The action starts quickly in this thriller and dives right in. There are numerous characters to try and keep track of and the fast take off made it difficult to get to know or care about anyone before things start going down…this caused me to be more emotionally removed from the story more than I like to be.

The reader knows that 4 workers at a theater die, but it’s not clear which characters, so that mystery element was fun to discover as the story unfolds.

The main character, Jo, has PTSD from a time in her past when she was trapped and in danger, and now as a similar type of scenario unfolds, she has frequent flashes to that horrible moment in her mind. She also wants to be a Dr. and often reminds herself (and I mean over and over again) to take action and be brave. These frequent flashes of thoughts felt disruptive to the story as the MC constantly reminders the reader how she has been through trauma before and it quickly became redundant.

I’m sure the current situation Jo is in caused a lot of her trauma to resurface, but how the author constantly flashed back made the fluidity of the story suffer. The writing was clunky at times, and the style is very wordy which also tended to take away from the feeling rather than building it. The metaphors and similes were a bit much at times, too. BUT the overall atmosphere of a shut down and abandoned mall and the attached empty movie theater after hours was a fun setting for the storyline and I enjoyed that aspect. That was for sure a positive of this book. I also appreciated the tense and suspenseful scenes toward the end.

Overall, there were too many redundancy issues, inconsistencies, and not enough character endearment for me to love or recommend this book. I was hoping for a slasher similar to Scream but felt disappointed. I just don’t think this author’s writing style is for me but maybe would work better for others or more of a young adult audience.

I recieved an eARC of this title from Net Galley

The book starts with a press release with the headline: Four Found Dead in Apparent Mall Killing Spree.
After the last movie ends, Riverview Theaters will close its doors forever.
The rest of Riverview Mall is empty & boarded up.
There are 8 people working at Riverview Theaters on their closing night: 7 Teenagers- Hannah, Hudson, Jo, Lexie, Naomi, Quincy & Summer; The theater manager - Clayton

The teens phones and keys are locked in the safe in the manager’s office. After the lights go out, Jo goes to ask Clayton for their phones & keys so they can go home, but then she finds the body of one of her co-workers.

What follows is a suspenseful night of hide & seek with the survivors trying to find a way out & avoid the murderer

The reader knows who the murderer is very early on.

There are news reports, press releases, pieces of a letter, etc. between some of the chapters.

I really enjoyed this book, knowing the identity of the murderer does not take away from the suspense. I will definitely be buying this one for my high schoolers.

There is some cussing throughout the book and discussion of past traumas.

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The Riverview Theaters is closing forever, it's the last business that is open in a now closed shopping mall. All of the customers are gone and now it's time for Jo and her six coworkers to clean and lock everything up. Their manager is the only one with the keys but once the lights go out he's nowhere to be found and one of Jo's coworkers is found dead. Now Jo and the rest of her coworkers need to find a way out and the only way is through a mall that is getting ready to be demolished.
The premise of this book is what got my attention, but I think the execution fell short. Everyone is locked in this mall and they know the only way to survive is to leave the theater and go into the mall. I thought there'd be more of a mystery as to who was trying to kill the group but the killer is revealed at the beginning. The motive for why this person was chasing the group down wasn't revealed until the last couple of chapters. Jo our main character wants to be a doctor so we see her trying to help those who end up getting injured, she also has ptsd from an incident that happened when she was younger which is why she froze when she saw the killer's gun. I like the idea of running through an abandoned mall and its dark and you have to find your way out but this was just overkill, the killer was just deranged and the reasoning was not all there. I didn't remember most of the characters I thought there were too many and I was really waiting for the death toll to get up to four. I think the best part of this book was the little snippets of news articles and emails from people close to the victims. I think the book could have been better if we didn't know who the suspect was so early on or maybe someone snuck in and did it.

Four Found Dead, had an interesting synopsis that draws you in, but the execution of the book just falls short. I thought I'd be a fan of this book but it just didn't happen.

"The last show has ended, but the nightmare is just beginning.

Tonight, Riverview Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, a shift that quickly takes a dark turn.

First a stranger arrives with a chilling accusation. Then the power goes out and their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. The crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.

Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills them all."

Because I can't be the only one who loves horror stories set in abandoned malls right?

This was my first book by this author and the premise sounded really promising. I think it was an interesting plot choice to reveal the killer in the first third of the book. The pace does still pick up a bit after this but I felt like the story lost a little of its luster. We are still waiting for the motive to be revealed and the locked mall setting is a unique (and nostalgic!) choice. Not a bad read at all, just not my favorite

This is not one of my favorites from this author. It was more thriller than mystery. I had a hard time staying in the story.

This book definitely had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! I wasn’t sure I’d like this book because I wasn’t a fan of the authors previous book (Five Total Strangers) but I was pleasantly surprised! I was hooked from the beginning! If you like suspense and don’t mind YA books then definitely pick this one up.

I thought it was a good book, but it's not the best mystery I've ever read. I had high hopes for this but it kind of let me down a little bit. Not that much but it could've been a lot better.

I wanted to be glued to the book but sadly I missed the excitement. It was very predictable and that kind of threw me off a bit.

I did finish it and rated it 3 stars but I think it could have been better than it was. It had a lot of potential but it didn't meet my expectations.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an arc of this book in an exchange for an honest review!

Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards revolves around Jo and her friends that work in the Tempest Theater, that closes the doors after the last show has ended. A murderer awaits them...

This isn't the usual murder mystery book we know. The first surprise is that the book reveals the murderer in the first third of the book, but not the motive behind everything. So, I guess that's a different aspect of a murder mystery, which I don't have much feelings about. It works fine for this story.

I liked the writing that pulled me into the story from the very first pages. I love how the atmosphere is described and all. But in the end I wish there would have been more suspense.

Well, I didn't like it nor hate it. It was an okay read.

Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards

I loved the premise. The young adults working in a run down movie theatre on the brink of closing reminded me of the 90’s teen horror movie genre, which I am a fan of. However, this one lacked something that I can’t quite put my finger on. I think because the reader is aware of the killer so quickly that it lacked the mystery of a lot of horror stories.

The pacing & the tension really picked up in the second half, which helped grab my attention that was lacking in the first part.

If you are in the mood for a young adult thrilling horror, this could be a good recommendation for you!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Fire for the free arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Trigger Warnings: This book mentions &/or contains murder, violence, gun violence & gore.

I mean, it was ok. It kind of fell apart after being introduced to the murderer at the beginning, The pacing didn’t pick up and the characters fell flat.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Sourcebook Fire books for allowing me a chance to read a digital ARC of Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards. This YA thriller will be released May 2, 2023. All opinions are my own.

It's the last night for Riverview Theater and the teenage employees have plans to hit IHOP after work and reminisce over pancakes. Once the last customer leaves and the doors are locked, they hurry to finish their cleaning so they can get their phones and keys from the office safe and head out. After a stranger appears with angry accusations for their manager, the power goes out and their manager disappears. Before disappearing though, Jo is positive she saw him carrying a gun. Then Jo and the others find the body of one of their coworkers and they realize the severity of the situation. Locked in the theater with no access to their phones or keys, they determine their only route of escape is through the abandoned mall. Most of the doors have been boarded up or blocked and a deadly game of cat and mouse begins.

This book is full of suspense. The main focus is on escaping from the enraged manager who is slowly killing off his employees, but the question of why is he doing it is also carried throughout. Additionally, I liked Jo's backstory and how it added to the suspense, but also explained why she knew what to do in certain situations. Chapters are prefaced with lines from a mysterious narrator who is clearly one of the employees being chased, but isn't identified until the very end and newspaper clippings about the aftermath of the night. It's very well-structured and moves at a quick, heart-pounding pace. This book is perfect for those who enjoyed April Henry's Run, Hide, Fight.

I love a good YA thriller. But, this was less who dunnit' and more why dunnit'. You jump right in to the action and dive head first into murder.

A little too deep of a dive in the shallow end. By 25% you are really in the depth of the action and it's like you don't need to read the rest of the book.

A little slower of a burn would have benefited this one.

Thank you to the publishing team and NetGalley for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The teenage workers of a movie theater find their nightmares become reality when they become locked inside and someone ends up murdered. Desperate to escape, they must make their way through the deserted mall before it's too late.

This thriller was ok for me. If you liked Richards' last book, you probably will enjoy this one!

I revived this book as an ARC through NetGalley and FireReads in exchange for an honest review.
Natalie never misses. I am someone who typically doesn’t read suspense/murder mystery type books but I can never say no to her titles. This book was the first where I really felt immersed in the situation. Jo and the others are full of surprises that left me wanting more. I found myself questioning who the second narrator was the entire story. Every time I was sure of their identity, I was proven wrong. I cannot wait for her next book!

Four Found Dead starts with eight workers who finish their final shift at a movie theater. Before they’re able to clock out, one by one, they get killed. This story is different because you know who the killer is but it’s a wild ride as the characters are trying to survive the night.
It was a good thriller but a little boring and repetitive. It was a short easy read but nothing that stood out. If you like young adult thriller books- this would be the book for you! I didn’t mind the read but I would probably skip this book and pick up a different one- for my personal preference.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Four Found Dead will be released on May 2, 2023.

4⭐️ Wow, this book was so engaging and I loved the story. This is a thriller book that takes place during the closing night at a movie theater when things take a turn and chaos begins. We start off and also by the title know that four people die and then we watch the events of the night unfold. This thriller kept me engaged and by the end of each chapter I wanted to read more and find out what happens next. If you want to read a fast paced thriller then I would definitely recommend this book.

Four Found Dead Review

Thank you so much Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this gifted e read, in exchange for an honest review!! Four Found Dead is out May 2, 2023!

This book had a lot going for it. I have always loved a good mall setting and it definitely gives me 80s vibes whenever they are talked about. I’ve watched so many movies with malls, but never a book so I was super excited to dive in! Four Found Dead was a 2.5/5 ⭐️ for me! The whole book was a span of about an 8 hour night and it just really seemed to drag for me. It seemed very repetitive, kids just running around in a big mall. There were a lot of characters quickly introduced and not a lot of development. I really enjoyed the different formats of this book though! There were small interviews and quotes and letters at the end of each chapter that brought on complete dread.

Someone pinch me …

I just can’t snap out of the mood I got into while reading this one . My heart is racing, my pulse is pounding and my head is spinning .

I would love to say this was a skillfully planned out novel that must have taken endless amounts of time writing but that would not bring justice to the natural talent that emulates on each page flipped.

Natalie D. Richards, you are a unicorn.

I was completely consumed with Four Found Dead from the first chapter . I could not flip the pages fast enough, I just had to know what was going on .

I must have held my breath for 3/4th’s or this book. The twist was revealed and my jaw was on the floor . Just “wow!”

It was an honor to read and review Four Found Dead in exchange for an honest review .

Due out May 2, you don’t want to miss this one!

Teaser :

The last show has ended, but the nightmare is just beginning.

Tonight, Riverview Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, a shift that quickly takes a dark turn.

First a stranger arrives with a chilling accusation. Then the power goes out and their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. The crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.

Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills them all.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

3.5 stars! This one was a little rough at the beginning for me, just because I wanted it to be a little more mysterious and wasn't expecting it to mostly be a survival story. But I enjoyed the second half more as the action was exciting, there were some reveals, and I got invested in the characters and the relationships. Not a standout for me but still enjoyable!