Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Having worked at Blockbuster in the late 90s the opening scene felt very creepy because I could vividly imagine this exact thing happening. From then I was hooked and could not put it down. I kept turning pages and stayed up well past my bedtime.

This was such a good thriller that had me hooked from the very beginning!

I was constantly trying to solve the case and was pleasantly surprised by the reveal at the end. After reading this one and another one of Finlay's books, I'm definitely a fan! I'll be sure to keep my eye out for more upcoming titles.

The Night Shift starts off with a WOW moment. The prologue hooked me from the start.

I absolutely adored all the references to vintage horror in this book. Alex has such a unique way of weaving these references throughout the story and making them seem so seamless. I also really enjoyed the characters. I loved all the different povs we got throughout the novel.

I didn’t find the actual mystery to be a bit predictable in spots. I wanted a little bit more in that aspect of the story. The ending also felt a bit rushed.

Overall I still really enjoyed this book. Definitely a soiled 3 Star Thriller for me. If you enjoy thrillers you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love a crime novel that centers around a resurrected cold case, and "The Night Shift" is a fantastic entry to this genre. A killing spree that occurred on New Year's Eve of 1999 left only one survivor. Now it is 15 years later, and a seemingly copycat crime has occurred at an ice cream store. It is told from 3 different character perspectives that intertwine and twist together to create a mind bending narrative that never gets boring or predictable. Highly recommend.

I suggested this one for book club because I enjoyed Every Last Fear enough to know that this was going to be messed up in a good way. You know what I mean?

This book reads so fast, I literally read the last 60% of it in one sitting. I think that is due to the short chapters and multiple POV. I really enjoyed the throw back to Y2K and Blockbuster. If you are into true crime podcasts, Finlay’s cases in his books remind me of ones I would hear on podcasts. While I figured out a few things early on in this book, there were definitely some twists I didn’t see coming. The way he weaved certain things into both cases, and ties to different people. It was complex. I also enjoyed the bits of the characters we got to know. I feel like you got to see who Keller, Atticus, Chris, Ella and Jesse were as people. I felt like the ending happened so quickly, maybe a little too abruptly? I was just like what??? But I really appreciated there was an epilogue to tie a few things up.

Bottom Line: Read it!

**I received a copy of The Night Shift from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Enjoyment: 4.5 stars
Overall rating: 4.79 stars

It's New Year's Eve 1999. The world is still in fear of a digital apocalypse. The year 2000 comes without a glitch for most. But not for the teen girls who worked the night shift at a New Jersey blockbuster. The four of them are attacked, and only one survives. The police's only suspect disappears without a trace.

15 years later, in the same town, the story repeats itself. Four teens working the night shift at an ice cream parlour are attacked. One survives. The killer's final words are engraved in the two girl's minds, "Goodnight, pretty girl."

In the book's present time, we follow the OG victim, the brother of the 1999 suspect who believes the cops got it wrong, and the FBI agent determined to solve both cases. They come from different directions, searching for the same thing; not everyone will make it out alive when their lives collide.

I absolutely LOVE Finlay's character work and his ability to pull as many PoVs as he needs to tell his story and make them all compelling, exciting and relevant. I loved Agent Keller in his debut novel, and I am beyond thrilled to have her back. Well, kind of. The Night Shift takes place before Every Last Fear, and Keller is 8 months pregnant in this novel. Let me tell you, she is equally fierce and determined.

To say much about this book is to deprive future readers of experiencing all the twists and turns themselves, but I will say this: the reader is in for a well-plotted treat with a high octane finale.

I feel I should mention that having the right expectations will benefit the reader. Most of the action and narrative are set in the mid-2010s. Even though the original crime happened in 1999, there isn't a lot of 90's references. I appreciate that Finlay didn't drag the past at the cost of a cohesive story that keeps the tension from the first scene to the last paragraph.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Night Shift.

I can see a lot of people liking this, and I did at points, but I felt that the mystery aspect was dragged on for too long. I was very interested in the first half, but sort of fell off for the last half. However, as someone from North Jersey, I really liked how the setting was involved in the story.

I LOVED this thriller which was chock full of fun 90's nostalgia and references. The mystery and suspense was very well done - connecting an older case of a murder of night shift employees at a Blockbuster video to a present day murder of a night shift at an ice cream parlor. The writing was tense and I could not put it down.

I loved Finlay’s last novel so I was so excited to read this one. I loved how fast paced it was. The chapters were quick and to the point without feeling kitschy. There were a few moments where it felt like the story jumped without enough description and I’d have to go back and reread a page to see how we got where we were but overall I thought it was a great thriller and I did not expect the ending.

This was an incredible story. BELOW ARE DEFINITE SPOILERS:

The story starts out set at a Blockbuster, which brought all the childhood memories to the surface for me. We used to spend every Friday night at Blockbuster picking out movies for the weekend.

Unfortunately, this one takes a bad turn as the Blockbuster becomes the location for a mass murder.
One girl survived the event and she is one of the main characters of the book moving forward, Ella.
She ends up helping the young woman, Jesse, who survives a copy cat style murder at an ice-cream store years later.

The mystery of who murdered teenage girls twice in this small town becomes the crux of the story.
But like any good mystery, there are so many unknowns and exciting reveals through the plot.
Elle and the young girl become close and I loved the reveal that she is the daughter of one of the victims.
I also loved the budding romance between Elle and Chris.
Chris was an interesting character since he was the brother of the accused murderer. But his brother disappeared back during the Blockbuster case and was never found.

This story was just extremely well done. There were so many side plots/details that really helped build the narrative (FBI Agent Sarah Keller, the travel blogger Mr. Euphoria, Ella's relationship with her mother.) I just love it all and it was a great story to read!

actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

this book was one of my most anticipated of the year and was a super fun ride! i would definitely recommend this book for an interesting mystery/thriller. i had such a good time reading this book but i did have a few issues.

the main thing that originally drew me into this book was the y2k/90s nostalgia which i didn't get a ton of in here. i wish the perspectives were different so we had more flashbacks in here to the 90s. that was the main disappointment for me. i also had problems with every single perspective lol

my favorite for sure was the fbi agent who was pregnant. i love detective perspectives in general but she was really amazing and badass. my problem was she was 8 months pregnant with twins and was doing some unrealistic things for being that pregnant and she barely talked about symptoms even like being out of breath.

the second perspective was the final girl of the 1999 massacre who is also a psychologist. her perspective added a lot of plot and connection to the current massacre but she just felt a little off and not flushed out.

the last perspective was the brother of the accused person of the 1999 massacre and i felt like his perspective was completely pointless. it added some random youtube travel vlogger stuff which i didn't like and any information we got from him, was told to other people. i think his perspective should have been replaced with one of the girls who was killed in 1999, katie. it would have added more of that nostaglia i was missing.

i enjoyed the pacing and the writing a lot. i was kept really intrigued throughout the whole book and the beginning was so strong. i kept wanting to pick this book up to find out what happens next and i also liked some specific scenes.

the end honestly raised the rating for me because i loved the plot twists so much. there is really three big ones at the end and all of them i really enjoyed but there was one i found really fascinating.

overall i had a good time reading this book but i think this book could have been so much more for the premise. the characters and perspectives just needed to be improved upon.

thank you to St. Martin's Press, Alex Filay, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THE NIGHT SHIFT was an action packed, small town mystery/thriller where nothing (and no one) is what it seems.

The use of multiple POVs kept me turning the pages to find out what each character would reveal next. The best part? I had absolutely no idea how this one would turn out and was very satisfied with how it all came together in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my #arc

Great, fast-paced thriller with a triple POV! This book also had short chapters, which made it so easy to fly through! I loved the layout of the book & kept telling myself “just one more chapter”, which is the telltale sign of a good thriller! The book starts out with a heavy dose of nostalgia with the setting of a blockbuster movie rental. I was immediately hooked. I felt the middle got a tiny bit off track with a specific storyline (don’t know if I should post the spoiler), but it was still interesting. Overall, a very solid book & will recommend to friends. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

This book is completely captivating. It is a perfectly constructed story and mystery with a excellent attention to every character.

I loved Every Last Feat by Alex Finley and couldn't wait to read The Night Shift.

I freaking loved this book. It sucked me in from the main beginning. I felt like I was watching an intense crime movie. If you loved His & Hers by Alice Feeney, you will love The Night Shift.

What I loved:
-triple narrative
-suspenseful
-whodunit?
-flashbacks
-how everyone was connected

Thank you NetGalley for me eARC!

In Linden New Jersey on Dec 31, 1999, everyone is anxiously awaiting to see if the things predicted for Y2K will come true. None of that happens, but instead five people are attacked and only one survives, her name is Ella.

15 years later there is another attack in the same town. This time at an ice cream shop. Once again, there is one survivor, Jesse. Are they connected? Was it the same suspected killer who fled after the first attack? FBI Agent Sarah Keller, local investigator Atticus Singh, and Blockbuster Massacre survivor turned trauma therapist Ella Monroe all intend to find out.

This is a fast paced thriller that kept me turning the pages. Our main character, Sarah Keller is more developed in this one and she's a likable character. There is suspension of belief though as no woman who is two weeks from her due date would do a lot of the things she did. The plot and pacing were good. Short chapters kept me saying "just one more chapter." If you can suspend belief, then this is a great, quick read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, author Alex Finlay, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Night Shift is a face paced novel that takes place over the course of three days, with some flashbacks to similar events from fifteen years ago. The book will keep you guessing all the way up until the very end. You will fly through this book thanks to the great chapter design. Each chapter is from a different character’s perspective making it very hard to put down, you always wanted to know where it was going next and from whose point of view. This was a great thriller with well developed characters, and some of the character’s actions stuck with me long after I closed the book.
**A big thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ebook copy in exchange for my honest review**

The Night Shift
By Alex Finley

An Absorbing and Cleverly Layered Thriller

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
New Years' Eve 1999. Four teenagers working late at a Blockbuster Video store are murdered in New Jersey. One of the employees survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later, three teenage employees are attacked on a night shift at an ice cream store in the same town, and again a fourth victim makes it out alive.

Ella Monroe, who had survived the Blockbuster murder, is now a counselor and is called to the hospital to meet Jesse Duvall, the survivor of this latest case. Chris Ford, a public defender, was assigned to this new case. And he is also the brother of the fugitive in the Blockbuster murders. FBI agent Sarah Keller, who is eight-and-a-half months pregnant with twins, investigates the similarities between the two crimes. She bravely delves into the secrets from both nights to uncover the truth about the murders on the night shift.

REVIEW
The Night Shift is an absorbing thriller that will have you racing through the pages. The pacing is quick, the writing is solid, and the twists will bring you to your knees.

The characters are plentiful, and it may take a few brain cells to keep everyone straight. The one character you will have no problem remembering is Sarah Keller. Despite her pregnancy, she is relentless and courageous. In addition to Sarah, the story alternates points of view between Ella and Chris, a public defender and the suspect's brother in the Blockbuster case. All the characters were unique and well-developed.

Author Alex Finlay is a pen name for an author who lives in Washington, D.C. His first novel, Every Last Fear, was published in 2021 to tremendous acclaim and is being developed for a major television series. The Night Shift made several most-anticipated book lists. You should read it!

Publisher St. Martin’s Press
Published March 1, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

I loved the initial premise of murders taking place at Blockbuster and the throwback aspect of nostalgia with the setting and details, I was confused at times by having an 8 month pregnant woman with twins as the detective because it came across as very unrealistic. The pace was good, the characters fairly well developed. My major problem came with the ending which was so disappointing and didn't make much sense

this book was fun, cinematic and super interesting, weaving multiple storylines together for a thrilling climax. did I figure out who the killer was early on? yes. were there some surprises that i enjoyed? yes. did I love the ending? admittedly no. I felt that the insertion of the epilogue was too abrupt and could have done well to have had at least one more chapter to wrap things up, without feeling kind of bombarded with the epilogue trying to cover all their bases without really explaining and elaborating on everything. honestly, it was a good time overall but that ending was a bit too rushed and I felt kind of gipped for an ending I think we deserved.

thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!