The Shift is an exceptionally gritty thriller and one that will transport the reader back to the summer of 1989 and is based on the author's experiences after he joined Strathclyde Police on July 31, 1989. It is interwoven with a fictionalised account of the Ice Cream War and the Northern Ireland troubles spilling over into Glasgow. Drawing heavily from his experiences as a Glasgow cop Mitchell has created the critically acclaimed and award-nominated DS Thoroughgood detective series spanning Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy, the Scottish Crime best seller The Hurting: The Glasgow Terror and The Longest Shadow. The Shift is the latest edition to this series.