The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is a fast-paced, adventurous murder mystery. There are a lot of characters in this novel. So many that I almost felt I like I needed to take notes to keep track of everyone!

With many interesting characters, and several plot twists to keep readers guessing, The Night Shift is highly entertaining. The novel follows multiple people, each on their own journey to discover the killer.

Who will be the one to solve the crime? Is there only one killer or does this new murder mean a new killer is in town? As our characters try to answer this question, we learn about who they are, and how they came to be involved. Each of our main characters is invested in finding the murderer, each for their own, very different, reasons.

At first, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy this novel. In the first chapter, something about the writing style bothered me. I also generally don’t like books with so many characters, it’s so much work to keep them all straight in my head. However, I was soon hooked and needed to solve the murder myself. Any issues with the writing style and numerous characters were quickly forgotten, and I finished the book within a few days and as many sittings.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an advance copy. All opinions in this review are my own.

5 Truly Satisfying Stars
* * * * * Spoiler Free
So, there is a time when reading an engrossing book where your mind is so active trying to figure things out that you can think you know it all. Authors work hard to make that happen and when they do, and then they cause the reader to forget what they thought until the very end, bingo, they have accomplished their goal. At least that is my personal theory.

Because this book HAD ME. From the very start until the end. I dare you to read the blurb and not be intrigued.

For me, this was a winner, keeping me interested, trying to figure out who was what, then thinking I knew all, and then rushing to the end to find out what was what for real. As I said, a truly satisfying read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this title for an honest review.

After reading [book:Every Last Fear|53138046] last year, I was excited to see a new title by Alex Finlay on the horizon. This story also has to do with a murder where not everything is as simple as it appears on the surface. In 1999, a brutal series of murders happens in a Blockbuster at the end of the night where three girls and their manager were killed with no rhyme or reason and one survivor left with a lot of baggage after the fact. Fast forward 15 years and a crime scene eerily similar to the events at the Blockbuster have happened, but only this time it's at an ice cream parlor.

Alex Finlay knows how to make the pages fly with quick chapters and changing POV's that tell the whole story of both past and present events. While I had an inkling of the "who" about halfway through the book, it was still fun to see all the strings being pulled together and I thought it was actually a better storytelling experience than Every Last Fear, but it's most likely due to the cast of characters.

Highly recommend if you are looking for a quick whodunit read!

Edge of seat thriller for sure and loved this author. It takes you back to 1999 on New Year’s Eve when Y2K was suppose to blow up computers possibly end everything that we know exist. Will it did for three teenagers in Linden, New Jersey working at Blockbuster video store. One survived Ella who is now a therapist and trying to forget what happened to her. Then the book takes you to fifteen years later and another four girls attacked at an ice cream store and only Jesse survived. Sarah Keller was assigned to to help solve these latest murders and she was working with an upcoming detective named Atticus. Sarah was close to delivering her twins and when Atticus says he will drive he had a run down little bitty car so that didn’t happen. Jesse wouldn’t talk to anyone except Ella. Jesse was definitely a tough cookie and some of the stunts she pulled had me screaming don’t do it! The journey that those two women took was heartbreaking for Ella to have to relive but it helped Jesse to figure things out.
There are so many twists and turns but while hadn’t they caught the first killer? They had their suspicions and that individual left town. Was he framed, was he a jilted lover or just a killer? This book does has a lot of heartbreaking in it due to the loss of daughters, mothers that leave, fathers that are cruel but it is worth reading. I would love to read more from this author.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Alex Finlay knocks it out of the park yet again. Somehow his writing, plot, and characters scratch so many itches: they're true crime, thriller, whodunit, procedural drama, all wrapped into one package - and it's easy to follow! Not too ambitious and enough time is spent with each character that you really get to know them, despite there being many rotating perspectives and intricately tied-together relationships.

It's New Year's Eve 1999, and instead of partying [like it's the year that it is], an outcast Blockbuster store manager and his four employees, all high school girls, are closing up shop for the evening. Unbeknownst to them, their place of employment is about to be the scene of a headline-hitting, bloody, violent quadruple homicide. There's one survivor, high schooler Ella Monroe. The cops are under pressure to make an arrest, and after finding a couple pieces of evidence (an anonymous tip, a fingerprint, and a weapon in his locker), they arrest fellow high schooler Vince Whitaker. Supported by an excellent public defender, Vince is sprung on insufficient probable cause, and promptly skips town.

Fifteen years later in the same New Jersey town, another quadruple homicide with one survivor - this time, at an ice cream shop. The story is now told in three rotating perspectives:
• The lone survivor of the first 1999 murder, who's now a therapist and is called in to help the new final girl deal with her trauma while reliving her own trauma;
• The brother of Vince Whitaker (the original suspect), who's now a public defender and is trying to find the nobility in the profession that saved his brother - and maybe even find his own brother now, too; and
• FBI Agent Keller, a badass agent on the case who's also pregnant with two twin boys and determined to get justice for the victims of both crimes.

Just like in his previous book, Every Last Fear, Finlay lays out the exposition of the story perfectly, and spends a well-deserved amount of time getting to know his characters, their trauma, their thoughts, their motivations, and so much more. While the investigation is pulsing forward, you learn so much about these crimes, the damage that they wrought on a small town and its families, and the secrets hidden beneath the surface. It's salacious and thrilling without being too fast paced, exploitative, or confusing. It's an excellent balancing act of plot and characterization that seems complex, but you feel guided through it easily with Finlay's writing. I loved every minute of it, and by the end, I was shocked by the twist that I definitely did not see coming.

Highly recommend picking up this book, especially if you liked Finlay's previous works. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC via Netgalley!

This was an amazing story. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and multiple perspectives. This book was an absolute page turner that I couldn't put down. The characters were well developed and the story was incredibly told. There were many twists, turns, and secrets I did not see coming. I look forward to more amazing books from Alex Finlay.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur books, Alex Finlay, and Netgalley for the digital arc of this book

Alex Finlay has given us a kind of final girl story. In this story we have a final girl-the one left alive at the end of a massacre-from 15 years before who helps the newest final girl. While we didn’t get to really explore the misogyny of the trope, the feel was there. We, instead, get an expansion in a way.

Ella is the old final girl. She is having trouble with her life. She cannot get past her destructive behavior. She can counsel others, but she cannot help herself. Is she a victim or a fighter? Does she have to be put in one of those two categories or is it a false dichotomy? Hint: Most dichotomies are false.

Then we get a new mass killing and a new survivor with mirrors to the original crime. Of course the cops pretend there is no connection. The original murder was pinned on a teenager who disappeared just after. The two characters have to meet. There is also the original accused boy’s brother. He is neither convinced that his brother is guilty nor that he is gone for good.

Overall, it was a good story. I feel like I could get to know the characters better. It was the beginning of character development.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Mar. 1, 2022
Sophomore slump? What sophomore slump? Alex Finlay, author of “Every Last Fear” returns with his pulse-pounding, page-turning second novel, “The Night Shift”.
It’s New Year’s Eve, 1999, and everyone is preparing for Y2K and the new millennium. But something more terrifying strikes the small town of Linden, New Jersey when three staff members of the local Blockbuster Video are found brutally slain- leaving one young girl alive but grievously injured. The police, under pressure from the public, make an arrest but the supposed perpetrator was released on lack of evidence and hasn’t been heard from since. Now, fifteen years later, another slaying takes place, claiming the lives of young people working at an ice cream shop, also leaving one survivor. The crimes are far too similar to not be related, but the police are being extra vigilant, to ensure this time, they get (and keep) their man.
The story starts off in 1999, and a brief portion of the beginning of the novel talks about the horrible events of the first murder. Bringing us all back for a little nostalgia to Y2K and the joys of the blue and yellow Blockbuster Video rental stores, until a gruesome murder happens of course. Then, the storyline switches to 2015 and stays here for the remainder (with the exception of a few memories from a lead character). “Shift” is told in third person, and we hear primarily from the survivor of the Blockbuster slaying, the police detective on the case, and a public defender (with a connection to the case you won’t see coming!).
The characters are great, and they have just enough suspicion cast on them that I was left guessing right from the first introduction. Each and every character could be a suspect, and when the culprit is revealed, I was overjoyed that it was someone not remotely obvious, yet also not completely irrelevant to the plot. Finlay certainly has hit his stride in the psychological fiction genre.
There are some great twists and turns in this one, and although there are quite a few characters in the mix, I love the way Finlay tells a story. I was a huge fan of “Fear” and “Shift” completely pulled me in as well. This story was one heck of a memorable ride, and I could not stop reading from page one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this digital advance readers copy to preview for my library and our customers.

This book flew by! I love when parallel crimes that happen decades apart make you wonder if they are related! Alex Finlay does a great job of creating characters you can feel (one way or another) for; creating a plot that makes you want to stay up late turning the pages and I love how Finlay doesn't waste words! This one will be a great one to recommend to your mystery lovers or fans of Riley Sager and Peter Swanson. Will be looking forward to the next Alex Finlay novel as soon as it comes out!

It's been a while since I read a 5 star thriller, but this one was it! Nonstop page-turning trying to figure out what happened. I'm never clear what makes a 5 star, because looking back, I should have seen the twists coming, but maybe just the fast-pace, multiple points of view, and flashing between two time periods, and the interesting dynamics between all the characters kept me hooked! Four people are murdered in a blockbuster just after closing, leaving one survivor. About 20 years later, in the same town, it happens again, at an ice cream shop - with one survivor. Are these mass murders connected? If so, how? A very well-done story. Highly recommend!

I read this mystery-thriller in 2 days. The chapters are short and propulsive so I kept me flipping the pages. The story starts on December 31, 1999 when 3 teenage girls and their manager are murdered at the Blockbuster in which they worked while 1 teenage girl is spared. The story then fast forwards 15 years to a similar murder spree at an ice cream parlor in the same NJ town, leaving everyone wondering if they are related. This novel has quite a large cast of characters which leads to lots of unexpected twists and turns. I really enjoyed Alex Finlay's writing, the storyline, the red herrings, and the resolution. I will definitely be looking out by future books by this author. I originally read a few chapters in a Minotaur sampler through #Netgalley, which put this book on my radar. Thank you to #Netgalley and #StMartinsPress and #Minotaur for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Two murder scenes, 15 years apart, two survivors - one from each event. The first crime happens at a Blockbuster, on New Years Eve, 1999. The second takes place at an ice creamery. The cops see similarities, but can't place the suspect from the first crime at the second crime. In fact, they can't even locate him.

At one point, the survivor from the first crime, Ella, reads a highlighted quote from a Hemingway novel, "The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places." Most of the characters in The Night Shift is broken in some way. But when they rise above their brokenness, they take it to heroic levels.

Two things bothered me a bit - I just couldn't reconcile a woman pregnant with twins making it full term, let alone running around in the field at 8 months. And there were too many coincidences for me, but they were tied together well so I have to give props for that. The dialogue was well done, and there was a lot of inside information about the workings of police and legal procedures, that seemed well researched. All in all, a fast paced book that had me up past bedtime, racing through the final chapters!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy.

This murder mystery thriller had me guessing at every twist and turn. Just when I thought I had it figured out new clues would be presented that would have me changing my mind. The book had me reading until all hours if the night. A new author for me, but I will be reading more if his works. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this exciting mystery thriller.

I really enjoyed Alex Finlay's last book Every Last Fear, so I was super excited when I was given an early read of his upcoming thriller The Night Shift.

The book slings you right into the action from page one, with not one but two murders. One that happened in 1999 on New Year's Eve at a Blockbuster, where four teenagers are murdered, and the other that happens in now time, 15 years later at an ice cream shop, that is eerily similar to the first one. In both murders, one teenager manages to escape alive. Could the murderer of the Blockbuster murders, be back after jumping bond and disappearing all those years ago? Or could it just be a strange coincidence or copycat murder?

Told through the viewpoint of Ella, the survivor of the Blockbuster murders and now a therapist, Chris, a lawyer, and Keller, the detective on the case. The story bounces back and forth between the present day and the past through flashbacks. The ice cream murders bring the past back to front and center to the entire town and cause emotions to flair for the main characters and several minor ones.

As stated above, the book does pull you in quickly, but it slows down a bit to let you catch your breath and get to know the main characters and their places in the story, but once the second half begins it is a pretty fast and twisting ride that throws you quickly into an ending that I did not see coming.

The characters in the books are flawed, each of them coming into the story with plenty of past trauma. Unusual for me, I happened to like all the main characters in this book. I thought that Finlay did a great job breathing life into them. The only problem I had was with Keller, and it was that she put herself into a lot of harmful situations being 8 months pregnant with twins, but maybe it was just me that found that a little far-fetched.

Finlay's writing was flawless and he knows how to spin a story that makes you feel as if you are watching a True Crime Documentary. The facts are clear, and the situations feel very real.

The Night Shift has certainly shifted Alex Finlay into my very short auto-buy author's list, and I look forward to his next book.

This is a slasher film waiting to be watched! First, killings at Blockbuster at the turn of the century (that's 1999, not 1899...) Now, in 2015, it has happened again at an ice cream store. The thoughts, feelings, and accusations all come back to the surface. There are too many questions left unanswered.

I really enjoyed the characters and the pace of this one. The story was captivating and as I said before, a slasher film in the making!

The Night Shift opens on New Year's Eve 1999. Oh the nostalgia! Remember Blockbuster video stores? Remember the mass panic that the world would end once the year 2000 arrived? It was fun to look back on those times. The book however is not fun! A mass murder happens that night at the video store. Only one survived!

Now 15 years later there is another killing spree at a ice cream store that has many similar traits.

I was hooked right from the start. I enjoyed the characters, even the ones I hated. The story moves along quickly and I couldn't wait to find out the truth. I was left angry, frustrated, hopeful and stumped along the way. There is one particular moment that left me heartbroken as well.

Pick this one up when it publishes on March 1st. You won't be sorry you did.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

From the short, edge-of-your-seat chapters to the interconnecting timelines and characters- Finlay brings us a multifaceted thriller that will leave your heart pounding.

All you 90's kids- THIS ONE IS FOR YOU! So. Much. Nostalgia.
As if we weren't all panicked enough about Y2K, add in an unexplained murder during a night shift at a local Blockbuster that left 4 dead and a lone survivor- yikes. Definitely doesn't make me miss working nights, I can tell you that!

One of my favorite aspects of this was that we aren't being told the story from one character, or even one perspective of multiple characters- you're given the chance to see this story from the eyes of the FBI and the PD, from the traumatized survivors of each attack, and from the law working to solve the case. The characters were layered and dimensional and very relatable.

I will admit I found it easy to guess the culprit early on, but with how rich and weaving the plot was I didn't find that it lessened my enjoyment at all. Instead, I kept trying to find details that would support my theory and having it evolve over the course of the novel.

The dual timeline way this weaves together was intriguing- piecing together a murder in 1999 and then a very similar attack 15 years later. Finlay's' dialogue was authentic and nothing seemed 'over the top'. Finlay also throws in some serious elements relating to relationships with family, PTSD/trauma, bullying and increasing use of technology. I thought those were expertly woven into the storyline and enhanced the characterization tremendously. It added to how I felt about each character and actually could relate to them.

A+++ for this superb thriller from a 90's baby!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and our talented author: Alex Finlay for the advance copy!

On New Years in 1999, three girls and a man closing Blockbuster are brutally murdered with one girl surviving the attack. Fifteen years later, a similar attack takes place and the previous survivor, now a therapist, is called in to talk to the latest survivor. The brother of the man accused of the first crime, perhaps falsely, an FBI detective, and the survivor of the latest crime all work towards figuring out if the latest massacre is related to the previous one and to solve the mystery. This mystery had me on the edge of my toes. A long history of watching crime shows helped me accurately guess the culprit, but there were several other twists and turns along the way that kept the story new and exciting. Definitely checked all my mystery boxes!

3.5 stars rounded to 4. Overall a pretty solid read that I enjoyed. There were were a few drawbacks for me. The storyline felt slow at some points and I just think there were too many characters in the book with too much going on. Some of the characters I think were pretty boring and needed more development to be more interesting. I did enjoy learning about all the characters jobs and I like how they all intertwined. This book did keep me guessing and was suspenseful at times. I was satisfied with how the book ended and will definitely keep this author on my radar for future books.

Thank you Net Galley and St Martins Press for an ARC in return for my honest review. This book will be published March 1st, 2022.

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

I’m a huge fan of Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear so I was excited to read The Night Shift. No surprise, I loved it just as much. Moving from the past to present, it focuses on two savage murders fifteen years apart in the same town.

There are three narrators, each offering a unique perspective in this twisty tale. Ella, lone survivor of the 1999 murders, now a therapist with some seriously unhealthy coping skills, Chris, brother to suspected killer, Vince Whitaker and Sarah Keller – FBI investigator that you may remember from Every Last Fear. Love her!

In the current murder that has taken place, there’s one victim left alive and the similarities between the two crimes are uncanny. Is Vince Whitaker back? Nobody’s heard from him and none of the many sightings have panned out since he fled 15 years ago.

Cleverly written and tightly plotted, this is one thrill ride of a story. I was emotionally invested in the characters and really hope to see Finlay continue on with Keller in his future writing.

My thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this gifted DRC.