I'll admit it.. I'm a sucker for a mystery that's told in two timelines. In this case, there are two separate tragic events, fifteen years apart. I found both storylines compelling and stayed up way too late to finish this one!

I was a fan of Alex Finlay's previous novel and there was no sophomore slump with this one.

*Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy for an unbiased review.

This is one of my favorite books of 2022! Multiple point of views and timelines that interweave. I loved the strong character development and storyline. I highly recommend! This is a strong 5-star read!

While there are some parts of The Night Shift that are formulaic and similar to other thrillers, one unique piece is the alternating perspectives. Not only do we hear the story from the victims of two eerily similar crimes that take place 15 years apart, we also hear from an FBI agent looking into similarities and a public defender who just happens to be the brother of the accused murderer in the first crime. There are some definite jaw drop moments and I was kept guessing until near the end with this one. It moves fast and could easily be read in a weekend if you’re not busy.

I read this book and shortly after finishing The Night Shift, I read Alex Finlay's book that we published a year earlier, Every Last Fear and was a little confused about the timeline in The Night Shift with the character FBI Agent Sarah Keller. She is in both books but her character is 8 1/2 months pregnant with twins and in The Night Shift but in the book Every Last Fear that was published 1 year earlier her twins are around 6 years old. So is the The Night Shift an earlier novel written by Alex Finlay but wasn't published until after the success of Every Last Fear? Was there a lot of editing to be done with The NIght Shift before it was ready to be published? I had a hard time with Agent Sara Keller's timeline. I also did not find it believable she can be very actively involved in working on this case when she is 8 1/2 months pregnant with twins. Everybody I know who has been pregnant with twins has either had their babies by 8 1/2 months or put on bedrest.
I liked the premise of The Night Shift with the video store angle. Who doesn't have fond memories of shopping for a video on Friday night at Blockbuster...
Lots of actions and twists but I did enjoy Every Last Fear more.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

I found this book so hard to put down, and action packed. I knew from the beginning I was going to enjoy this one! The twists and turns absolutely caught me by surprise.
I'm a huge fan of book with multiple points of views and this one gave me a bit of it all. We had Ella's our therapist and previous attack survivor. Keller our FBI agent trying to solve the new crime and Chris who is a lawyer and brother of the first attacks suspect.
I enjoyed reading from each of their points of view and how they all came together. The story itself was hard to put down especially when we hit some big twists. I can't wait to read more by this author.

This is a 4.5 that I have upgraded to a 5 star. This story begins with a hell of a hook, with the brutal slaying of 3 teen girls and their night manager at the blockbuster video store. The killings leave Ella as the only survivor and 15 years later the sole suspect in the case has successfully vanished into thin air. For the people of Linden, NJ they thought they would only have to live the nightmare once. When a near identical crime occurs in a ice cream shop, everyone is asking the same question, is a sadistic copycat out there to torment the town, or has the original killer surfaced to exact a new round of revenge? This latest spree killing also leaves behind a sole survivor, Jesse, a too smart for her age, spark plug of a 17 year old girl. Agent “badass” Keller is called in to consult on the case, in the hopes that they can prove or disprove the existence of a copycat. Caught in the middle are Ella, Jesse, and Chris, the younger brother of the only suspect, Vince Whitaker. Clearly all these people are trying to just live their lives while under the strain of an enormous amount of unresolved trauma. There is a whole lot going on in this story, and we have to pick up all the little threads and follow them. A perfect blend or action/ suspense/ and heart. There is a lot of laying the groundwork early on, with the story kind of falling together slowly and then all at once, with a nail biting ending. Review posted to Goodreads, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, Litsy, and LibraryThing

Alex Finlay really knows how to tell a story. I really loved going back in time, even though it was just to experience a murder in a Blockbuster but it felt so nostalgic. I really liked how he wrapped up the book and made the entire plot flow.

I was in an incredible book slump when I picked this one up and then blew threw it The story is so well written, the characters and alternating POVs kept things moving quickly. It was creepy at all the right parts and I gasped a number of times. Definitely recommend this one to all thriller lovers.

4.75/5

I may have read it almost 2 months ago, but I am STILL thinking about The Night Shift by Alex Finlay. I was a fan of his last book, but I absolutely LOVED this one and will definitely be buying a finished copy to add to my shelf. The chapters are incredibly short, and the pacing is quick, so it basically flies by. There is also excellent nostalgia filling these pages and I was instantly transported back to the days when Blockbuster was the place to be. Honestly, I kind of miss that, but you know progress is progress! I thought the publisher did an excellent job with the marketing of this book, and the advance reader copy came inside a sleeve JUST like an old-school VHS tape! There are multiple viewpoints that the story is told from, and I was completely gripped from the first page to the very last. The end is pretty much action-packed, and it made me want to see this as a movie.

I actually bought the audiobook as soon as it came out, and I think this is the right choice if you love and can focus on audio. There is a full cast of narrators which are Brittany Pressley, Cady McClain, Devon Hales & Gary Tiedemann, and every single one of them just blew me away. I remember loving the audiobook of Every Last Fear as well, and it is clear to me that the publisher really knows what they are doing. The cast of narrators for the cast of characters was pure perfection and being the person that I am, I particularly loved Brittany Pressley as Ella. The story was twisty as well, and at no time did I have the bad guy figured out. I listened to this in one day because once I started there was no humanly way possible that I was going to have the restraint to put it down. I thought the plot was clever and well-executed, and all fans of thrillers and Finlay are definitely going to have to read The Night Shift.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

This was a book about a pair of teenage murders fifteen years apart. Are the same people responsible for both.?

There is one survivor of the first murders. What can she tell us? Much trauma for her to absorb? Well-written thriller. I recommend this book.

NYE 1999 was a night of worry, excitement and wondering if the world would survive. But for four teenage girls working at Blockbuster only three survive, The prime suspect is arrested and then released, where he takes the opportunity to disappear.

Fifteen years later a similar murder takes place at the local ice cream shop. The sole survivor of the Blockbuster murders is called upon to help and is convinced they are connected.

A fast paced read alternating between various narrators. I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to everyone!.

Two mass murders, fifteen years apart, with only one survivor from each crime. The cases have a link - with the murderer leaving the survivor with a specific message.

The original murder had a suspect, but he was later released. Now on the scene we have (pregnant) Agent Keller who is determined to solve the case.

While the thriller was fast-paced and the mystery intriguing, I found myself caught up in the plot holes and the fact that who in their right mind would let a 9 month pregnant (WITH TWINS) FBI agent just keep working out in the field (it really bugged me!). But even with these flaws, I still found the novel enjoyable!

A good story ..good writing makes you feel the full spectrum of emotions. It will make you laugh, cry, be scared for your life. A good story will make you cast the characters with actors and write letters to Netflix to see the light and bring the book to the big screen and stream it world wide.
A good story makes you go listen to the songs that fit as soundtracks to scenes. ( I recommend Moby : One of These Mornings ft. Patti Labelle. One day all of this may be gone fits all the way through the book but especially at the end.)
The Night Shift is one of those books you will never stop thinking about, you will compare its characters to other brilliant characters you have loved or loved to hate. The haunting atmosphere of only one girl left alive that permeates chapter by chapter, then the brutal slaying reenacted is classic . I found myself holding my breath ; plot twist after twist. The ending was graphic ,brutal; and Agent Keller I have cast as Poppy Montgomery from Without a Trace. Fearless going head to head in the dark ; that chapter was the most visceral and heart pounding intense writing I have read in a long time.. I believe Alex Finlay loved that Without a Trace because his killer definitely came from S1 Episode 5 ; the killer in that episode who was possibly one of the most sadistic characters ever written, and Agent Jack Malone was racing against the clock just as our FBI agent Keller was at the end of this book. I would like Agent Kellers character to come back to hunt another killer, or Chris and Ella to come back as people working with the FBI to solve a cold case.
Good characters like theirs you dont want to let go. Definitely in my top three fave thrillers of 2022 and a MUST READ.

When two seemingly related murder cases happen in Linden, New Jersey, 15 years apart, residents of the town are left reflecting on the past while trying to solve the horrors at present.

Quick pacing, lots of characters, and a somewhat predictable ending. This was not the best thriller I have ever read, but it also certainly wasn't the worst. (See review on Goodreads with spoiler tag for more details).

I read this one quickly during a road trip. I love Alex Finlay! I loved this book as well. I read every last fear when it came out and was hooked, and honestly liked this one even more! Agent Keller was portrayed as this awesome female lead and I loved that. I loved the bond that Keller and Atticus formed when investigating this new case. I really was not expecting the twist and when I did you can easily see what you missed. I give this book a 4/5 and can’t wait to read more by Finlay in the future.

Alex Finlay does it again! A compelling mystery with an amazing female lead that I hope to read more of in the future.

I had such high expectations for The Night Shift after all the rave reviews from fellow bookstagrammers. Unfortunately, I'm in the minority on this one and didn't love it. The book started out with a bang, but it didn't keep the excitement going. I also didn't love how the chapters seemed to just stop. I kept waiting for the Law and Order "dun-dun" music to drop at the end of each chapter. I did, however, find myself more invested in the book towards the end, but maybe it was a bit too late.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! I loved the nostalgia of Blockbuster video being the setting for the first murder and all the “Final Girl” vibes. I guessed pretty early on who the killer was, but I loved all the little twists and layers of details that got revealed as the story went on! Such a solid thriller and a really captivating read!

Do Justice today. I really enjoyed this read! Multiple POVs, good twists, well written! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for n honest review. 4 Stars

Based off the premise I was not expecting to enjoy this novel. However, it pulled me in right from the start. A well-written and intriguing read. Definitely recommend.