Remember the nerves and uncertainty in the air on the eve of Y2K?

That’s exactly where this book starts off, on December 31st, 1999 at a Blockbuster Video Store (oh, how I love the nostalgia). Four teenage girls are working with their young manager, and all but one of the workers are brutally murdered. A suspect is quickly arrested and released...never to be seen again.

15 years later, some teenage girls are working at an ice cream parlor in the same neighborhood. There is only one survivor.

Are the two crimes connected? Is the original suspect from 1999 back from wherever he went?

Told from the perspectives of Ella, the lone survivor of the Blockbuster murders, FBI Agent Keller, and Public Defender Chris, I immediately became immersed in the story, waiting to see how everything would intersect.

For the most part, The Night Shift is a gripping thriller with interesting characters, an intriguing and dark plot that sprinkles “a-ha” moments throughout, and enough tension to push through to the ending.

It’s not perfect, though. I found the way the characters received pertinent information to be a bit coincidental. One source of knowledge was pretty unbelievable, and I’m not sure how this particular individual would uncover so much information that has eluded the FBI, police, reporters, and the like. Additionally, the epilogue was way too HALLMARK-esque for my liking.

Author Alex Finlay has a surefire talent with his words. This is the second novel of his that I have read and truly enjoyed. While I didn’t quite love it as much as his previous offering, Every Last Fear, it’s still a worthy addition to my “read” shelf. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 3/1/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

What a thrilling thriller. It starts durong a shift in an old school Blockbuster and one of the oyees is murdered. Fifteen years later, a similar murder occurs in a different shop. The plot was fast paced and the character development was phenomenal. I loved it.

*4.5 stars

I liked this more than Alex’s first book. Right from the beginning it starts with a bang….well, more like a murder. With only one survivor, who 15 years later will help another lone survivor in an eerily similar murder scene. The chapters go from three pov’s, so you never get bored. Every chapter will have you questioning: who did it? Fast paced, clever, & surprising. I highly recommend this if you enjoyed his other book.

This was my first book to read by this author and I can’t wait to read more!! The characters are so well written and really stick with you long after you finish this unique story. Do yourself a favor and read this now!!

This book didn't work for me because it was too procedural for my liking. If the story had more about the 1999 crime and the present day crime, the story would be more action packed. I enjoyed Alex Finlay's last book, so I will not be providing a negative review on social media regarding my opinion of THE NIGHT SHIFT. I wish this book success and will continue to read the author's works.

A captivating mystery. This book has many twists and turns that make it impossible to put down. I was never bored and finished this book really quickly.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On New Years Eve 1999, at a Blockbuster video, 4 people were murdered and one survived. The survivor, Ella, now a therapist is called in to counsel Jess, the sole survivor of a multiple homicide at an ice cream store in the current day. The person believed responsible for the 1999 murders was released on a technicality and disappeared, never to be seen again. Did he come back to commit the latest murder? FBI agents Keller and Atticus lead the investigation.

Another fantastic one day read from this author! Every Last Fear was my favorite read of last year and this might be my favorite of this year. This was fast paced and filled with twists and turns. I never got bored. There were just enough characters to keep me guessing about who was up to what and new info kept turning up. I really had no idea who the murderer was. What a treat to sit on the dock on probably the last really nice day of the year and devour this book. I can't say enough good things. I am just sad that the wait for this author's next work will be so long.

I have been impatiently waiting for Alex Finlay’s next book since I finished Every Last Fear. And to say I was rewarded is an understatement. The Night Shift was everything I was waiting for and more.
Mr. Finlay can weave together characters seamlessly, no having to go back to remember who is who. And the premise was great. Two mass murders, 15 years apart. Are they related? Why was there a survivor from each? And who is the real killer?
I’m not going to give anything away. Brilliant book. I will begin impatiently waiting for the next!

Novels with the ‘final girls’ trope have me by the throat - like I go absolutely feral for these books - but I was ultimately let down by the direction that the plot and characters went in for both ‘Final Girls’ and ‘The Final Girl Support Group’. In contrast, I loved how the plot of ‘The Night Shift’ developed and I loved what the author did with the characters.

Like in ‘Every Last Fear,’ the author borrowed from real-life crimes in ‘The Night Shift’ - with this novel drawing some inspiration from the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders. I’ve read a lot of crime fiction novels whose plots borrow from the crimes of notorious murderers (there are a lot of fictional Zodiac Killers and Ted Bundys out there) but I had never seen a fictional take on this particular crime before, so I was interested to see how it played out across the pages. This is a ‘keeps you up way past your bedtime’ type of book; full of twists and turns that’ll grab your attention right away and keep you hooked until the end.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was excellent: four teenagers are murdered at a Blockbuster video store and one survives; then 15 years later the same thing happens to the teenage staff of an ice cream store. The suspect in the first case has been on the run for 15 years. Has he struck again or was he innocent?

This is told from the perspectives of Keller, a heavily pregnant FBI agent, Ella, the survivor of the Blockbuster incident, and Chris, the brother of the suspect. It held my interest throughout and was well-plotted, although I'm deducting half a star because I guessed the ending fairly early on.

Highly recommended.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley on Kindle for review. It is a story of teen rebellion and murder. There are red herrings, but the end is pretty easily discerned. The murders of teens…years apart…the discovery of a missing mom…teachers and counselors…can they be trusted…the characters in this book???? Police and FBI worked together to solve the mystery…the author brings the characters alive on the pages…no doubt what they are thinking or planning…looking forward to more from this author despite the rough language…

This was amazing. While I already had a gut instinct I would enjoy this, after reading the small sampler on netGalley for this book, it solidified it for me and I knew, instantly, that I was going to love this book and that’s exactly what happened. Finlay sucked me into the story almost immediately which is impressive because it does take me a while to get into a book itself. So credit to Alex Finlay for being able to do that.! 5 out of 5 stars!

Good book! This book had a great storyline! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder and a great who done it! It definitely had me glued to my kindle the entire time! I definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!