Alex Finlay expertly revisits the thriller genre in their newest offering, The Night Shift. New Year’s Eve 1999 was memorable for many, but for the inhabitants of one small New Jersey town, it was known for a massacre at the local Blockbuster that left 4 dead and only one survivor. Now, fifteen years later, another NYE has been memorialized in the same grizzly fashion. Finlay weaves an intense tale of guilt and survival while also unraveling the two crimes and how they may be connected by more than just their date.

“The sheep spends its life worried about the wolf, only to be eaten by the farmer.’”

My biggest takeaway: Don’t work the night shift. I’m such a fan of 90s settings and the nostalgia of reading about Blockbuster and Y2K hit me hard (so what if I was only 7? A 7 year old has fears too.) The final girl trope is A+ horror for me. Fast paced, great characters, and short chapters all made this a huge win. I loved how everything connected and we saw the mystery from several types of viewpoints with backgrounds that added so much to the story. What didn’t I love? Obvious killer and an unfitting epilogue that left a bad taste in my mouth. I really, really disliked that epilogue and if I could unread it I would. Overall this was a very fun read and I look forward to reading more of Finlay’s work.

This was a must pick-up after reading Alex Finlay's debut book Every Last Fear and it did not disappoint. The Night Shift jumps right into a blockbuster murder where the killer was never caught. Then 15 years later there is another murder at an ice cream shop that is eerily similar to the Blockbuster murder. A survivor from the blockbuster murder is brought in to work with the survivor of the ice cream shop murders due to her unique experience and her career choice of a therapist. The FBI has sent pregnant agent Sarah Keller to who delves into both murders in an attempt to solve them.

Alex Finlay's, The Night Shift, keeps you on your toes. It is action packed and filled with unseen twists and turns. It makes you wonder what Agent Keller is doing as she works towards solving the cases. The lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre is relatable and you can understand how her experience has affected her well into her adulthood.

There are definitely some similarities between Every Last Fear and The Night Shift that I continued to pick up on even though they are not part of a series. You have a person who is the suspect for a murder in both books and yet a surviving family member who believes that law enforcement has the wrong suspect. The murderer in each books also catches you off guard as it is someone you are not expecting.

Rating: 4 out of 5. I am giving this only 4 stars because I found the similarities between both books a little too much after a while. I will be watching though to see what else Alex Finlay comes up with in the next book.

In 1999, 4 teens are attacked with 3 of them dying at a NJ Blockbuster Video. 15 years later, a crime reminiscent of this occurs at a Dairy Queen in the same town. The FBI and police are tasked with determining if and how the two crimes are connected and who is the culprit.

This is extremely well-written and a definite page-turner. Finlay has created a sophisticated thriller with a lot of interacting characters, red herrings and multiple time periods. The characters are very real with both good and bad personality traits deftly explored. I did figure out what happened early on, so, unfortunately, I wasn't surprised by the outcome, but this did not detract from the overall appeal of this. I will be recommending this to fans of Allen Eskens and David Bell.

This is a super fast paced book that catches your attention from the very beginning. I loved that there were multiple POV's and that we were given the insight of the only survivor of the Y2K killer as well as the detective, this gave so much insight into the story. Although figuring out the ending was predictable it did not make the ride any less enjoyable!

I don’t usually prefer crime thrillers, but I very much enjoyed this novel, The crimes seemed very true to life (perhaps based on the Yogurt shop murders?). The characters were layered and interesting The plot about the two similar crimes years apart was fascinating and I loved the little red herrings that hindered guessing the true killer. This was a great follow up to Every Last Fear, and I can’t wait to read further books by Alex Finlay.

This was an absolute page turner thriller for me. It had a great combination of nostalgia (Blockbuster!!!!) and suspense. Dude, sign me UP!

It is told from multiple persepectives and flips from present day to the past. It'll grip you right from page 1!!

It's twisty and will keep you guessing. I didn't figure out the killer until the very end. While I felt the end wrapped up a bit too quick, I still loved reading this. I will say I could have done without the epilogue, or had one told from a different POV.

A few things felt a little unrealistic in this book but I can overlook it. I just questioned the 8 month pregnant detective a little at times (IYKYK). But maybe I'm being too harsh.

I just know this book is going to be a huge hit!! Look for it on bookshelves March 1, 2022!!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc in exchange for my honest review

Alex Finlay definitely knows how to throw the hook in the very first chapter and keeps riling you in until the last page. So many mini-twists going on that you don't know what hits you until the end when everything unfolds. I enjoyed seeing Agent Badass Keller (from Every Last Fear) again. Great multi-character chapter structure, it makes it hard to put down the book.

Thanks Minotuar books, Alex Finlay and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Night Shift gave me everything I want out of a thriller: perfect pacing, exciting twists, characters I enjoy spending time with, solid writing. I loved the nostalgia brought in with the Blockbuster case and the short chapters/shifting POVs kept me turning pages long after I should have went to bed. Among the many thrillers I've read over the years, The Night Shift will stand out. A great read!!

3.5 stars - I was happy to see that in this second book I've tried from the author, the page turning, propulsive quality of the prose and pacing was still present! In terms of books that I just get sucked into and fly through, Alex Finlay is certainly on the list of authors who seems to consistently deliver. I also really like that we have secrets from the past without a full on dual timeline and that his books have a combo of law enforcement and domestic thriller POV protagonists, because I get some of the tropes that I like in domestic without a lot of the issues I often have with those main characters. (also, props to having a recurring detective who doesn't have a super angsty backstory - I'm so over that)
The things that kept me from loving this was that there were a lot of copy/paste elements from EVERY LAST FEAR. I wish that this had branched out a little bit more... granted, I was still entertained, so it wasn't a deal breaker, but hopefully the next one feels a little fresher

Wow wow WOW! Alex Finlay does it again!

It's 1999 and the world is in a full-blown panic for Y2K. A small town in New Jersey is rocked when a murder occurs at the local Blockbuster. There are 3 teenage employees murdered, and Ella is the sole survivor of the attack.

Fifteen years pass, and Ella is now a counselor who is self-sabotaging herself. Drugs, sex, alcohol... all methods to cope with the trauma of her past. Ella is rocked right back to 1999 when she is called to the hospital to work with Jesse. Jesse is the sole survivor of an eerily similar attach at an ice cream store where 3 teenagers are murdered. Ella and Jesse form an unlikely bond through their traumatic experiences.

This work has a mix of characters told from varying perspectives. Keller is a largely pregnant police officer, Chris is a lawyer with ties to the small town, and a mysterious YouTuber who has odd similarities to the teenager charged with the Blockbuster incident.

I could not get enough of this book. I LOVED everything about it, and could not get enough. I was very glad that life happened and I was unable to read this book from cover to cover in one sitting. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

New Year’s Eve 1999. The Blockbuster in Linden, NJ is packed with people renting movies to ring in a new year with some anxiety about what Y2K will hold.
At the end of the night, four teenage girls and their manager working the night shift are brutally attacked. Only one teen survives. Police are quick to arrest a local teen on circumstantial evidence, leading to his release, and he promptly disappears.

Fifteen years later in the same neighborhood, a group of teenage girls at the Dairy Creamery are attacked, leaving one survivor. Agent Keller with the FBI is called in consider the possibility that the two cases are connected.

The story is told from the perspectives of FBI Agent Keller; Ella, the survivor of the Blockbuster attack, now a therapist; and public defender Chris Ford. The complex case unfolds smoothly from all perspectives, allowing characters to develop naturally and drop some surprises on us along the way that kept me devouring the pages through the short but intense chapters seamlessly alternating points of view.
I loved all the twists and applaud Alex Finlay on yet another incredible mystery/thriller that felt entirely plausible with a solid plot and excellent climax.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Night Shift is scheduled for release on March 15, 2022.

This was my first read by Alex Finlay so I had no real expectations when I picked it up. Honestly I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put this one down! I’ve read a lot of thrillers (it’s my favourite genre) and I was pleasantly surprised.
This story follows a mass murder in 1999 and an eerily similar mass murder in the present day. With the 1999 suspect still at large, could it be the same killer?
There are a lot of characters but I loved how Finlay had everyone intricately connected in the end and all loose ends tied.
I’ll be adding Alex Finlay to my list of authors to watch!

This excellent thriller begins on New Year's Eve 1999 when someone comes into a Blockbuster video store and murders the manager and three of the teenaged employees, leaving only one badly injured survivor.

The story leaps ahead fifteen years and we learn that the survivor Ella has turned into a therapist who takes too many drugs and has sexual encounters with strangers. Clearly, she hasn't put those past events behind her.

Then she is called by Dale Steadman, who was a mentor for her when she was a student and who is now the high school principal, asking for her help because someone walked into an ice cream shop and murdered three young women leaving only a single survivor who refuses to talk to the authorities. Jesse Duvall is in foster care, is a budding journalist, and has a strong interest in the Blockbuster killings.

Eight-and-a-half-month pregnant FBI Agent Sara Keller is also called in because of the possible connections to the Blockbuster killings because the prime suspect was let out of jail on parole and disappeared. There is a federal warrant out for him. Vince Whitaker was identified through an anonymous phone tip as being at the Blockbuster that evening. After he disappears, the murder weapon is found in his school locker.

Another viewpoint character is Chris Ford who is a lawyer and a public defender. He was taken from his abusive father's home after his brother Vince disappeared. He was adopted by a loving couple, grew up, and became a lawyer. He has never given up searching for his brother because he can't believe Vince would have killed anyone.

The story weaves its way among the various viewpoint characters who are all well-rounded and interesting people. The clues to what really happened fifteen years ago at the Blockbuster and what happened now at the ice cream shop are gradually revealed.

This was a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down until I reached the very last page whereupon I heaved a sigh of relief.

This one a one day read for me! I was intrigued by the book description that mentioned Y2K, which is a moment in time that I lived through. I celebrated that New Years on the beach in Goa with my family. I distinctly remember wondering ever so briefly if the world truly was going to end or if the power would go out. It was a moment of holding our breaths and then laughing at how silly all the hype was. I digress, let's get back to The Night Shift by Alex Finlay, I enjoyed this book with its many 90s references and shifts over time with two extremely graphic murders happening 15 years apart in the same town. In both crimes, the kids are working the night shift, and only one survivor lives to tell the tale (albeit reluctantly). FBI agent Keller is called in to assist and figure out if there are connections between the two crimes and is partnered with Atticus (who is by far my favorite character in the book). This book is quick-paced, and although I figured out early on who committed the various crimes, the why was a surprise even to me. Worth reading, but you'll have to suspend reality a bit. I could have done without Keller being so close to her due date. It really didn't add much and instead, I found it took away from the plausibility of her being in the field during that time.

I'd probably give this 3.5 starts. Overall it was a good read and the story was interesting and moved quickly. It's pretty standard thriller material. There were a few spots where I felt like things drapped a bit or it was slightly confusing since it switches timeline and narrator a lot. Overall. a good read though!

Ohhh boy, I did not love this. The premise seemed awesome, but from the introduction of the EIGHT AND A HALF MONTHS PREGNANT WITH TWINS FBI agent (who is still on full active field duty, including 5am overtime calls and lots of violent situations) to the really awkward introduction of the ONE character of color in the entire book, I was leery pretty fast. I couldn't deal with Finlay's first novel, so perhaps I should've skipped this one, but, again, the late-90s premise got me. As for the overall plot...it was pretty freaking predictable, and I guessed the main whodunit aspect within the first 7%.

The Blockbuster nostalgia alone!!! Y2K, I was 19 and thinking everything would shut down at midnight.
I digress.
This is a solid read, I couldn’t put it down. I was pleased to see Agent Keller from Finlays last book, I liked her character and also love when authors weave in characters from their other books.
I was pretty sure I knew the perpetrator early on, but a few red herrings made me second-guess myself. I did feel like there were a few things that were presented and I would have liked a little more background on. For instance I’d like to know a little more about Stevie since the book opens with him. I feel like he was thrown by the wayside and deserved more story.
I think even though the ending wrapped quickly, it was satisfying and most loose ends were tied.
Thank you so much to Minotaur and netgalley for my review copy. This in no way affected my opinion.

I just love when a book pulls me in from page one just as this book did. The book starts with the gruesome murder of four people with only one survivor. Years later a similar murder occurs. The book is told from multiple perspectives and all leads the reader to a fantastic end where all questions are answered. Excellent thriller that kept me guessing

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay was not as engaging as I had hoped, but it was still a nice read. I enjoyed what I did read.