This is your must read of 2022! This book drew me in from the first chapter and kept the momentum going until the very last page

Two murders fifteen years apart, this story jumps between the POV of the the only survivor of the first murder, the brother of the accused and the FBI agent. Both murders are eerily similar and the race is on to solve the second one while drawing details from the first.

So many twists and turns I did not see coming! Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced digital ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own

I was excited to received this ARC through Net Galley because I loved Finlay's last book. I was certainly not disappointed with this one. Are the recent brutal murders of some teenage girls related to a similar crime 15 years in the past? Each crime resulted in a single survivor who are both main characters. Secrets abound with a pregnant FBI agent trying to figure out the mystery. I was still trying to figure out the killer (killers?) until the very end. I would highly recommend reading this one.

Great and original thriller! Some parts were a little predictable and there were so many narrators that I got confused at times, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the well-written story. I look forward to more from this author!

Thanks for the chance to read a book by this author, I have never read him before. The story in this book is told by letting us know what happened to some people working the night shift at Blockbuster back in 1999, and then it also shifts to the present, with something happening to some people working the night shift at an ice cream store. The earlier killer was caught, but then released and vanished before his trial. The cases are so similiar...could it be the same person from 15 years ago, or a copy cat killer? Too many of the same people have ties to both cases. I enjoyed the book and was surprised at some of the twists, especially the last one. I did not see that coming. I will probably look for more books by this author.,

This book was very meh for me. The plot seemed amazing when I read the synopsis and right up my alley. However I just could not connect to the writing or any of the characters. It felt very surface level. I normally enjoy books that switch perspective but in this case it felt messy, either repeating information or making things confusing.

After about halfway through, I was curious to keep reading and find out what happened, but I was left disappointed. There’s something that gets teased throughout the book, making you think it’s going to be super important, but then it just falls flat- why even include that? The final result made no sense to me because I don’t know how Ella wouldn’t have known who it was.

I wouldn’t have finished this book if not for receiving it for review, because it just did not draw me in at all.

This really held my attention and I flew through this. I liked the mystery and the characters and the writing was solid. I also liked that there was an epilogue to get a glimpse into the future.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Five stars for this Jersey-based multiple homicide mystery. As a Jersey girl who worked in a video store and lived in Union County, I appreciated everything about this book.

The Night Shift opens with a multiple homicide in a Blockbuster video in the nineties (sigh, the nostalgia) and jumps to the present day fallout. The heartache in this book is only exceeded by the intrigue.

I loved the use of the vlog transcripts, especially the epilogue.

Genre: thriller
Pub date: Mar 1, 2022
In one sentence: Two night shift killings fifteen years apart stun a small town - are these murders linked?

The premise of this book is really intriguing, and I liked that both crimes had a "final girl" who survived the carnage and was motivated to catch the killer. Ella, the final girl turned therapist, was my favorite character - I enjoyed seeing her bond with and help young victim Jesse. The 1990s vibe was strong in the past timeline - who else remembers going to Blockbuster to rent a movie on Friday night? So nostalgic.

This book was a 3 star read for me because the stakes just weren't high enough - there wasn't as much tension as I expected. Given the 90s references, I thought this would be much more intense and slasher movie-esque. Ultimately, it just didn't keep me on the edge of my seat the way I wanted it to. But it was still a quick read with some twists I didn't see coming, and of course I did not guess the culprit. You would think I would be better at guessing endings by now given how many thrillers I read.

Review posted to Goodreads 11/20/21, to be posted to Instagram closer to pub date.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3 Stars!!!
I remember New Year’s Eve December 31, 1999. Y2K!
Most were sure we were going to wake up be in total chaos ~ who knew that the real chaos wasn’t
going to the next day but 911 the next year and the pandemic 20 years later?
Story starts on New Year’s Eve 1999 at a Blockbuster Video store in Linden, New Jersey; four teenage girls working late are attacked and only one girl, Ella survived. Fifteen years later, four teens are working late at the Dairy Creamery are attacked and again only one girl Jesse survives.
Thus bad things happen during ‘the night shift’.
Jesse the recent survivor only wants to speak Ella the survivor from fifteen years ago as she is now a therapist.

FBI Agent Sarah Keller is put on this case, although she is 8 ½ month pregnant she is willing to take the case. But is she taking on one or two cases? Are these cases related? If they are, why are there fifteen years in between?
Hmm read on and you will soon find out!!

This was a WOW great. I had to stop near the end as so much was happening. I tend to read fast and then have to reread to make sure I read what I thought I read!

I read "Every last Fear" but it wasn’t a big wow for me ~ This is GREAT!!!

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 1, 2022

15 years after the Blockbuster murders, everyone's getting flashbacks. There's been another midnight massacre, this time at an ice cream shop. And the accused killer is still in the wind. Is he back with a vengeance? Is there a copycat? Just like last time, there is a sole survivor -- and she'll only talk to the other survivor. What does she know?

This story takes place partly during Y2K and mostly in 2015. It's told in multiple POVs (the lone Blockbuster survivor turned therapist, an enthusiastic but damaged young lawyer, and an unbelievably badass and extremely pregnant FBI agent) yet the intertwining stories remain balanced and not too tangled. I didn't know Agent Keller was a repeat character, so even if this is your first Alex Finlay title, you won't have any trouble following the character arcs.

The Night Shift is a textbook thriller that culminates in the high-octane battle you'd expect from the decades of tense buildup. You might be able to guess whodunit and you might struggle to suspend your disbelief, but it was a great book anyway. Nail-biting in all the right places, perfectly paced, and twisty to the max.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I was a fan of his first book and this one did not disappoint. I feel like the "Final Girl" aspect is really popular right now, but wasn't overplayed. The twists made sense & I had a hard time guessing who the killer was. I would recommend this book to my family, friends, and anyone who likes thrillers!

It’s New Year’s Eve, Y2K and the local Blockbuster Video is soon to close. Staffed by four people, one takes a break and heads for the bathroom. The other three are brutally attacked and murdered to be discovered by the lone survivor. Quickly a suspect is identified. The boyfriend of one of the staff members, who is released after his initial questioning and disappears, never to be reapprehended despite frequent sightings from around the world.

Fast forward 15 years. Four teen-agers working at the local ice cream shop are getting ready to close. One takes her break only to return and find the other three brutally murdered in a manner eerily similar to the murder 15 years previous at Blockbuster. Authorities are called in and the investigation is led by FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller.

A riveting thriller that promises to keep you on the edge of your seat . My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an uncorrected digital copy which I can recommend without hesitation.

Remember back to New Years Eve 1999, when we were all told that all the computers wouldn’t be able to shift over to the 2000’s and the world as we knew it was going to collapse into itself? Well that’s where this story starts out.
Everyone was partying like it’s 1999 and the local Blockbuster store in Linden, NJ was doing its typical business, with 4 high school girls working the store with their manager. Their working the typical night shift not knowing what was ahead for them and it had nothing to do with Y2K. They were all attacked, leaving only one survivor, Ella.
Fifteen years later, in an almost identical situation, four more teenage girls are attacked in the town ice cream store in Linden, NJ, again leaving one survivor, Jesse.
Now Ella, who was become a therapist is called in to help Jesse try to recover from the trauma since she is not only trained but has also survived the same kind of trauma. One of the girl’s boyfriend’s was promptly arrested but when he was released on bail, he immediately disappeared and hasn’t been seen since that night. Since the crimes are so similar, could he be back? But what connects the two crimes together? His brother has now become a public defender and has maintained his innocence all these years gets involved in the case when the local police call in the FBI to investigate and they all try to figure out the if, how and why in the 2 cases.
I can typically put thrillers together pretty quickly but this one had me stumped at times. There was nothing far fetched and out in left field, which I liked. It felt like things that could really happen. And there were definitely some things that I didn’t see coming! Well done. I will for sure be reading more from this author.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

A Riveting Read!

The Night Shift is a compulsively readable thriller about the night crew of a Blockbuster being murdered on New Year’s Eve in 1999. Fast forward 15 years and the closing crew of a local ice cream shop is offed the same way. Is it a copy cat or has the original thriller come out of hiding?

The novel opens on the eve of Y2K--there’s tension in the air from the fear of what will happen when the world meets the 21st century. This scene brought me back to the time when movie rental stores existed, and it made me nostalgic until the employees were brutally murdered. My nostalgia quickly ended there.

The Night Shift is told from multiple POVs: Ella, the lone survivor from the Blockbuster murders, Sarah Keller, FBI agent, and Chris, an assistant prosecutor, who holds a connection to the suspected murderer. In addition to this trio, there are many characters to keep track of--the victim’s families, the school principal, some cops, and Jesse, the lone survivor of the ice cream murders. At times, I was a little confused regarding who was who, but these scenes involved minor players.

Chris and Ella’s stories were the most intriguing. Agent Keller, who features in Every Last Fear, was the stable link between the other two characters.

Each chapter ends with a little tidbit or cliffhanger that made me want more, but sadly the perspective would switch to another character, and I would get annoyed! This aspect of the novel irked me, but not enough to fully impact my enjoyment level.

This is a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller. I guessed the killer very early on (it seemed rather obvious), but this didn’t bother me. There were some surprises along the way of the dots being connected. I had a few issues with the plot and some of the characters, but I chose to ignore them! Overall, The Night Shift is a gripping thriller that kept me turning the pages.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Shift was a perfect thriller to help prep me for my own night shifts at work. I enjoyed the eerie nighttime feel of the story and that a familiar character from Finlay's previous novel, Every Last Fear, was brought back for this investigation. I always appreciate short chapters as well. The plot twists made for a great thriller story and I look forward to more books from this author in the future.

It was a bit of a false advertisement for those hoping for the nostalgic feel of this story in regards to a murder taking place inside a Blockbuster Video store. Sadly this part of the plot was told in flashback and was only a tiny part of the book, while the rest took place in the present at an ice cream shop.

Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for a physical and digital advanced copies of The Night Shift!

ambitious! the plot is really tense and engaging but finlay manages to write characters equally as compelling. having read every last fear, i'd say he has a knack for it. quite good.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

Remember Y2K? We begin on NYE, circa 1999. A mass murder takes place at a Blockbuster Video. The suspect goes missing, leaving behind unanswered questions.

Fast-forward to present time, and a new murder scene at an ice cream shop looks eerily similar. Is the killer back in town, ready to wreak havoc yet again?

Lots of twisty reveals and solid thrills in this new one by Finlay. I found many of the characters to be complicated in morally grey, true-to-life ways. Our main character is a pregnant (with twins) FBI agent, and I love that she is a badass despite her “condition,” because so often pregnant women aren’t seen/treated that way. This one is a well-crafter thriller with developed characters that should be a good fit for most thriller lovers.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you St Martin’s Press & NetGalley for eArc access in exchange for an honest review

A solid suspense-thriller, I enjoyed this novel. There were a lot of characters, which was a bit hard to track at first, but they were well-written and I liked a few of them quite a bit. Predictable (I guessed the culprit fairly early), but worth the read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

The Night Shift is a very solid follow-up to Every Last Fear!

It didn't really grab me at first but I'm continually impressed by how Finlay can write his characters beyond surface level. You feel a lot of sympathy for your characters, but maybe a bit less so the police. The twists are as always a focal point but it ended up being the smaller things that made The Night Shift work for me.

Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read The Night Shift by Alex Finlay. This is the second book that I read by this author. He has a great way of presenting complex mysteries that make you want to keep reading late into the night.
This book is presented in two different timelines, 1999, when we were all anxiously waiting for Y2K and fifteen years later in 2015. Both timelines involve high school students working the night shift at Blockbuster (1999), and an ice cream store (2015). Both involve mass murders with one survivor in both cases. The big question is- are these related and if so, how?
FBI agent Keller is tasked with trying to find the possible killer from the first case, while also getting involved with the second case. She works alongside with a new, young detective whom she admires for his tenacity.
While the story shifts back and forth between the two cases, the author ties everything up at the end. This book is highly recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries.