This is tricky because it reminded me of This is Where it Ends, but also felt like an improvement on parts that I did not like about it. It's interesting because I like knowing the Who early, but knowing the Who early was part of the problem with this one.

“Four Found Dead” by Natalie D. Richards follows Jo on the last night of her movie theater job. As she and her friends are cleaning up, there is an altercation with the manager that sets everything into motion. The power goes out and suddenly their creepy manager disappears. With all the doors locked, and their phones in a safe, the group must find their way out- through the abandoned mall connected to the theater. But their manager has a gun and enough rage to do something with it. Will they make it out before it’s too late?

I love a locked room mystery. It’s probably one of my favorite tropes. This book takes a different spin on it, by giving you the killer almost from the beginning and having you try to place the motive, while the time on the clock ticks down. This locked room in particular is interesting because it’s a closed mall, that’s being prepped for remodel. (Also, I will always love a book set in Ohio, I can’t help it).

I really liked the cast of characters and felt like they kept things interesting. Put enough people in a fight or flight situation and the results will always be conflicting. Jo’s past makes her an asset in this situation, as sad as that is to say, and she makes a great main character.

In the end, I gave this one 4 stars. It was fast paced and interesting, and it took a storyline that I enjoy, but added something new to it.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book comes out on May 30th!

I read another compelling thriller by this author set in a library a few years ago, so when this popped up on NetGalley I immediately requested it.

The setting of a movie theater closing for the last time and a dark shopping mall that’s already shuttered provides so many opportunities. I was excited to see what the author did with it. You many wonder why these teens didn’t just call for help or leave. It wasn’t that easy. As employees, their phones are locked up in a safe during their shift, they don’t have keys to the theater doors, breaking reinforced windows isn’t an option, and mall exit doors are boarded up. It’s essentially a locked room murder, which is one of my favorite types of mystery. Except the identity of the murderer is known almost immediately. For me, that took away from my enjoyment because trying to figure out who did it is part of the fun. The motive also isn’t crystal clear.

Jo experienced a horrifying trauma as a child and tries to protect her co-workers as she did her younger sister at that time. Because of that, her survival instincts are better than most of her friends. With her cast of friends, other than Naomi and Rebecca I had a difficult time distinguishing between them in their dialogue. The action begins almost immediately, and the first body drops pretty early in the story. After that, it’s a game of cat and mouse as the killer stalks them in the abandoned mall.

I liked the addition of the epilogue at the end. It’s set three months later and lets the reader see how the survivors are doing. If knowing the identity of the murderer early (it’s really not a secret at all) isn’t a deterrent, this may be an enjoyable thriller/suspense novel for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This started out exciting and thrilling but as the book progressed became repetitive and slowed down considerably. I loved the setting and the premise but it went on longer than it needed to. I think it would have been better if we didn’t know who the killer was all along. I’m also still not sure what the motive was so this feels unfinished to me. It’s a quick, enjoyable read but not quite what I wanted it to be.

The premise of this story was so good and I think it was just ok in my opinion. I do think stories where we find out early on who the killer is can be done well but in this case I think it took away from the excitement and adrenaline rush we love from thrillers. I wanted more feeling from this one. If you're looking for a decent locked room mystery, I would say give this a try but overall not my fave.

Natalie Richards is becoming a favorite author. Her books are full of twists and turns. I find myself immediately wanting to discuss and recommending all her books. Four Found Dead may have to make it as a monthly selection at my book club.

Four Found Dead is a dark, twisty closed-room murder thriller. It is captivating from the beginning and the action just keeps coming. The intensity levels are through the roof. I absolutely loved this book! I never would have thought that a killer let loose in a defunct mall would be such a great premise for a book, but Natalie D. Richards proved me wrong with her exquisite and terrifying writing.

Going through these traumatic events with our heroine Jo is a trip, like one with bad mushrooms or so I have heard. You feel the characters terror. The writing is so good that you feel like you are there with them, and I liked the interludes with newspaper clippings, post-event interviews and diary entries.

I think that anyone that loves psychological thrillers should definitely read this book. It is one of the best ones I have read this year. That being said, if you are someone that doesn’t deal well with morbid descriptions and light gore then this might not be for you. I would suggest that you check out trigger warnings before diving into this one, because the writing is so descriptive.

Overall, I loved this book and will be recommending it to all of my fellow thriller readers. It was so well-written and just a wild ride. I can’t wait to see what Natalie D. Richards does next, she is fast becoming an auto-buy for me.

I just found this so disappointing. The premise sounded exciting, teenagers stuck in an abandoned shopping mall with a killer chasing them. Unfortunately what it turned out to be was a boring game of cat and mouse where we knew who the killer was the entire time. There weren’t any shocks or twists and I found it very tedious at times. We were told some things over and over again until I could barely stand to carry on. The only thing that kept me going was the thought that maybe it would have an amazing twist at the end, but unfortunately it just wasn’t the case.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire, and Natalie D. Richards for the advanced copy of Four Found Dead in exchange for my honest review.

I will keep this short and sweet. This was entertaining, but there was nothing earth shattering about it. It's unique in that we know who the bad guy is right away, but for me the "final twist" fell a little short. There's a part that happens earlier in the book that kind of spoils what a great twist this could have been.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this author's writing style and wouldn't hesitate to read another of her books in the future.

I was very excited to read this book because I've read other books from this author, and it definitely did not disappoint, so thank you for the advanced copy Netgalley! I was hooked from the beginning, I always love a great horror/thriller genre story, and this had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through. You learn to love the characters who endured the situation that occured more as the story unfolds. I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to see what else the author has in store next!

Natalie Richards is a wonderful author who will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. In this book, the Riverview Theater is closing its doors, for good. Jo and her coworkers have the unpleasant task of performing the final shift...ever.

Enter a stranger delivering an eerie accusation, along with the power going out and people disappearing. Add to that, all the phones and safe items are stuck inside a safe, which the missing coworker has the keys for.

Being shut up in a derelict mall forces everyone to try and get out of this last shift...alive.

This dark and twisty thriller will keep you on your toes. Like all of Natalie D. Richard's books, it is hard to put down and there is no figuring out the motive until she decides to tell you what it is.

I am drawn in by locked room mysteries - and the premise of this one in a closed mall drew me in. However right from the start, this made me too uncomfortable and I pretty quickly decided this is not for me and to DNF. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

This one keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way. Remnants of Starcourt Mall in stranger things without the supernatural aspect. Great and thrilling for YA audiences.

Thank you to Natalie, Sourcebooks Fire, and Netgalley for an advance copy of Four Found Dead.

The movie theater where Jo works is closing, joining the rest of the abandoned mall that it is attached to. The final show is tonight and when the doors close for the final time, they plan to hit a restaurant to celebrate. While the closing is bittersweet, none of them can wait to be done with their manager who enjoys making their lives hell. As the clean up is completed and the crew is waiting to collect their phones and keys, their manager gets into an altercation with an unexpected guest that sends the entire night off track and into danger.

When Jo finds one of her coworkers dead and the lights go out plunging them into darkness, she is left to figure out how to make it through the night and out of the locked and boarded up mall. The survivors are now in a race to stay quiet, play defense, and find safety while a predator with a gun stalks in the shadows, taunting and fully prepared to kill again.

Abandoned/closed/empty malls have always been high on my creep factor, so I couldn’t resist picking this one up. It was a nice change of pace for some of the thrillers I’ve been reading lately that are much more slow burn and character-driven. This was 100% high speed, plot-driven, but still gave us enough about the characters that we wanted to know and cared about what could happen to them. It had me flipping the pages as fast as possible, lots of suspense and uncomfortable moments.

The things that I feel were lacking are pretty typical in YA thrillers - there are some plot holes and questions that we don’t get answers to…but if you think too long when you read this genre, you’re bound to find them even in the most seasoned thriller writer. The plot is supposed to be exaggerated and just unrealistic enough that you still feel as though all of the events unfolding *could* happen.

to be perfectly honest, this plot was fantastic but just executed very poorly. I thought it was going to go in a way different direction than it actually did, and I was a bit disappointed, sadly.

books that hook me in like natalie richards did in the first chapter are usually such a win for me! from the very start (and of course, the title), the reader knows that four people will end up dead. but the mystery surrounding the circumstances and the chance is what keeps me going - and revealing the killer also in the first chapter was a poor move, in my opinion.

by revealing the big "plot twist," the rest of the story felt boring and repetitive. I felt like I read the last chapter of the book first before going back to the beginning and starting over.

thank you to netgalley and sourcebooks fire for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: dry creek zinfandel

I'm not sure if I misunderstood something in the beginning, or if the writing was unclear, but I didn't fully connect to this novel. It has an interesting premise, but I don't think it delivers. I think this one would actually be better as a movie; its more of a visual story. I enjoyed that it was set in a newly-shut down movie theater, and the tension was definitely there. There was something missing for me, though.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

For an easy read this book still gave me such a great story. There was always something happening and throw in another twist and it finished with a bang. Well done

This was a fast paced thriller with an interesting setting. I liked that the story dove right in, giving us news blurbs about the murders then immediately introducing the cast. This was easy to follow and almost sped by with the amount of tension and action.

We really only got to know the main character Jo, since there wasn't much time to delve into the others. I would have liked a bit more backstory on everyone and think this could have been a bit longer to accommodate that and flesh things out a bit more.

The ending wasn't really a surprise or a twist for me, but I did enjoy reading about Jo and the others struggling to hide from a killer and escape with their lives.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the copy.

This is a solid title. A dead mall is an excellent setting, and the author does a good job creating suspense. Ultimately, I don't think this title was for me, but other readers will certainly enjoy it.