This was my second book by Alex Finlay and I really enjoyed it more than the first. I loved the throwback nostalgia of a blockbuster video. The multiple POV also made this book fly by. I was on my toes until the end and did not guess who was guilty! I am excited to read anything by Finlay in the future. Thank you netgalley

I could not put this book down. What a ride! It had twists and turns, and it was unpredictable. The characters were interesting and well developed. I enjoyed the perspectives of Ella and Agent Keller and how each of their stories played out. There were some hair raising moments along the way, and it propelled the story to its conclusion. I will be recommending this one to friends and reading more from this author. Bravo!

This was such an interesting read.

It's one of those books where I guessed within 50 pages who was behind Everything, however there were so many twists and turns that the book had me second guessing my theory.

There were so many subplots and mysteries mixed in that I was constantly on the edge of my seat and had to keep turning the page to get some answers.

I wish we had a little more context at the end of the book as to what happened immediately after the climax of the book but I understand not every single book's loose ends with be tied up like a gift with a pretty little bow.

Definitely read this one, I'm sure there will be a lot of talk around it upon release.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the gifted copy in exchange of an honest review

Nice work, Alex! Being a 90s blockbuster kid, I loved those vibes. I think the multiple perspectives worked for this particular book, and I definitely felt like I was constantly on my toes trying to figure things out! I will recommend this one to friends.

Alex Finlay follows up his 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, with The Night Shift, a fast-paced suspenseful novel that centers on a pair of small-town murders that occur fifteen years apart.

Told from multiple points of view — an FBI agent, a victim and the brother of an alleged murder — the book opens at a Blockbuster video store on Dec. 31, 1999, where four people are murdered and one survives. Fifteen years later, a similar crime occurs in the same town. Is it a copycat crime or has the killer struck again?

Readers of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley will enjoy the quick pace and simple complexity of this book. The chapters are short but intense, and the red herrings are abundant. The author doesn't waste time on unnecessary details, making it a quick and easy read (though, I must admit I felt a few of the storylines were a bit rushed and wrapped up a little too conveniently). I also appreciated the character development, and I found myself rooting for the not-so-perfect "heroes" of the story.

I give this book 4/5 stars. The book is fast-paced and clever, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller. I devoured this page-turner over Christmas weekend, reveling in every twist and turn. The first page sucked me in, and the book held my attention to the very end.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books for sharing an advance reader copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This was the kind of murder mystery/thriller that I love! It kept me guessing until the very end, and I never wanted to put it down. This was my first book of Alex Finlay’s, but now I really need to read everything else he’s done.

I love it when I get an Advanced Copy of a book I really want to read. A group of teenagers were murdered at the Blockbuster back in 1999 and now a similar murder has happened. Is it the same killer?

I couldn’t finish a book in over a month. Every book I started bored me to death. But this one ended that! It grabbed me immediately and didn’t let go. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I never was confused. I loved the characters of Keller and Ella. My only issue with this book at all is I did figure out who the killer was early on. Still though, it made me want to find out if I was right.

I definitely recommend this one if you like books that will have you suspicious of every character and keep you guessing. It made me want to read EVERY LAST FEAR by Alex as well!

This was a great mystery read! There was a copycat murder from a long time ago. The one survivor from the last murder is trying to help the one survivor from this murder. There are several different story lines going on and I was trying to figure our how all of the pieces fit together. There were a few twists and turns along the way that I didn't expect so that kept me engaged. I enjoyed this book and will be looking for other books by this author. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this advanced copy to read.

4.5 stars rounded up for this thoughtfully interwoven mystery that truly kept me guessing. Not so twisty as to be unbelievable, but surprising enough to make it worth the (super quick) read.

It starts with a bang and just keeps going. This is a thriller you pick up and do not want to put down. Two mass murders, years apart - what ties them together? Who is it, and why?

Grab this one.

New Years Eve 1999, five young adults are brutally incapacitated in the breakroom of their workplace. Miraculously, one survived.

Fifteen years later, two sisters and their manager are murdered in a recognizable fashion at their workplace. Leaving one survivor.

Could these two events be connected? Has the fugitive returned to strike again?

Alex Finlay grabs his readers and does not let go in his novel The Night Shift. One easily gets lost within the pages as Alex showcases his ability to create an intense plotline geared to keep you guessing.

Although Alex exemplifies his ability as a writer with little to no spelling and grammatical errors, the amount of profanity was highly overused. Unfortunately, this took away from truly being able to immerse oneself within the pages, ultimately resulting in a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

This story does include some graphic details that may cause one distress. Please read with caution if affected by any of the following: alcohol and drug use (including underage), bullying, depression, self-harm (including cutting), suicide, physical and emotional abuse, foster care, group homes, murder, mangled and bloody bodies, knife and gun violence, theft, indecencies with a minor, smuggling contraband, homelessness, abandonment, and abduction.

An edge of your seat, pure adrenaline rush, The Night Shift, is the definition of a page turner. Make sure to grab this thrilling mystery when it releases on March 1, 2022.

Thank you to #TheNightShift, #AlexFinlay, #MinotaurBooks, #StMartinsPress, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy and give my honest review.

Original Post found at: https://www.literarylioness.net/post/night-shift-review

Ella is the lone survivor of a brutal attack at a Blockbuster on New Year’s Eve, 1999. Now, fifteen years later a similar killing spree happens at a local ice cream shop leaving many to wonder if the same person has hit again or if the town has a copycat killer out there.

Ella is now a counselor helping others deal with their trauma. She is called on to this case because there is a survivor- another young female. As the FBI investigates, Ella and the young survivor come together to find out what happened back in 1999 and to uncover who is responsible for the recent murders.

I found this story to move a little slow and while the premise was good, I guessed early on who was behind the attacks so there weren’t many surprises left to shock me. If you enjoy police procedural stories, you can check this one out on March 1, 2022. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this advance reading copy.

I devoured this authors first book, Every Last Fear. It was amazing and The Night Shift is just as great!

This story is told from multiple points of views, so you get a view of the story from different angles.

Ella, Chris and Keller will keep you on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, just waiting to see what happens next!

You will suspect every single character of being the evil, twisted murderer. Alex Finlay gives you a million pieces of the puzzle to put together and will blow your mind when you get the last piece to fit.

I think this author is becoming a favorite of mine...an instant one click author. I can't wait to see what he give us next!!

I found this a fun to read book. It had a good mixture of mystery and suspense. In addition, there were enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested. This is a book which I would recommend to others.

Earlier this year I read and really enjoyed Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay and was so happy to find that this too was a hit for me. I used to be a manager at Blockbuster and ne of the killing sprees happens at a Blockbuster so that added to my enjoyment so much. This was a very fast paced read for me, so much so that I read it in a day. I loved the two timelines format SO much and also the different points of view from a few different characters was enlightening and I was able to really get into the characters heads and frame of mind. I felt for the "survivors" they are both very strong women and I loved that they were portrayed that way.

I would have given this five stars but I figured out one of the reveals pretty early on. It didn't stop me enjoying the rest of the book and I was surprised by the ending, I really loved it that not everything was tied up neatly into a little bow and there were some other shocking surprises along the way. I can't wait to read what Alex Finlay comes up with next. He is becoming an automatic "want to read" for me. I highly recommend this one.

I love being hooked by characters but in this book it wasn't each character individually, but the entirety of the characters interacting. This had an interesting plot that seems to come right from popular true crime stories and puts a personal spin on it. Some of the plot seemed a little too tidy, but it was a fun read.

This book was good but started better than it ended. It was a bit confusing at the end but started off super strong. I loved the Blockbuster nostalgia. I feel like they were trying to have too many storylines and should have stuck to fewer. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

3⭐
This was my first read from Alex Finlay. This book was a good, suspenseful thriller with a murder mystery. We get several points of view throughout the whole novel.
A group of teens working the night shift at a blockbuster in NJ on new year's eve 1999, are found violently murdered. Fifteen years later an ice cream shop in the same town is attacked in the same way. The link between the two is at both scenes there was one girl who survived.
It was interesting to get the pov of both these girls along with some law enforcement also. I will say this was by no means a new favorite. It was very well written and plotted, but it did seem like I had read this plot before many times. I will still pick up more from the author, and enjoyed my reading experience.
Night Shift is set to release in March 2022. Thank you to net galley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Finlay is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors! I read this book in one whole sitting and I was hooked from the get go! I’ll have to admit books from multiple perspectives are not particularly my favorite because sometimes it takes a while for the author to make a point because we kept having to go back-and-forth with the perspectives, but Alex Finaly keeps it together where I didn’t get lost! The characters are extremely likable because some characters in mystery thrillers tend to be unnecessarily cold but these characters had a lot of dimension to them to where you actually feel for them and what happens! There was so much shock factor in this book to where I was actually talking and asking questions out loud to myself because I was trying to figure it out as well! I will say though that as much as I love when a woman doesn’t let pregnancy stop her from doing her job, there is no police force on earth that will let a woman 8 1/2 pregnant with twins work on an active case in the field lol! There were some people that I would have liked to have known their outcome but I can live with how it ended. I’m VERY excited for this author after having read Every Last Fear, his writing has definitely progressed and I’m so excited to see what else he’s going to write!