New Year's Eve, 1999, Linden, NJ. A Blockbuster store is the store of a brutal mass killing that leaves 3 girls and a 20 year old manager dead, and a single survivor. Fifteen years later, an eerily similar mass killing happens at a local ice cream shop, and the town is left to wonder if the long-missing suspect from the 1999 murders is back after all this time. Told from the perspectives of the survivor turned therapist of the original murders, the FBI agent called in to be new eyes on the case, and the suspect's little brother who's been running to get out of the shadow of this disaster for all these years,

This. Book. Is. So. Good. It's set in Jersey, and I was the age of the original victims at the time of their deaths, so it resonated quite a bit. The twists had twists. There were so many layers to the mystery of the book. I did spot the killer's identity fairly early, but I did NOT guess all the reasons of how and why, and even though I guessed, there were so many reasons to ignore my suspicions, so it was still a hit when the killer was revealed. I really do hate the phrase "un-put-down-able," but this was absolutely the case with this book. I couldn't stop until I got to the very end.

I have already recommended this book to the buyer at my library, so that we can get a copy for the shelves!

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. I thank the author and publisher immensely for this opportunity!

(To be posted 2/20/2022)

New Year’s Eve, 1999. A mass murder at the local Blockbuster rocks the nation as four teens are killed. Only one teen, Ella, survives the attack. The main suspect, Vince Whittaker, is released from custody only to disappear hours after he is freed.

Almost 20 years later, the same thing happens at an ice cream parlor. Only one survivor remains. Ella, now a therapist, gets a call from her former teacher asking her to help the lone teenager, Jesse Duvall, come to terms with what has happened. However, what Jesse tells her shocks her. It seems that the two incidents may not have been a coincidence. Could the killer be back?

Told from varying point of views between Ella, FBI detective Sarah Keller, and attorney Chris Martin, formerly Whittaker, this suspense thriller whodunnit will leave you questioning until the shocking conclusion.

If you enjoy police procedurals and dark dramas, this book is a perfect addition to your shelf. I really did enjoy it, even though at times I was kind of feeling that the plot was dragging, which is why it lost a star for me. There are a lot of situations that add up to more questions, but this is definitely not the kind of book that leaves you unsatisfied at the end. That is something that I truly appreciate when it comes to complex mystery stories. Alex Finley did an excellent job tying up the loose ends to some very surprising twists.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Night Shift in exchange for this fair and honest review.

The Night Shift is one of those books where you may figure some things out early on but won’t even care because the journey to get to the truth is so utterly addicting that the world outside will fade away. Told in varying points of view, we watch how three people’s stories will come together to piece together a riveting tale of a madman who’s a little too good at evading the police.

I enjoyed this one immensely. My second read of Finlay’s, his stories are incredibly well-researched. This is multi-dimensional, with many moving cogs. I loved the alternating viewpoints, as they are done very well. The Night Shift is twisty and heart-pounding and keeps you on the edge of your seat reading well after bedtime.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is a superb read with an engrossing plot and vibrant characters. Well worth the read!

I was very excited to read this book because I had heard good things. I really liked it at first until I got about three quarters of the way through. Then I thought it went back and forth too much and I had a hard time keeping my attention. I’d recommend this as a thriller but not my top one.

The Night Shift is an engaging and fast paced mystery connecting two eerily similar crimes separated by 15yrs. Present day, a mass murder happens at a local ice cream shop that leaves one sole survivor just like the Blockbuster murders and that sole survivor is now a therapist called on to help. Ella Monroe survived that night but she’s never truly recovered from it so how can she help the latest survivor? FBI Agent Sarah Keller is brought in to help local authorities track down the original suspect in the Blockbuster crime and see if he committed the ice cream ones. What Agent Keller uncovers is that nothing is as it seems and no one is who they claim to be. Chris Ford isn’t who he says he is but he’s protecting himself from the connection to the past and hoping to finally get the answers he’s always wanted.

The multiple POVs moved the story along at a fast pace and allowed you to see the larger picture unfold. This was well written and kept me engaged from beginning to end. I did have a hunch on a few things but it didn’t deter me from reading. I really enjoyed The Night Shift so much more than Every Last Fear.


Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I was a *huge* fan of Alex Finlay's debut novel, Every Last Fear, and have been anxiously awaiting his second novel, and The Night Shift was worth the wait! I know it's only January but this is already on my short list for top ten books of the year. I was hooked from the opening pages and couldn't put the book down! Real life took a back seat as I was transported to New Years Eve 1999 and then went back and forth between then and "now" (15 years later). I loved the alternating timelines and narrators who gave different perspectives to the same incident. The Night Shift gave me the slightest hint of Final Girls by Riley Sager and it fit so well into the plot. Fans of Finlay's debut novel, Riley Sager and "true crime" based novels need to pick up The Night Shift when it comes out on March 1st.
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Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received The Night Shift from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I read Alex Finlay's last release and I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. It made me a little nervous about picking The Night Shift up. The synopsis sounded fantastic. I loved the idea of the nostalgia this story could bring. I'm glad that I decided to give Alex Finlay a second chance. This story was unputdownable. I really wasn't sure how the two mysteries would officially connect and end. The ending was shocking because I really didn't see the events playing out the way they did. My only problem in the beginning was keeping the perspectives straight. I'm sure it was a me problem, but I had to keep reminding me who each person was and how they were involved. Other than that though I couldn't swipe through the pages fast enough. It did offer the nostalgia and mystery I thought it would. If you are someone who liked Every Last Fear or even if you didn't, I highly recommend you give this one a chance. I'm excited to read more by Alex Finlay now!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an e-arc of this thriller, due out 01 Mar 2022.

What an unputdownable thriller this was? I loved every minute of this wild ride.

Fast-paced, great characters, great plot...just wow. Sure hope Alex Finlay makes a series with the FBI agent in this novel.

Just read it!!!!

I really enjoyed this read! This novel follows 2 identical murders that were 15 years apart! There were multiple points of view and kept me guessing who the killer was until the very end! I definitely recommend this read. It was a quick and easy read! I finished it in two days! Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur for the ARC copy!

New Years Eve in 1999, five teens are attacked while working the night shift at Blockbuster and only one survives. 15 years later, teens are similarly attacked working the night shift at an ice cream shop, with one sole survivor. Is it a coincidence or is the killer at it again?

This was a quick thrill with some 90s nostalgia. The story hooks you in with its short chapters from alternating characters' points of view. The first half was a little slower than Every Last Fear, and I think part of it was because it was sometimes hard to keep all the characters straight. Ultimately their views help you see all the angles of these tragic killings and piece together the connection points with perspectives from the victims' families, the investigators, the legal teams, etc.

There's a lot of tension, some dark moments, and suspicious characters that will have you flipping pages trying to see it all come together. I will say a lot happens at the end in the last couple chapters and the epilogue felt like it was lacking. I wanted a bit more after such an intense ending.

Overall I recommend it if you want a suspenseful thrill!

Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted copy in exchange for a review.

Such a compelling read! I was lucky enough to get an ARC and finished it in 24 hours. Short chapters that always leave you wanting more! 4/5 stars only because I’m not sure the book has been edited for format just yet.

this. book. was. riveting.

The story covers two brutal murder cases that happened in the same town, just fifteen years apart. Each murder plot revolved around four girls, three dead with one survivor left. Both survivors remember the creepy whispers uttered to them before the world went black.

The book is told in multiple perspectives (a detective, the brother of the original *missing* suspect, and the
sole survivor of the 1999 attack) and weaves in flashbacks from 1999. Yet, it’s all tied together perfectly. There are misdirections, twists, and outcomes that will make you audibly gasp.

I could not stop reading this book. I had to know how it all came together, and I feel like the answer was hiding in plain sight the whole time.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and the arc for this ARC! I’m so excited for everyone to read it on March 1st!

I really enjoyed reading this book: it starts with a tragedy and keeps going. Surviving a mass attack, Ella is a counselor for a girl who survived a similar, no identical, attack. Trying to find the truth, the alleged killer has disappeared and his brother becomes an attorney. When the second attack happens, all of these folks are thrown together to try to solve the crime.
The story moves well, there are holes here and there and the risk the detective puts herself in does strain credulity, especially toward the end. If you can suspend judgement on that,is is a very enjoyable read and the bad guy is right there, the whole time. 4.5 stars

This was a good story. I thought I figured it out but I was so wrong. A few things bugged me though, when Chris would remember the past it was a bit hard to tell. It didn't take long to figure it out though. And the women don't really get good descriptions. I know what the men look like but the women? Also The FBI agent Keller being 8 months pregnant with twins running around chasing bad guys?! Come on, there is no freaking way. That is so unrealistic and unbelievable it seriously annoyed me. But I loved the story line and twist and turns, but maybe get a woman's help next time.

The Night Shift is the first book that I have read by Alex Finlay. This fast paced mystery thriller kept me guessing until the very end. Run, don't walk, to get this one!!

Alex Finlay has knocked it out the park again. A lot of times I read slow burn books but Alex’s books hook you from the first line and give you a wild ride. I love the short concise chapters of this book and the switching of characters. It never gets dull or boring or drags on. I just had to devour this book as quickly as possible!

It’s New Year’s Eve 1999, also known as Y2K and while everyone is waiting for the world to go dark five teenagers working at a Blockbuster store are brutally attacked. There is one survivor though and the attacker is quickly located but later released and disappears. Fifteen years later there is a similar attack at an ice cream store and like before, one survivor. Could it be the same killer back at it or did they have to wrong all along

It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in New Jersey, four teenagers working late at the store are attacked. Only one inexplicably survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again. Fifteen years later, more teenage employees are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive. This story is about how these events intersect. This book was a wild ride. It grabs you from page one and holds you tightly until the last page. An amazing thriller and Finlay is an amazing writer! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

The characters, the connections and the ick!! Such an exciting read - I absolutely devoured this. Looks like Finlay will be on my must reads for authors!

What an awesome read! The storyline rocked and its fast pace kept me hooked the entire time. There was always something happening and I did not want to stop reading so I could find out what was going to happen next. This story is so well-crafted and Finlay is fantastic at keeping you on your toes the entire time, starting with the first couple of pages.

The short chapters make this a very tempting read to keep saying, "just one more chapter…" The switching up between different characters' perspectives kept the story propelling forward, each switch made just as you were sinking into that character's storyline, making it so that I really did not want to stop reading.

I absolutely recommend this book, especially now when sometimes you just need a break from the world. I hadn't realized how much I needed this book until I got started, and this murder mystery thriller had me playing along the whole time - asking whodunnit, feeling excitement at each twist and turn, and awe at an ending that I truly did not see coming (maybe I should have, but I didn't, and I loved that I hadn't!)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.