If you’re a fan of Riley Sager, I believe you’ll enjoy this. I won’t say it was complex, I confidently and correctly guessed the twist. It was still pretty intriguing no enjoyable.

I received a digital advance copy of The Night Shift by Alex Finlay via NetGalley. The Night Shift is scheduled for release on March 1, 2022.

The Night Shift weaves together two murderous events: the killing of three employees at a Blockbuster in 1999 and the similar killing of three employees at an ice cream shop in the current day. Both events left behind one young female survivor.

The story is told from the point of view of three characters. One is the survivor of the 1999 killing. The second is the brother of the disappeared suspect of the 1999 killing. The third is an FBI agent assigned to the case. All three points of view are told from the current day, and all three are loaded with flashbacks to the events of the past.

For me, the three points of view and their respective flashbacks initially posed a difficultly in the story. With three points of view, relatively short chapters, and multiple accessory characters in both the present story and in the flashbacks to the past, I struggled to keep track of who was who and who had experienced what in the first half of the novel. It might have been easier for me to ground the characters and the story if the novel had taken more time in the first half to expand on both past and present day events.

I also noticed some inconsistencies in the characters. One of the point of view characters in particular, had some large swings that did not make sense for the character and the story. It almost felt as if the author had tried writing the character in a couple of different ways, and not quite edited him back together in the end.

In the end, the twists of the story did work. Revelations as to what had happened fit together with earlier information in the novel. Some of these revelations I did figure out before the pivotal moments, but others were surprising to me, just as you would want in a suspense/ thriller novel.

Overall, The Night Shift worked as a thriller. I would have liked a bit more time with characters and events early in the novel to better pull me into the story, but found the tale as a whole satisfying.

A slow burning build to a shocking climactic end! Two multiple murders 15 years apart with one lone survivor. How are they connected? Has the suspected murderer returned? Why has the murderer waited 15 years to kill again? This novel is told from multiple perspectives giving the reader a view into the main characters and the murder investigation. Alex Finlay does a great job of hooking your interest till the very end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved Alex Finlay's Every Last Fear, so when I saw The Night Shift, I was doing a happy dance when I was approved to read it!

This book brought back many nostalgic feelings. I was a freshman in high school in 1999 and went to the local Blockbuster practically every Friday night. I enjoyed every bit of this book. The characters were so relatable and well-developed. This story was so unique. I loved all the twisty moments, jaw-dropping ending, and how the characters are connected. Alex Finlay is a master at creating characters!

I was sure I had figured out who committed the murders when I was about 70% through, but then I was crazy surprised at who the killer really was!

This is going on my best thrillers of 2022 list! I highly recommend this one!

I will post my review on instagram: @thrillersandcoffee

What a twisted, crazy story with cliffhangers and serial killers.

What is not to love about The Night Shift.

The pages fly by as the two timelines fifteen years apart there is two different multiple victim murders occur.

One is at Blockbuster, I could smell the popcorn and the other at an Ice Cream Shop.

One surviving victim each place

Many twists and turns and heart stopping moments that keep the lights on and the pages turning.

Did I guess the ending: no.

I am a huge fan of Alex Finlay and have my fingers crossed for another heart stopping book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for a roller coaster of a read.

I liked this but it was hard to follow at times I felt. I also felt like it was very slow in the beginning and took a while to really come together for me. Once it came together I did really like it! I think if it weren’t for those two things it would of been five stars! It also had a lot of legality to it! If you don’t like that I wouldn’t recommend this one.

This is the first book Ive read by Alex Finley and I really enjoyed it!
I grew up in the 90s so the Blockbuster brought back some memories lol, and I loved going back for a visit.

We have a case that took place in the 80's at Blockbuster. Four teens were attacked 3 of them died. Years later in the same town 3 teens are killed in a local ice cream shop with one survivor. The cases are eeirly similar.,
They thought they caught the killer in the first case, except he got off on a technicality and dissapeared..

We follow Chris a local public defender and brother to the alleged killer, Ella the original survior and FBI agent Keller who is determined to track down the original suspect, and see if the two cases could be connected.

I really loved the dual timelines. We get glimpses of led up to the first murders, and get to see how its affecting Chris and Ella now, and how Agent Keller is investigating the crime.

This story is full and twists and turns around every corner and I didn't guess who the killer was until it was revealed. I loved following the case and trying to figure out who was lying and about what... and how it was all going to come together. I can't wait to check out Alex Finleys other books!

I was a huge of fan of Finlay's thriller Every Last Thing so I was thrilled to receive an arc of his upcoming novel, The Night Shift. Set in a video store on the eve of Y2K four girls are brutally attacked. Only one of the victims survives and the suspect disappears. Fast forward fifteen years in the future in the same New Jersey town and there is a similar attack in an ice cream shop. Once again there is only one survivor. Both victims have one vivid memory, the attacker saying the words, "goodnight pretty girl". There is an arrest soon after the second attack, but do they have the right person?

I really enjoyed this thriller. Finlay excels at creating a compelling thriller that goes in uexpected directions and keeps the reader guessing all the way to the end. By ending each chapter with a mini cliff hanger it makes it really hard to put down, in fact I, I flew through it in one sitting. The characters are likeable and flawed and read very much like real people. They are relatable, infuriating and sympathetic all at once and I found it easy to become emotionally invested in them. Like all great thrillers this book fantastic twist at the end that I never saw coming. This book excelled at both the journey and the final payoff and Finlay has quickly become one of my must read authors. I highly recommend!

It’s New Years Eve 1999, the world is on the brink of Y2K. A digital apocalypse was feared, and yet during all of that, four girls are working the night shift at a Blockbuster Video. Little did they know that night, that three of them would die and one would survive.

Flash forward to fifteen years later, same town, same scenario…four teens working a night shift at an ice cream shop, again three dead with one survivor. The surviving victim from each attack both blatantly remember the killer’s words…”goodnight, pretty girl”

Read If You Love:
-binge worthy gripping thrillers
-the days of Blockbuster video stores
-jaw dropping twists
-multiple timelines
-multiple characters/POV

⚠️CW/TW: murder, abusive parent

This book certainly packs a punch! You get multiple point of views by way of a large cast of characters. One might think it’s confusing, but it is actually a genius way of imposing doubt. Each chapter is a page turner that you simply cannot put down! There are several characters in this book, all with different roles and written in such a way to make you potentially question each one, and start to draw assumptions early on. I can assure you that what I assumed was farthest from the reality of who did what, and THAT makes for a good thriller! There are two very large twists in this book, and I had suspected one of them, but definitely not the other!

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 (4.5/5)

A special thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this eARC!

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur books, and Alex Finlay for an arc of this book in exchange for my opinion.
Y’all! I was so excited that I was approved for this one. It’s one of my most anticipated reads for 2022, and I really enjoyed Every Last Fear.
If you grew up in the 90s, this book will take you back. The nostalgia!
New Year’s Eve, 1999. A night crew at Blockbuster is murdered, leaving one survivor. The suspect is apprehended, but later released due to insufficient evidence.
15 years later, another night crew is murdered at an ice cream shop. Again, leaving one survivor. Are these murders connected? Could it be the same suspect, back for more?
I love multiple timelines and narrators. I love flawed characters. I love strong characters. I love twists and turns that you don’t always see coming. Y’all, Alex Finlay does not disappoint! Solidified auto buy status with The Night Shift for me.
Publication date is March 1, so make sure you grab a copy or put it on your TBR list. Highly recommend it!

“The sheep spends its life worried about the wolf, only to be eaten by the farmer”

Two horrific murders, 15 years apart, each leaving only one survivor.s. A very interesting plot, complex characters, and plenty of surprises. This author never disappoints. I was hooked from the first page!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur books, Alex Finlay, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. #TheNightShift#Netgalley

I think this author is just not for me, I didn't love his last book and this one was ridiculous. At first it reminded me a lot of Final Girls (which I loved) but ultimately the plot lines were a lot of silly white herrings and the big 'reveal' was predictable and cliche.

This is my first book by Finlay and I wasn't disappointed.

Going to show my age here, but Blockbuster?, yeah...that alone had me interested. I remember the Blockbuster days.

Dual timelines; same awful situation - a group of teens murdered at the closing shift of their job. The difference, it's 15 years apart. DO these cases connect? IS it the same killer?

This thriller is intriguing and quite a journey watching Ella, Chris and Agent Keller pick up pieces of the story and then watch them connect in the end. I've seen a lot of reviews that said they spotted the killer right away, I don't know what clue I missed but I was wrong in my guess.

There was some drag in certain parts but it didn't slow down the drive to know what was happening. Thriller fans will devour this one quickly!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley and Alex Finlay for the gifted review copy!

This is my first Alex Finlay book and I was drawn in my the setting of a Blockbuster (can we say throwback?) the first few chapters I was hooked or maybe I was just too busy trying to figure out who is who? There are way too many characters for this to be a multiple point of view storyline. I was utterly confused the majority of the time. With all these characters comes a long process of character development. This book was long and mundane. However the ending pulled it all together and allowed the length to be worth it. I would recommend this to thriller lovers but boy buckle up for looooonggggg ride

WOAH! This one had my hooked from the Prologue! Alex Finlay is fast becoming one of my favorites! I loved this one even more than the last! This is one you just won't want to put down! You can't stop! You need to know what happens next and the entire time you're trying to figure out who did it and how all these pieces fit together! LOVED IT!

I enjoyed The Night Shift overall!

To me it felt a bit similar to Final Girls by Riley Sager. Therapist and "final girl" Ella is the survivor of a terrible crime at Blockbuster Video in 1999 who is asked to consult on the case of Jesse, another survivor of a crime that happened decades later.

The plotting on this was well done and the ending was unexpected. I did feel the book took a while to get going and that the last third was where things really got going. For me there were too many POVs (Ella, Jessie, a pregnant FBI agent and a public defender) for enough character development or for me to develop any kind of connection with the characters. Wish the POV had just been Agent Keller! Or Jesse, who I also thought was a really interesting character. But that's just my preference as a reader who doesn't tend to love multi-POV books.

Ella Monroe is the sole survivor of a mass murder in 1999 at a blockbuster on the night shift. 15 years later a similar murder takes place at a Dairy Creamery with a lone survivor Jesse.
Very engaging and thrilling. Characters are very interesting. I was captivating the entire time reading this book.

review 🎞

Holy wow this was utterly engrossing!! I loved the y2k references and the Blockbuster setting — that is until the employees were murdered. I actually worked at Blockbuster for a bit in high school, so that was an eerie parallel for me.

Items of note!
- dual timelines — jumping from 1999 to 2015 📼
- Multiple narrators, but don’t worry you’ll catch on quick! Their stories are very different and were easy for me to keep organized in my mind and I loved how storylines connected in the end
- The chapters end on cliffhangers and then jump to another character’s story before circling back which made me want to keep reading
- The book has a detective narrator🕵🏼‍♀️ and parts of it does read like detective fiction
- The main suspect was somewhat predictable, but that didn’t take away the enjoyment of the book
- SUCH a satisfying ending ‼️

MEH for me:
One of the characters was 8.5 months pregnant with twins and still working in crime fields putting herself in grave danger. That wasn’t 100% believable to me, but curious what other readers thought

This comes out March 1, and for thriller lovers I highly recommend!! Thank you @netgalley, @minotaur_books, and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📖 368 pages
✨ my rating: 4.5 (rounded up to 5)

I really liked this! This is actually my first @alexfinlayauthor book, so now I'm so excited to go back and read some of his earlier books. Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early copy!
*
Synopsis: In 1999, three employees of a Blockbuster are murdered, and one girl was knocked unconscious but ended up surviving. 15 years later, a similar gruesome murder occurs in the same town at an ice cream shop. Are the murders related? The person believed to be responsible for the Blockbuster murders got away - has he returned? And why?
*
I love the final girl trope, and I thought this was a really interesting new twist to the story. This is told from multiple perspectives -- the original final girl who is now a therapist, the FBI agent brought on to advise, the original killer's brother who is now a public defender. Each perspective was entertaining and it moved really quickly and kept me completely engaged.
*
This doesn't read like a whodunnit, with a cast of potential perps to decide between. By exploring the current murder in the context of the Blockbuster murder, it presents differently, so I was never really on the lookout for surprise twists, which meant they caught me even more off guard!
*
I also loved the 90s nostalgia, thinking about Blockbuster in its prime! And it certainly doesn't hurt to have this set in NJ :)
*
I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and exciting thriller!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fast-paced and engaging - I had a hard time putting this one down! This story is about a murder on New Year's eve 1999 and its parallels to a murder in the present day (2015). Finlay brings back Agent Keller, but it the events take place before the events in Every Last Fear. I enjoyed the various viewpoints and the suspense. Definitely recommend!