Canadians) &
iTunes UK (doesn't exist in North America or Oceania for some reason, but also free in Europe).
Description
The Cradle Will Fall is a short story written by Clare Donoghue, the author of Never Look Back, No Place to Die and Trust No One. It is a prequel to her crime series, featuring Jane Bennett and DI Lockyer.
You never forget your first case . . .
Police Constable Jane Bennett is back on the beat after a spell away from the force.
Working with the Serious Case Team, she's witnessed some of the worst crimes and endured them all. With her eye on promotion, Jane attends each call-out without complaint, determined to show her superiors her dedication. However, nothing could prepare her for this next case.
Behind the ordinary façade of someone's home, she discovers a truly chilling scene. While her male colleagues flake beside her, Jane shows she is made of sterner stuff and manages to impress DI Lockyer. It is an incident that will change both of their careers, as an indomitable partnership is formed . . .