Thank Netgalley, Minotaur Books and the author Alex Finlay.
I totally enjoyed this thriller, lots of twists and turns.
Loved the characters especially FBI agent Keller and Ella. Two strong women depicted in this novel.
Quick read.
Highly recommend

Alex Finlay (pseudonym), the author of last year’s popular Every Last Fear has produced another suspense thriller- one that may leave a reader truly scratching their head. That is usually a good quality in this genre, but here it has more to do with the challenges it presents. The Night Shift contains two timelines, New Year’s Eve 1999 and 2014, both dates that the residents of Linden, NJ will never forget. After a tragic murder takes place in a Blockbuster Rental Outlet, everyone is convinced that the initial suspect is obviously guilty. When the defendant is released due to insufficient evidence, his disappearance upon release acts as further proof of guilt. Only one person survived the 1999 attack, and she feels justice was not served. Ella parlays her traumatic experience into a career in counseling as the narrative transitions to 2014. Ella is asked to help a young woman who survives a massacre that bears a striking resemblance to her own. The novel then unspools a surplus of characters with concurrent plot lines that distract from the story and make it difficult to follow. That, combined with its shifting timelines, leads to a tangled, interconnected puzzle that the reader is tasked to pull apart. The Night Shift strikes the right tone, has some witty banter and the characters are well-constructed. Still, despite its fast pace and interesting premise, Finlay’s latest seems more like a maze than a mystery.
Thanks to the author, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you so much @NetGalley and @minotaurbooks for gifting me a copy of The Night Shift in exchange for an honest review.

📼 Mini Review🍦
For the last like 6 months I’ve seen The Night Shift by @alex all over bookstagram. All the reviews were amazing and I was so intrigued by it, plus I loved blockbuster in the day so I had to read it.

I want to start out by saying I loved this book sooo much! I couldn’t put it down. Any time I had free time to read the kindle was in my hand. This book was a wild ride for sure.

In the small town of Linden, New Jersey, there is a murder at an ice cream store. 3 victims are dead an done is left alive. And this is not the first murder like it. 15 years before, in the same town, there was a murder exactly like this one at the Blockbuster. 4 murdered and 1 left alive. The detectives and the different family members involved want to get to the bottom of this murder once and for all.

We have 3 different POVs. An FBI agent, the survivor of the Blockbuster murders 15 years ago, and the brother of the suspected killer in the Blockbuster murders. I loved all of these POVs. You get to see a different side of the murders, which also makes it hard to pinpoint what is really going on.

I honestly don’t want to stay too much more because I don’t want to give anything away. Just know that this book is probably my favorite thriller ever. 😍 The writing was addicting, the characters were so relatable and interesting, and the plot just doesn’t stop. It keeps growing and changing and will take you all over the place!!! It honestly has everything you need in a great thriller.

There was one thing that frustrated me at first but once I got into the story it didn’t bother me as much 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you love thrillers of any kind, I recommend this one to you! I gave it ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ My DMs are always open, so when you read this book message me so we can talk!!!

This book was totally going to be 5 stars. Until something happened (not going to mention what…read the book to find out) that upset me. I could have done without that. 😑. Actually, 2 things. 2 things that I could have done without.
Anyway, the REST of the book, was amazing. Loved it! So many things I didn’t see coming! This was definitely a roller coaster. I didn’t want it to end but I needed to know what happened.
Most of the characters in this book are likable. I don’t think there was any characters I just down right hated. Which is refreshing. Not everyone has to be bad/hateful all the time. Maybe that’s why the reveal was such a holy shit! moment. I don’t think I could pick a favorite. I liked Ella, Keller, Bob, Atticus. Jesse….. was a hard person to figure out. I liked her at times and other time I wanted to shake her. There were several different points of view, both past and present. That was well done.
This was most definitely a fast read. I didn’t want to put it down. I would listen to the audiobook during my commute and read the book when I was at home. The audiobook had a few different people in the cast. I enjoyed that as well.

my first book by this author and I thank Net Galley for the copy. This about 2 attacks set 15 years apart. Each of the attacks leaves a single survivor. according to the chapters, this whole book takes place in only 3 day. so it moves rather quickly. I liked Sarah Keller, but didn't care for he risks she too while being 8 months pregnant with twins! I really didn't care for the ending, but for the most part it was pretty good

I'm torn between giving this a 3.5 or a 4 star. The 4-star rating would be because there are a lot of fun twists and turns and a super quick pace (I read it in two sittings). The 3.5 would be because I guessed the killer within about 15 pages. This hardly ever happens to me, so I'm shocked that more reviews on Goodreads don't reflect how easy it was to figure out who it was.

The premise is gruesome but intriguing. The story starts out on New Year's Eve 1999, when four employees at a Blockbuster (fun nostalgia) are murdered during their night shift (get it?). 15 years later, an eerily similar crime occurs at a local ice cream shop. What is the connection between the two crimes and how can Agent Keller (seen also in Finlay's "Every Last Fear") solve the case?

I loved the short chapters and the different POVs - Finlay is skilled at getting the reader to care about a multitude of characters. However, the women characters aren't written as effectively in my opinion (there's a tad bit of misogyny). Overall, I really loved all of the red herrings and twists that I didn't see coming (well, except for that main one).

If I hadn't guessed the killer so early on, I would have been completely blown away by this thriller. Now, I'm torn about giving Finlay's books another chance in the future. I enjoyed the reading experience but would have preferred being more surprised by how things played out.

Two eerily similar killings, 15 years apart. I loved this book. I loved the mystery, the multiple views from various characters, the switching timelines, the retro throwback to Blockbuster, everything. This was such an entertaining read and I know that it’s going to be another hit for Alex Finlay!

(Spoiler alert)

I am pretty much always in the mood to read a thriller of some kind, and I went into this looking for a fast-paced, exciting read. While I was initially intrigued by the murders, I predicted the culprit’s identity and motive so early on that it was frustrating and almost painful waiting for the characters in the story to catch up and put the pieces together.

I also didn’t think this was as twisty, suspenseful, or thrilling as the synopsis would have me believe, and in fact I thought some of the story was so similar to other, average books like this I’ve read (SPOILER ALERT:) such as the culprit being an older man involved with younger girls who kills them when they do something he doesn't like.(END OF SPOILER)

As someone who reads a bunch of mysteries and thrillers, it didn’t feel like there was anything new or different here.

However, it was a somewhat entertaining read, and if you don’t read a ton of thrillers, this might be a good one to check out!

The Night Shift is another fast paced thriller from Alex Finlay. I devoured this one just as fast as Every Last Fear.

Ella is the only survivor of the 1999 Blockbuster killings. Now, 15 years later, working as a therapist she is brought to the only survivor of another massacre, Jesse. Ella is able to talk to Jesse, and be on her level having had a similar traumatic experience in her youth, which allows Jesse to start to open up to her. As the few detailed of the ice cream murder are shared, Ella is shocked by how similar these two crimes are. Is it possible that after all of this time the same person has come back to make their mark again? Or are these details just hidden deception, trying to lure Ella to resist her haunted past?

What I love about Alex Finlay's novels is the weaving of the story lines and characters. The amount of details that unfold throughout the story and come together so fittingly in the end! Its a true, keep you guessing novel. Especially in a time when domestic thrillers are all the rage, this is just what I needed right now!

Do you remember where you where on Y2K? That New Year was very memorable and Blockbuster was the place to go to get your movies for the night and stay hunkered down and hope the world didn’t crash as technology crossed a barrier like one never seen before.
The blockbuster killings also took place with a lone survivor and fast forward 20 years later we have a similar killing in a ice cream store. Both leaving a lone survivor. The FBI agent on the case is 8 months pregnant with twins 🤔 and she suspects a possible serial killer.
This was a truly wild ride and I didn’t expect that terrific harrowing ending. Full of twists that involves deep family secrets.

All in all it would have been a 4.5-5 star book for me; however, I have to knock a star off due to the sheer fallacy of including an active duty FBI agent who is 36-38 weeks pregnant with twins on a case driving around looking for a killer?? EVERY SINGLE AGENCY in the US, either local police to FBI/CIA, will immediately place a woman on desk duty as soon as she reveals her pregnancy!
ALSO, the full term pregnancy for carrying twins is 37 weeks! She would have 95% already had her babies before she was even put on this case. This was a MAJOR oversight that could have been left out all together.

I liked the short bingable chapters and the 90s nostalgia in flashback chapters. However, didn't really like the ending and wasn't convinced about the final motive of the killer in the end.

A huge thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Two eerily similar murders occur 15 years apart in Union County, NJ. In both instances, three night shift employees at local stores are killed by a mystery assailant leaving one lone survivor. Now, authorities must figure out if the brutal killings are connected and race to find the culprit(s).

FIVE SHINY GOLD STARS TO ALEX FINLAY’S NEWEST! I devoured half of this on a flight and finished the other half today. Told through alternating viewpoints of the FBI agent investigating the murders, the brother of the accused, and one of the surviving victims, this one was utterly unputdownable and kept me guessing til the last. As a Jersey girl, I loved the setting, and as a child of the millenium, I felt nostalgic for the time period of Y2K, video rentals, and no cell phones (one of the murders takes place on NYE in ‘99).

Findlay has crafted an utterly entrancing mystery, and I am excited to read EVERY LAST FEAR. Finlay’s writing style pulled me in and held me til the last page. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for a little while.

This was a great twisty thriller that reminded me of a retro halloween movie at first. This was my first thriller by Finlay and I'm looking forward to seeing what he writes next!

Alex Finlay is a master storyteller! I loved his first novel, Every Last Fear, and his second novel did not disappoint. The reader is transported back 15 years earlier when a gruesome murder occurs that leaves several teens dead. Coincidentally, a similar crime is committed leaving the community wondering if a serial killer is back. The characters and storyline were great and I had a hard time putting this one down! I was guessing until the end!

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.5 Hearts I have some dislikes with this story but mostly I think it is pretty good. I enjoyed the cold case intersecting with the current case even though it has been a decade and a half. I enjoyed that Sarah is not a wallflower waiting for others to do the job. She gets right out there and does what she needs to do.

But that leads me to a dislike. Any woman who has been pregnant and ready to pop at 8 ½ months pregnant is not running around like a teenager, honestly at that far along the mom to be is exhausted. And more so the mom to be does everything in her power to protect her baby (in this case twins - which makes it even more so) but Sarah is out there doing things that just are feasible.

But other than that I enjoyed the story. I honestly kept trying to forget that Sarah was pregnant and enjoy the rest of the book even though it was very hard with some of the action scenes.

All in all a good book. Without the ridiculous writing for a pregnant woman (no surprise it was written by a man) I would have given this book 4 hearts.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Every Last Fear and have been looking forward to Alex Finlay's new book. The Night Shift did not disappoint!! It has all the tension and drama of Finlay's first book and promises we'll be seeing this author around for a long time.

The characters are vivid and realistic, and the story is compelling. The tight writing leads the reader from one red herring to another right up to the shocking ending. And then one last surprise.

I can't wait for Finlay's next book!!

5 Stars!

I absolutely loved Every Last Fear and Night Shift was no different!!!

Alex Finlay takes you back to New Year's Eve, 1999 when a grisly murder happened at a Blockbuster video store. Fast forward to the present day where a similar murder happens at an ice cream shop. Dun dun duuuunnnnn! I loved all the characters and their complexities and the twisted things that happened along the way. I wanted to sleep on the plane, but this book had me wanting more and forsaking sleep for it.

A special thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Alex Finlay for providing me with an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley, Alex, and Minotaur for an advance copy of The Night Shift.

It’s December 31, 1999. The world is anxiously awaiting the new decade, new century, new millennium. But while everyone is wondering if technology will crash down around us, four teens working at Blockbuster are being brutally attacked, only one making it out alive. 15 years later, there is another attack, this time at an ice cream shop. Three teens murdered, one survivor. Both final girls recall the same thing being said to them, “goodnight pretty girl.” Upon the investigation of the ice cream shop, the final girl from Blockbuster is forced to relive what she has worked to moved past, the brother of the Blockbuster suspect who is sure his brother was wrongfully accused, and an FBI agent all come together to try and figure out whether this is the original killer, a copycat, or something completely new.

This was my first Alex Finlay book, and it is getting ALL. THE. ATTENTION. on social media. I swear, every third picture on my instagram is The Night Shift! It is well-deserved attention. This book was compulsively readable. While I would’ve loved to have spent some more time in the 1999 setting (really, just give me any and all things 90s forever and ever amen), I really liked how Alex led with that event, and it hung over the entire book like a black cloud, but it did focus mostly on the after-effects of the 1999 setting and kept us in the 2014/2015 story for the most part.

I enjoyed all the characters, Alex does a great job at giving us distinct POVs that made it easy to follow along. I didn’t see the twist coming (no surprise there since I rarely do). Well-written, short chapters, multi-POVs – what’s not to love?

Read this book in two days! I loved how it shifted to the perspectives of multiple characters as well as two time periods!

I hadn't read an Alex Finley novel before this one. Positive reviews for past books and the teaser for this one grabbed my attention. I wasn't disappointed!

"The Night Shift" follows two sets of murders 15 years apart. Several people were killed during their late-night shifts -- and one person survived each time. As the novel unfolds, the two crimes have more connections than a large spider web.

The first murders are laid out amid the fears of Y2K, and who (of a certain age) can't relate to Blockbuster video stores? The second set occurs in an ice cream shop in a time when cell phones rule. The author cleverly adds twists and turns at a steady pace while saving the most surprises for later in the book.

Finlay certainly knows how to tell a story, and his use of two timelines is clear and easy to follow. Some aspects, though, were a bit hard to swallow. Could a very large pregnant FBI agent really do what Agent Keller does? Why does the therapist seek out romps with strangers? Overall, the novel is fast-paced and entertaining. Enjoy "The Night Shift" for what it is -- a contemporary whodunit.