(4.5⭐️) Nostalgic, twisty, and clever!

They got it wrong. The fear at Y2K was misplaced. It wasn’t over a knife. And no one considered Blockbuster to be the main stage. Yet… out of four employees, only one survived. “Goodnight, pretty girl.”

Fast forward 15 years. No one ever expects bad things to happen when there’s ice cream involved. And yet… out of the 4 people at the creamery, only one survives. “Goodnight, pretty girl.”

A town panicked by a serial killer (Copycat?! Original?!). A very pregnant and determined (read: bad ass) FBI agent. And two unreliable survivors. This is the formula for one fast paced, wild ride.

The Night Shift is compulsively readable. The multiple pov and short chapters kept me hanging on, finishing it in mere hours. There’s a depth of character development and a side helping of police procedural, which made this thriller feel fresh and unique.

Let’s talk about those surprises I didn’t see coming… Some that made me mad. Some that let me exhale. Were there also a few implausible details? And did I suspect the culprit? Yes on both accounts. But overall, this is such a clever and unique thriller, any minor flaws were easily overlooked.

Many thanks to Alex Finlay, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

Years before, as everyone wonders what will happen on the eve of 1999, a local movie store is broken into and all but one employee are murdered. The boyfriend of one of the victims disappears, making him the prime suspect. Fifteen years later, the crime is repeated-an ice cream parlor is broken in and all buy one are massacred. Has the murdered returned after all these years? This thriller moves between the view of three people as we move towards a solution to the crime. The FBI brings in one of their own, Sarah Keller, a very pregnant agent, Ella, the lone survivor from the first massacre, and Chris, a local attorney who is hiding his association with the first set of murders.

Sarah digs into the years-old case and the current case trying to determine how the two are connected and finding more and more information. After all of the investigation, Keller comes into a surprising ending to both crimes.

I read Alex Finlay's first novel when it was released and waited impatiently for his next thriller. The Night Shift was worth the wait! The characters were well-developed and I was involved with the correlations between the years-old murder and the current. There were twists and turns that had me surprised as I learned new information. And when the ending came, it was surprising and appreciated. I will be watching for Finlay's next novel.

One of my top reads so far this year. I was quickly drawn in and definitely did not want to put this book down. This is a well written thriller/mystery that kept me guessing. The characters are well developed, the story line is well put together and the ending blew me away!

4.5 stars

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is another terrific thriller by one of my new favorite authors!

Grabbing the reader from page one, the story begins on the evening of December 31, 1999—the cusp of Y2K—an emotional and fear-ridden date for many, as the world moves into a new century. The “night shift” employees of a video rental store are the victims of a terrible crime, and the suspected killer was never caught. Then, fifteen years later, a similar crime occurs to the “night shift” employees at an ice cream shop, which raises fears that the original killer has returned or a copycat murderer is involved.

The rest of the novel is a fast-paced police procedural—short chapters told from multiple points of view illuminate the methods of the investigators and the emotions of the relatives still aching for their families’ losses from the 15 year-old crime. The many characters were well-drawn and diverse, and gave a rich humanity to this crime story. I especially liked how the author embraced and explored the roles of strong women, notably protagonist FBI agent Sarah Keller, and survivor Ella. The two timelines were easy to follow and there were multiple plot threads that came together nicely, with terrific dramatic tension, at the riveting conclusion.

I highly recommend this exciting thriller—the pacing and character development are first-rate, and the storyline had me hooked from beginning to end!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased review.

I think maybe I was reading a different book from everyone else, because all I felt while reading this was <b>B O R E D.</b>
If I didn’t know better I would have thought this was a debut because the writing is clunky and basic, more like a tv script than a novel.
None of the characters were all that complex and I could barely tell them apart sometimes.
Overall a pretty big disappointment, but if you like super basic police procedurals like James Patterson stuff maybe you’ll enjoy it.

Genre: Thriller
Publication Date: 3/1/22
Synopsis: Swipe
Read if You Like:
- Authors Lisa Gardner, Ruth Ware or Lucy Foley

Likes:
- Fast paced.
- Dynamic and likable characters (i.e. you’re constantly rooting for someone here which makes you invested the story).
- Multiple narrators, but easy to track who was who (usually I have to look back a couple times to remind myself - I didn’t here).
- Multiple time lines - but not in a confusing way. Things flip between 1999 and the present day pretty clearly.
- Cop/Lawyer drama (on the ‘lighter’ side and just enough to keep the plot moving, not overly technical).
- Lots of plot twists.
- I loved the YouTube aspect of it with the travel Vlogger - sometimes writing about technology can take away from the story, but I think it really added to it here in a great way.
- Who did it??? I could not figure it out!

Other Thoughts:
- I really wanted more from Jesse’s POV at the end of the novel, I was really invested in her character.
- Keller running around 8+ months pregnant as a cop fully in action was a little unrealistic to me, *however*, I think the point here was to show that women can make their own decisions about what’s good for them and their health/bodies. You do you girl.

This was a fantastic thriller that just kept giving and giving! One surprising reveal after another had me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

On New Years Eve, 1999, the workers of a Blockbuster are brutally murdered at closing time. There is one survivor, Ella. In present day, Ella is a therapist working to help others when there’s another murder that is frighteningly close to the one she survived in 1999.

Told through a few different characters’ perspectives, the story is constantly propelled forward as new information is revealed by each person. There is Ella, the 1999 survivor, Chris, the brother of suspect in the 1999 murders, and finally, Keller, the FBI agent trying to connect all the dots.

I enjoyed the way the story was told. The three perspectives made the story feel fast-paced, and constantly gave me new details to try to solve the murders. I thought the story was pretty exciting, and the plot was fantastic. I felt that the middle slowed down just a little, but quickly picked back up. I enjoyed the ending, and I had NOT figured out what was happening until it was told to me, so I loved that!

I would recommend this one for readers that enjoy a mixture of police procedural and thriller!

The below trigger warnings may contain spoilers:
Trigger Warnings: Teen pregnancy, adoption, sexual relationship between an adult and a minor, drug deals, gun violence.

If you were alive in the 90’s, the start of The Night Shift by Alex Finlay will pour nostalgia over you that’s as strong as the smell of the popcorn waiting for you at Blockbuster cash register. I was immediately transported back to that time & I’m pretty sure my wardrobe even changed back to Limited Too. If you know, you know!
Then, cue the suspenseful music, it’s like someone put a horror movie into the VHS player & with a terrifying sucker-punch, this book begins.
Night Shift by Alex Finlay is the 5 out of 5 stars, perfect mixture of unsolved mystery, action-packed thriller & pulse-pounding horror. It felt like a 90’s slasher movie mixed with a popular true crime show of today with a cold case edition that immaculately & impressively gives you the nostalgic vibes without feeling dated. The story is expertly weaved together to constantly leave you guessing & an unputdownable feeling.
After the beginning, It switched points of view from an 8 months pregnant FBI agent working the case, the sole survivor from the Blockbuster massacre & the original suspect’s brother, which allows the story to unfold with the perfect amount of suspense & intrigue.
This book was so good that I got lost in the story & would forget I was supposed to be reviewing it, which I think is the highest compliment at being able to tell a story you forget where you’re at.
This book would make an epic movie & I hope I get to watch it one day. I also want to read more from this author.
The Night Shift comes out March 1, 2022 & I would recommend it to all!


Extra things I loved:
-“the newer section with the DVDs” (at 1.4% of the book) so much nostalgia in that sentence.
-The chapters were titled with the name of the person whose point of view it was. Two of the POV names were Chris & Keller. So on the chapter index it said Chris Keller & I had a nostalgia moment from One Tree Hill. That might be an obscure reference but I had to share.

I would like to give a massive thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an arc of this book in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

I was a huge fan of Alex Finlay’s first book, EVERY LAST FEAR, and was excited to see what he wrote next. I think I’m in the unpopular opinion camp on this one, but unfortunately this book didn’t work as well for me. There were aspects that I enjoyed and I was hooked by the premise of the book, but overall I didn't find the story as engaging or thrilling.

Here's the premise:

We follow two horrific crimes - the murder of four teens working the night shift at a Blockbuster on New Year’s Eve 1999 and again, fifteen years later, another massacre taking the lives of four teens at an ice cream shop in the same town. Each attack leaves one lone survivor. While there was a suspect in the 1999 crime no one was charged sparking concern and speculation that there may be a copycat killer or perhaps the original murderer may be back.

But what are they after? And why would anyone commit either crime?

We follow three POVs - Ella, the lone survivor of the Blockbuster murders who is now a therapist and brought into the new case; Chris, a public defender who is working the current case and working to hide some secrets of his own; Sarah Keller, an Agent with the FBI who must look into the past case in order to solve the current crime. We also get to know supporting characters and will say I really enjoyed Atticus the most and would have loved more of him.

There were some twists that I enjoyed and some darkness that I always appreciate, but I felt like there was a bit of convenience in some of the reveals and some plot threads were more obvious to me. I also didn’t feel any tension in the book and the climax of the book was just okay. I also have a few unanswered questions which are all spoilers so I won't ask them here, but in short they left me confused on a few points.

My biggest issue was in the writing of the female characters as they didn’t feel authentic and some elements didn’t seem plausible. For example, we are consistently reminded that Agent Keller is 8 1/2 months pregnant with twins. How on earth is she still on active duty and actively (literally) running around throughout the book? I’m a firm supporter of strong women but I felt like there was an effort to make her a cliche ‘badass woman’ but can’t believe she’d be out in the field at that stage of her pregnancy. Also, when Ella is all dressed up and out for the night she actually refers to her shoes as “f**k me” shoes. Just no. Elements of these characters felt more like how stereotypes are portrayed in TV or at the movies vs. real women. Or like someone's fantasy of how women might act. I just felt off to me. And a little cringy.

I also think part of my disappointment has to do with the marketing/early reviews which places a strong focus on the 1999 timeline and the nostalgia that time evokes which I was SO excited for. I also read some early reviews that said the book provided that same 90s nostalgia that we got in Riley Sager’s SURVIVE THE NIGHT, but we spent such a small amount of time in 1999 and minus a few token nods to the time (“Be Kind. Rewind.”) there was nothing much to scratch my nostalgia itch. We are mostly grounded in the present day with a few "memories of the past" but we don't get a real dual timeline in this book which is what I wanted.

I will still check out Alex Finlay’s next book and again appear to be in the minority with my review. It was entertaining but not game changing for me. EVERY LAST FEAR was much stronger, in my opinion.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. Right away you're pulled into the craziness of this mystery thriller. I couldn't put it down and devoured this in a single sitting. The author does an amazing job of dangling bits and pieces and makes you think you know what happened and then SUDDEN PLOT TWIST. Really loved this story and it definitely made me sit back a couple times and just have to take a breather. Highly recommend!!

✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
The synopsis for this book reminded me of other Final Girl books I have read recently. Thanks to @netgalley and @minotaur_books for the opportunity to read ahead of publication.

💜 What I liked:
This is a story of 2 different attacks in 2 different decades, where retail workers are killed. In each case there is a final girl. Do these incidents have anything in common? This story is told from multiple viewpoints. And the ending is intense and will keep you guessing.

😱 What I didn’t like:
There were a few points in the middle that I felt could have been faster paced. But most of the book is a fantastic ride.

🚦 My face at the end: 😳

💭 4 Reasons to Read:
1. Blockbuster
2. Multiple POV
3. Shocking ending
4. Goodnight, pretty girl



🕧 Mini-Summary:
2 separate mass killings, each with a final girl. Are they connected? Can they prove who did it?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.

💯 For more details on the books we read, be sure to follow me on TikTok (@zaineylaney) or check out our Podcast - Elated Geek!

This was a heck of a thriller and highly
recommended! I like that there were two murders with a 15 year gap and they are eerily similar. One at a video store and the other at an ice cream parlor. All female victims, each having one female survivor.

The characters? O-M-G!! The storyline? Double OO-MM-GG! I like the multiple character POV of then and now; also the twists and turns kept me guessing throughout.

Once I started this book, I could not put it down! Highly recommended and definitely will read more from this author in the future if it is as good as this one.

Thanks to NetGalley, Alex Finlay and St Martin’s Press Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for honest review.

Available: 3/1/22

Thank you NetGalley for the arc of this!

I love Alex Finlay, a must read author for me.

We start in 1999, Y2K, a brutal murder at a Blockbuster Video leaving only one survivor. Fifteen years later another brutal murder, this time in an ice cream shop, leaving only one survivor.. that isn’t the only thing these two have in common, in both cases the killer whispered “goodnight pretty girl” to them.

This book had the classic twists I’ve come to love from Alex Finlay, it kept me guessing up until the very end. A must for any thriller fans.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is a very highly recommended spellbinding thriller following two murder cases fifteen years apart.

On New Year's Eve evening in 1999 four teenage girls are working at Blockbuster Video in Linden, New Jersey. All four are attacked, along with the manager, but only one girl survived. A boyfriend of one of the girl's is the main suspect, but he vanished and hasn't been found since. Fifteen years later, four teenage girls are attacked at the Linden ice cream parlor and, again, only one girl survives. Ella, a therapist, is called in to talk to the survivor of the ice cream shop attack, Jesse Duvall. Ella is the survivor of the Blockbuster attack and Jesse has a keen interest in that unsolved case. Called in to help police with the investigation is FBI agent Sarah Keller, who is 8 1/2 months pregnant with twins. She is assisted by temporary partner Atticus Singh.

The engrossing, riveting narrative unfolds through the points-of-view of Ella, Sarah Keller, and Chris, an assistant prosecutor who actually has a hidden tie to the Blockbuster case. Surrounding their accounts are a host of supporting characters who have some association with the cases and add depth and intrigue to the plot. It becomes clear that solving the current murder investigation may require a closer look at the earlier case. The characters are wonderfully written and resemble real people with all their fears, failings, and foibles. Even the depictions of minor characters feel authentic.

The Night Shift is truly an unputdownable novel with fantastic writing. I was so looking forward to this novel and am so pleased that it met all my lofty expectations. The plot is gripping and compelling and held my rapt attention throughout. There are twists as new information is uncovered and the investigations follow logical developments. The suspense and tension continue to increase as more information is revealed until the explosive ending. This novel has it all, suspense, memorable characters, and a compelling story line.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Minotaur Books.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

This is the second mystery/thriller I have read by Alex Finlay. Interestingly, I felt the same way about this one as I did about the other one (Every Last Fear). The ending was no surprise, but it was a fast, engrossing read with good character development and I enjoyed it.

Although I typically do not try to guess, “who done it”, I did know immediately, however, that didn’t spoil the story for me. There are some alternating timelines, as well as different POVs, but they were never confusing. There are a lot of characters here, as well as a lot of secrets to be discovered.

I don’t like it when smart people do dumb things like Chris not revealing something that could get him disbarred. And, Keller’s actions, at 8 ½ months pregnant with twins, stretched credulity a bit.

Wow, this is the best thing I have read in a while. I DEVOURED this book. It sucks you in from the first page and keeps you hooked until the very last. It starts with the Blockbuster murders in 1999 and fast forwards 15 years later to the ice cream shop murders. Could the same suspect be responsible for both, or could it be a copycat killer?

I loved that the chapters were short and alternated between a few characters' POVs. It built suspense, kept it fast-paced, and showed various facets of this case and how it impacted so many lives. The plot was twisty but made total sense by the end.

The Night Shift is absolutely riveting, and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars ( I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I had heard good things about the author's first book and the plot of this book intrigued me. There are three main point of view's with occasional random characters having a short chapter. Ella is a therapist called to the scene of the crime to help a lone survivor but she is also a survivor of a crime identical to the modern day one. Chris is a public defender who was a young kid when the original crime took place and has a connection to it, which he has hidden from almost everyone. Then we have a badass FBI agent Sara (aka Keller) who is researching the connection between the two crimes while being 7 months pregnant. There is also the teenage girl Jesse who is the lone survivor who Ella is asked to help, and who's situation is vastly different from what Ella's. One my favourite characters is Atticus who is a relatively new FBI agent who has an interest in the Blockbuster crime (the original crime) and Keller's partner while working on the Ice Cream Shop Murders. We go back and forth in the time from 1999 to the present day in Ella and Chris's chapters. There are quite a few reveals, which did surprise me and I did predict one of the main reveals but most of them were interesting. This was also the first time in a while that I read the last half of the book in one sitting, this is one of favourite books of this year and a contender for top mystery thriller.

Thoughts ~

Alex Finlay has done it again! His first book Every Last Fear was so good that he became an auto read author for me. The Night Shift was everything you could possibly want in a thriller! The teenage employees at both a Blockbuster Video and a Dairy Cream in the same town are slaughtered 15 years apart. The thing that both of these have in common is a female managed to survive both attacks, but they are not witnesses because both were attacked from behind.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this book! From the creepy words the killer whispered in the survivors ear before stabbing them to the investigation. Looking back I should have picked up on the killer's identity sooner, but it wasn’t until a clue was repeated that all the pieces fell together. Duh!

You don’t want to miss this!

The Night Shift is a 2 timeline, multiple POV mystery/thriller that will keep you flipping the pages. It did take me a bit to get really caught up, especially in the more current timeline, but you will be going down memory lane in the past. It is New Year's Eve, Y2k and 3 teenage girls and a manager are brutally murdered in a Blockbuster video store - there is one survivor. The prime suspect, another teen, disappears. 15 years later, another brutal murder, this time in an ice cream shop. Is it possible the original suspect is back to strike again? And if so, why? I especially loved Agent Keller and hope we will have additional stories with her. Parts were a bit predictable, other parts a total surprise. The one thing that I struggled with a teeny bit is there are so many characters - so many! I found myself flipping around much more than usual for a quick refresh of who is who. Otherwise, great read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Night Shift will be available on 3/1/22.

What’s it about (in a nutshell):
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is a compelling tale of two mass murders that occurred 15 years apart in the same town. Both events left only one survivor who remembers the murderer whispering, “Good night, sweet girl,” before they left the scene. The story focuses on discovering the truth behind what happened 15 years ago and the identity of the murderer in both cases.

What I Enjoyed:
Every once in a while, the ending is just so perfect that I have to start my review by talking about the end. And The Night Shift has just that ending - I found it clever, unexpected, and wholly satisfying. It added such a surprising twist that it will stay with me for a while to come.

I loved that this story is not solely a police procedural as all stakeholders seek to discover the truth. This led to a combination of police procedural and soft-boiled mystery that held me entranced with all of the twists and turns and secrets uncovered. There are so many jaw-dropping revelations that I never saw coming, and the only one I did notice from early on was the identity of the murderer they were trying to find.

I also enjoyed the YouTube traveler channel that was interspersed throughout the story. I find little bits of current-day media in a novel always work to add interest and ground that story in this period, as well as helping to maintain the suspended disbelief from page 1 until the end.

The narration is third-person but switches focus between the main characters. The switching is never confusing, and all pov’s are just as interesting as the other. This style of narration, coupled with the novel genre, would have typically been seen in a plot-driven story. Still, the characters are so well-developed by the switches in pov that the story is equally as character-driven as it is plot-driven and arguably solely character-driven.

Characters:
The characters are amazingly well-developed and layered with flaws and scars that bring them to life. I think I loved Jesse the most. Spunky, clever teens always grab my heart, and Jesse is just that and more.

Ella is the survivor of the first mass murder and has since become a counselor. She is called to help Jesse because she is uniquely qualified to understand what the girl is going through. Ella is thoughtful, accepting, and determined to figure out the truth behind these two horrible events.

Sarah Keller is an FBI agent, and I would happily follow into a series with her as the main character. She is incredibly clever and unapologetically tough and courageous, which I could not help but love and admire. Even pregnant with twins, she does not hesitate to do what is right even when dangerous.

Chris is a young lawyer who volunteered to help with Jesse’s case. He has secrets of his own that threaten to come out unless he is cautious. He comes across as someone who wants to do good in the world and doesn’t care about money or fame.

What I Wish:
Technically, I can think of no wish to improve my reading experience. The Night Shift is masterfully crafted, well-developed, and, generally, a read that is impossible to put down once you start.

To Read or Not to Read:
If you enjoy lots of twists, turns, and jaw-dropping surprises in a story with strong, well-developed characters and a perfect ending, then The Night Sift by Alex Finlay should be at the top of your list.