It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Four teenagers and their young manager are brutally attacked at a Blockbuster Video store and only one, Ella, survives. Fast-forward fifteen years later and there is an attack at an ice cream shop that is eerily similar to the one Ella experienced. Now a professional therapist, she is called upon to help interview the lone survivor from the ice cream shop.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is a superb thriller. There are so many good characters that are well-defined, with interesting and varied backstories. The plot is convoluted and twisty, with lots of surprises, and it is very fast-paced. Anyone who remembers renting videos from the local Blockbuster will also appreciate the author’s descriptions.

The Night Shift is definitely one of those books that is almost impossible to put down and I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend Alex Findlay’s latest book to any reader who enjoys a suspenseful and well-written thriller. It is outstanding!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

For those who like mysteries that skew more true crime than psychological thriller, this is the book for you!

Read this book if you like:

Long Bright River

Survive the Night

The nostalgia of going to Blockbuster Video

This book takes us back to a monumental night in the world- New Year’s Eve in 1999. In Linden, New Jersey, three Blockbuster employees are murdered on the job. Flash forward fifteen years and a very similar murder takes place in the same town at an ice cream parlor. In comes an incredible FBI agent, the lone survivor of the original attack, and a public defender with a link to the case, all trying to figure out if these two cases are related.

What I really enjoyed about The Night Shift was that it felt like a mystery you could actually try to solve along the way- the ending was unexpected and shocking, but Alex Finlay dropped in clues along the way that made it exciting to follow along.

I feel like this book is a teeny bit falsely advertised because the 1999/Blockbuster nostalgia is really only mentioned in the first chapter- the book predominantly takes place in the current day and felt extremely modern. There’s even a plot element about travel vlogging! All I’m saying is you could substitute in any location and it wouldn’t change the book at all- I just wanted a little more 1999s culture!

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

The Night Shift is Alex Finlay’s second novel, billed as a thriller, that explores two murderous rampages in the same town 15 years apart. I first want to clarify that I found this book to be much more of a crime novel than thriller. While there are mysteries at the center of the plot, The Night Shift lacked the pacing of a thriller and featured two narrators – a FBI agent and a public defender – that were on the procedural side of things.

I enjoy Alex Finlay’s writing. I find it easy to read, even with multiple narrators and many characters. So far, his books have been super quick reads for me. As with Finlay’s debut novel, Every Last Fear, The Night Shift includes themes of family. I think this sets his books apart from many thrillers that are solely focused on secrets, murders, and/or crime.

The way in which The Night Shift was marketed led me to believe that I would be immersed in ’90s nostalgia. But I ended up disappointed. Unless you really miss Blockbuster and those “Be Kind, Rewind” signs, you will not feel any nostalgia. The 1999 timeline is minimally featured.

My biggest issue with The Night Shift is the portrayal of female characters. I try not to be too hard on male authors writing female characters, but I do believe that authors should stick to what they know or do very thorough research. If you are a male author that really wants to write a female character, you should at least have a female editor. The inauthenticity of female characters in The Night Shift was difficult to overlook. Ask any woman who has been pregnant, let alone with twins, if they could barge into a standoff at 8 1/2 months pregnant and you will get an adamant “no.” A woman two weeks from her due date with twins is probably going to be on bed rest if she is lucky enough to carry to full term. I understand that the FBI agent character was supposed to be admirable and heroic… but then why did she need to be super preggo? Beyond this, there were a few other instances that bordered on cringy.

Overall, I enjoyed The Night Shift but was not fully captivated by the plot. I feel like it fell short of my expectations after reading Every Last Fear. I do recommend it, but I would suggest going into the book knowing it is more of a crime novel and prior to reading Every Last Fear.

The Night Shift ~ Alex Finlay

🙏🏼 Thank you to @minotaur_books @netgalley and @alexfinlayauthor for the eARC copy. Out TODAY - March 1, 2022!

READ IF:
* Your Saturday nights were spent at a Blockbuster.
* Your town has a local ice cream spot that has the best scoops.
* You know that Nirvana is not just a band from the 90s, but a state of pure bliss.

SYNOPSIS: New Years Eve, 1999: Four teenagers are attacked at a Linden, New Jersey Blockbuster while working the night shift. Only one survivor. The boyfriend of one of the victims is arrested but once released, he flees and is never seen from again. The case is left open-ended but the families and lone survivor are never the same.

Fifteen years later, a hauntingly similar crime takes place at the Dairy Creamery in the same NJ town. Almost immediately old wounds are torn open and unlikely paths cross. We meet Ella, the lone survivor from the Blockbuster attacks, now tasked with counseling the survivor from the Creamery. Chris Ford is a man of the people serving as the public defender, but also works hard to hide his connection to his fugitive brother. And then there is Sarah Keller - FBI agent - working to make connections between the two attacks so the right person is caught and years of trauma can finally be put to rest.

SYNOPSIS: This book was such an addictive page-turner! Didn’t know much prior to reading except that the cover was cool and a Blockbuster was involved - so from page one, I was totally intrigued and sucked in. This is crime fiction at its best…fast-paced, compelling, and full of surprises. I continued to be enthralled as the chapters shifted point of views, revealing one twist after the next - none of which I was even remotely close to predicting.

Usually these thrillers present totally detestable characters that are hard to enjoy or relate to - but I thoroughly enjoyed this cast, especially Keller and her young protege Atticus and the charming Chris Ford. Pepper in some 90s references and New Jersey landmarks and I was a happy camper. Read this in two days - I couldn’t put it down. What else has Alex Finlay written? I’m about to find out!

This is absolutely my first 5 star thriller of the year!

It. Blew. My. Mind.

I read a ton of mysteries, and I'm not easily fooled by misdirections or red herrings, but I didn't predict any of the outcomes in this book.

I was on the edge of my seat for the entire second half and spend Sunday afternoon reading straight through. The ending had my heart racing, and the epilogue caused me to tear up. Aside from all of that, the narrative included thorough examples of the different ways people cope with trauma.

If you're a thriller reader, make sure you grab this one!

4.5🌟
Two murders, 15 years apart. Wow what a web to unravel and the author did a fabulous job. One by one the pieces fall in place and the mysteries are revealed.
Clever, many layers to the story. The beginning is slow paced but it doesn’t take long and you find yourself flipping the pages. Lots of twists and turns. Great novel.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! From a police procedural, a court case, a slasher-film esque opening, a great mystery, and some awesome twists, this book had it all!

The novel opens on NYE 1999. An iconic night if you were old enough to remember it! Stevie and four teenage girls are in charge of closing up the local Blockbuster video store, but when two of them disappear-per usual-for their longer than normal break, Stevie goes to investigate. The night ends with all but Ella murdered and all leads turn to Vince Whittaker who is promptly arrested. But when Whittaker is released shortly thereafter on a technicality, he takes the opportunity to disappear.

Flash forward fifteen years and a group of teens are slain at the local ice cream shop. Similar to the Blockbuster murders, there is only one survivor. Ella, now working as a therapist, is called in in case she can connect with the survivor, Jesse. When Jesse admits that the killer whispered something in her ear just before leaving her dead, Ella is convinced the two mass murders are more than just similar, and are most likely connected.

The novel alternates between various narrators so we get a glimpse into the current investigation, more details from Ella and the investigators about the Blockbuster murders, the workup of Jesse's criminal trial, and so much more. The novel is fast paced and exciting. Some of the twists definitely surprised me and even the ones that did feel slightly predictable were still thrilling.

The opening scene brought me back to high school - and even 1999! - when I myself was working in a local video store. I could envision a clerk restocking the shelves, another rewinding videos, and another cleaning the popcorn machine. I had sharp images coming to mind thinking about handing customers their movies around the security features installed to catch people stealing movies. I could see the employees sneaking into the back room, having butts in the back parking lot near the dumpsters. Maybe this personal connection and experience (which fortunately ended at just working at a video store!) helped engage me even more to the story, but I was HOOKED from page one and read nearly 75% of it in one sitting! I enjoyed Finlay's prior novel but definitely preferred this one and absolutely recommend!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

I really loved how this book started out on the eve of Y2K. There's a whole generation of people who have no idea the fear that we felt that night, waiting for the end of the world. And then for something even worse to happen...

15 years later we've got an incredible class of characters. Ella; the only survivor from "that night", Chris; the little brother of the suspected killer, Jesse; the survivor of the new crime and a victim of rumors, Atticus; the kind and sweet detective who you just want to hug because he's such a good guy, and Sarah Kellar; the pregnant, badass FBI agent that we met in Ever Last Fear.
All throughout we get these interesting clips of a YouTube channel travel blogger, and when we find out the significance of this it makes it even more interesting. There are so many twists and turns and intertwining stories which make for an incredible thriller!

Check out my interview with Alex at https://anchor.fm/whatangelareads/episodes/Episode-8---Alex-Finlay-The-Night-Shift-e1f224p

“All these years, he was a monster in plain sight”

And once again, Alex Finlay does not disappoint. This was one addictive, nostalgic, whodunnit read!

• A Clever Plot
• Multiple POVs
• Loads of Twists & Turns
• In depth characters
• Fast Paced

Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Two murders, 15 years apart & those ever memorable few last words: “ GoodNight, Pretty Girl”. Just had me hooked! Yes, this did have a couple coincidences, however you just don’t care. The story pulls you right in. Bringing you back to those blockbuster nights. The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out the other side.

This was one riveting read. In my opinion if you enjoyed Every Last Fear - this one’s better !! Check it out. I will be needing a physical copy now.

Out TODAY !!

When I wasn't reading this book, I wanted to be. I was primed to be into this one- I'm of the age where I can very easily visualize a 1999 Blockbuster setting, and I think starting with that really visceral setting started this off in a way that just absolutely grabbed me. With a variety of fascinating perspectives in this story, and a plot that kept moving rapidly, this was one of the best thrillers I've read in a hot minute.

Alex Finlay hits another home run for me! I loved Every Last Fear so went into The Night Shift with a lot of trepidation because my expectations were so high. Fear not though, Alex met and exceeded my expectations with this one.

The Night Shift kept me hooked from the first page right through to the end. I could not put it down.

In 1999, on New Years' Eve, the night crew at Blockbuster is brutally attacked. Leaving one lone survivor. Authorities were sure they found the person responsible but he mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again. Flash forward 15 years and the crew closing a local ice cream shop in the same small town faces an eerily similar attack, again, leaving just one lone survivor. Has the original killer come out of hiding or is there a copy cat at work?

This is fast paced, leaves you wanting more after every chapter and drops so many twists and turns!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. This title is available March 1st 2022.

Officially added to my new "favorite author list!" NOW, this is what I call an A+ crime thriller! It checks all the boxes and then some. LOVED THIS BOOK!! 🎬🍿 💖📕

Explosive. Electrifying. Compelling Characters!

Alex Finlay's THE NIGHT SHIFT has it ALL! Tops his fabulous debut, Every Last Fear (optioned for film and tv). This one is a total KNOCK-OUT and on another HIGHER level. I could not put it down, and lots of jaw-dropping OMG'S going on. The author exceeded all my expectations and more. Highly IMPRESSIVE. Thriller fans, this is a MUST-READ!

SETTING:
Linden, NJ

DUAL TIMELINES:
1999: New Year's Eve: (YTK) A Blockbuster Video store mass murder at store closing. The manager and three teenage employees are murdered. A fourth employee, Ella survives.

2015: Fifteen years later. Linden Ice Cream Shop. Four girls were murdered. One survived, Jessica (Jesse). Same town. Both midnight shifts.

A copycat or is the killer still alive? If so, why wait 15 yrs and leave a survivor both times?

One thing in common. The predator whispers in each of the girl's ears: "Good night, pretty girl." Everyone has DARK SECRETS in this book! Is the killer still hiding in plain sight?

ELLA, the survivor of The Blockbuster murders, is now a therapist. She has lots of issues and leads a secret life due to her past traumas. Ella likes to go out and night, drink and hook up. Her boyfriend has had enough and she cannot blame him.

She is called by the local high school principal to meet with the survivor Jesse who only wants to speak with her after the ICE CREAM Murder. She knows a lot about the Blockbuster case since she was there. However, Jesse seems to know a lot too. One smart cookie.

Special agent, SARAH KELLER, FBI is on the case and 8 and half months pregnant. Her husband Bob worries about her but is highly supportive. LOVE HER. She is a badass superwoman. Bob is so cool!

CHRIS, an attorney. And man, does he have a dysfunctional background. His father, Rusty is a horrible, evil man. A drunk and abusive. Poor Chis and his older brother Vince had a tough life. Their mom left years ago, or so Rusty says after he beat her constantly. Vince took a lot of the beatings for Chris, but he got his share.

Chris later was adopted through the foster system and has changed his name. No one knows his real identity except his adoptive parents.

VINCE, his older brother was arrested for the murder back in 1999 because he had dated one of the girls. He was released on a technicality. Later they found a weapon in a locker but he had vanished and was never seen again. Was it planted?

Now Chris is a public defender. His last name is FORD. No one knows Vince was his brother. He gets assigned to the Ice Cream case. However, does someone know about him being Vince's brother and what would everyone say?

Told from alternating POV:
Chris
Keller
Ella

Chris wonders if his brother Vince is still alive. Everyone will think he has come out of hiding. He is sure his brother is not guilty. This travel blogger is strange and Chris wonders if it could be Vince?

Is there a dirty cop? The first case was not handled as it should have been. Jesse seems to know a lot about the Blockbuster murders. Soon she is arrested.

Who is the real murderer, and is it the same person for both murders fifteen years apart? How are they connected?

The suspense is nerve-wracking and the author never slows down. There are twists and turns with every page, keeping you glued to the pages. There is never a dull moment. Full of flawed and broken characters who are strong, tenacious, and driven. Some are pure evil monsters.

FAVORITE CHARACTERS:
FBI SARAH KELLER. She is a badass and I adore her relationship with her hubby Bob, which is in awe of her and her talent. Who could do all this and be pregnant? My hero. Reminiscent of Lisa Gardner's Detective DD Warren. I could not stop thinking about how much this reminds me of her books. If you have followed my blog for 8 yrs you know I am a huge fan of hers and her female protagonist.

ONE THING THAT THREW ME: In Finlay's debut, EVERY LAST FEAR, Sarah Keller and Bob already had their twins. In this book, she is pregnant (8 1/2 mos) with the twins. I have not noticed other reviewers talking about this; however, after I finished reading THE NIGHT SHIFT, I went back to the audiobook of EVERY LAST FEAR and relistened just to make sure. Yep, the twins were already born in that book. Guess maybe the author re-winded a few years since this one was set in 1999/2015. Not sure when the debut was set.

CHRIS: I enjoyed how we learned about Chris and Vince's heartbreaking and poor childhood backstory, how it shaped him today. However, he is tormented about his mom leaving them with this horrible man, Rusty Whitaker (a monster). In this regard, Chris is reminiscent of a younger Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch character. I sympathized with him.

There is also one part in the book where I was reminded of Diane Chamberlain's The Last House on the Street and Heather Gudenkauf's The Overnight Guest. If you have read both you will know.

ELLA is a bit of an enigma. Later you learn more about her which is also jaw-dropping and their family. Her family is rich but dysfunctional.

JESSE is also a super character - smart and mysterious. Her family is also strange too and grew up in foster homes after the death of her parents.

ATTICUS: Loved him! The African American local Detective on the case with Keller.

THE BURNING QUESTION: How do all these characters' backgrounds fit together and the two cases fifteen years apart? When all is revealed, you will be highly satisfied and well worth the loss of sleep.

NOSTALGIA:
What I loved about THE NIGHT SHIFT:
So a throwback to 1999 is always a blast. I moved to Atlanta in 1994, for a job relocation in media, when my two sons were off to NC colleges. My condo was located directly across from Blockbuster Video. So yes, spent quite a bit of time there. Also, another blast from the past that I picked up (I do not miss much).

Also, Alex mentions Zima! Too funny. The job where I relocated in media was to be the director for my client (Coors Brewing) for the launch of the ZIMA national rollout! My two sons and all their college friends would come to Atlanta for the weekend and of course since my life revolved around Zima at the time, there was always plenty in the refrigerator.

Not many may remember this product. It was launched nationally in the US as Zima Clearmalt in 1993 after being test-marketed two years earlier. Coors Brewing spent $50 million marketing Zima in its first year. In the late 2000s, the beverage was marketed in additional flavors: citrus, tangerine, and pineapple citrus. I had moved on by then as publisher for a web-based commercial real estate investments company. In 2008, MillerCoors announced that it had discontinued production of Zima in the U.S. In 2017 and 2018 it came back for a limited time.

I have been telling everyone about this book. You must read this book. I suspect THE NIGHT SHIFT will be in my top 5 thrillers for 2022. A MOVIE OR TV SERIES PLEASE!

What a talented writer! It has a mix of legal, legal, crime, serial killer, small-town rural, psychological, literary (loved all the literary references), cop procedural, true-crime, suspense, domestic, mystery, action, and thriller all in one.

COMPS: If you love Michael Connelly, Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, Michael Robotham, Linwood Barclay, Harlan Coben, Paul Cleave, and David Baldacci (all my favorites), you must read this one. Alex has a winning style and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Please, more FBI SARAH KELLER!

A special thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress #Minotaur Books for a gifted ARC. I also purchased the hardcover, and the audiobook, narrated by Brittany Pressley (favorite), Cady McClain, Devon Hales, and Gary Tiedemann by Macmillan Audio.

OUT TODAY. Do not miss this one!

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars +++
Top Books 2022
March Must-Read Books
Pub Date: March 1, 2022

Alex Finlay is a master at writing a thrilling read. I was unsure how the book would end (and I typically guess early on!) and I struggled to know which characters I could trust. I was hooked from page one and seriously struggled to put the book down.

New Years Eve 1999 - everyone in Linden, NJ is worried about Y2K, until 4 teens are killed at a Blockbuster Video, with one survivor. The suspect fled and hasn’t been seen since. 15 years later, in the same town, 3 teenage girls are killed at an ice cream parlor, with one survivor. The 2 survivors, the brother of the suspect and an FBI agent are on the hunt for the truth. Are these two massacres related? And will anyone else get hurt in the process?

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copies!

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin’s Press, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
On New Year's Eve 1999, four teenagers are attacked at a Blockbuster Video in New Jersey.  Only one survives.  Ella has never really been the same.  She became a therapist, hoping to help others, but she hasn't really helped herself yet.

The alleged perpetrator, Vince Whittaker, although identified, was never caught.   Vince's younger brother Chris has become a public defender.  He has not seen his brother since the video store massacre, but he thinks he knows where he is.

Fifteen years later, four teenagers are attacked at a Dairy Creamery in New Jersey.  Only one survives.  Jesse is already a troubled teen, and her life just got worse. 

Ella comes to Jesse's aid hoping that the fact that she can relate to Jesse's circumstances will prove helpful.

FBI agent Sarah Keller is 8 months pregnant, and is assigned the task of looking into the similarities between the two events.  She is partnered with Atticus Singh.


My Opinions:   
Well, this definitely lived up to the hype.  I loved it.

It was told in two timelines, but 1999 was generally told in flashbacks, and everything was perfectly clear.

I loved the characters, and how the author brought them all together.  I loved the relationship between Sarah and her husband (although I was a little concerned for those babies).  Atticus was charming.  Those in the center of the mystery were deep enough, and I ended up caring for "most" of them.

The plot was good, and although some of the twists were inevitable,  the method that they were delivered was good.  However, the ending did have a surprise or two.

Overall, it was a fast and entertaining read, with enough action to keep me turning those pages.  I highly recommend this one!

My first thought after reading "The Night Shift" was - I must read other books by this author. I have been in a reading slump, and none of the books is helping me out. Thanks to netgalley and Minotaur books, "The Night Shift" came at the right time.

An engaging plot, the cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, superbly sketched characters and short chapters make it an unputdownable thriller. It is twisty and dark at times.

A poignant thriller with multiple POVs and two-fifteen years apart timelines is convincing enough to put any thriller lover on edge. Having read so many thrillers and guessed the perpetrator earlier, I still found the ending impressive.

Although I loved the badass female characters in the book, I was a little put off by the eight and half months pregnant with twins FBI Agent Keller who did some extraordinary action stunts. Thus, four stars.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and finished reading it in one sitting. I am so looking forward to what Alex writes next!

I love a fast paced thriller that keeps me guessing and turning pages from beginning to end, and this one really fit the bill. The narrative in this book rotates among multiple POVs and two different timelines, events leading up to New Years 1999 and the present day. The alternating POVs and timelines keep the plot rolling forward and make it hard to take a break and put the book down. I loved the nostalgia of the 1999 timeline, really what is more 1999 than a Blockbuster? The chapters are very short, which I always enjoy, and the action is nonstop. The body count is high in this one. There were quite a few characters in play, which can sometimes be challenging to follow, but not in this case. They were well drawn and enough differentiated from one another that it was easy to remember each character's relation to the story line. When I was at about 75%, I told my husband how much I was enjoying this book and that I honestly had no idea whodunnit. If you're a seasoned reader of thrillers, it gets hard to re-capture that feeling of surprise. You've seen all the twists and it gets easier to see it coming. Well, I was surprised and I loved it. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you, Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing me with this eARC.

FBI SA Sarah Keller and her husband. I know, I know, I should be focusing on what actually happened in the Blockbuster Store on New Year's Eve 1999- when four people were killed and only Ella survived- and again now in an ice cream shop, where three die and Jesse lives. So many similarities between the crimes! Vince was arrested in 2000 but his wily public defender got him released before trial and he disappeared. His brother Chris, who was taken into the foster system, has been searching for him ever since. He's now a public defender himself. There are so many layers to this that even though I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was very early on (and no spoilers), I kept reading because Finlay not only laid a seed of doubt, he created a very complex novel. Jesse will only talk to Ella, who is now a therapist. Turns out Ella is more than she seems and Jesse has her own, well, interesting back story. Keller finds herself paired with Atticus, a young local detective, and together they discover that threads of the current crime do reach back to 1999 but not in the way you might expect. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a pow of a read and a page turner.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Loved the characters and the overall mystery. I couldn't put this book down. It has many twists and turns that will keep you guessing. I like the multiple points of views from the different characters. I also loved the cliffhangers provided. Overall very entertaining. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Book Birthday to one of the better thrillers I’ve read in a while. New Years Eve 1999, Y2K fears and people are terrified the worlds computers are going to go off the grid and planes will crash, banks will lose billions and general chaos will be unleashed.

None of that of course happened, but in this small New Jersey town in the stock room of that staple of home entertainment, Blockbuster Video, a brutal triple murder takes place. A fourth victim survives, but the alleged killer escapes….Fifteen years later-BUM BUM BUM-another set of killings, this time in the same towns ice cream shop, and the killings look scarily familiar. Has the killer returned and if so why? Writer Alex Finlay has written a genuine thrill ride that will have you guessing right until the end. Packed with plenty of twists, it was the exact kind of escapist read I needed this past weekend, and would make a fun movie. Were there certain things I questioned? Sure, but that seems like par for the course with these kind of books and anything that came up was minimal in comparison. I would hardly call myself a thriller aficionado, but personally thought this a lot of fun.

You’ll find my review in the minority, which I’m happy to say is a great thing for the author. And I’m sorry to have to admit it, but I kinda struggled with this book.

Though references to the 90s quickly caught my attention in the prologue, the story didn’t really interest me until at least halfway through.

I nearly always struggle with slow-paced novels and though I wanted to declare this a thriller, it didn’t feel that way. It was characters being introduced through their own chapters. Somewhat interesting, but not in the thriller category.

I enjoyed that it bounced between the Blockbuster era of 1999 and approximately 15 years later. And I especially liked references to the things applicable to 1999 such as Y2K, since it brought back memories. It was an interesting start but didn’t grip me and make me want to turn pages.

All that being said, I found the characters cast perfectly. They were all unique and carried their own baggage into the plot, which definitely picked up and started moving in the last of the book. Finlay let several of the characters even toss a red herring out occasionally which added to the fun.

To be honest, the book cover and title immediately won me over (yes, I judge a book by the title and cover), and the story was enjoyable but not one of my favorites.

Final Thoughts
Absolutely give this book a try. As we all know a book will work for some and not others. I look forward to more by Alex Finlay since his writing style is quite enjoyable.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy and the ability to freely express my opinion.