What a fabulous novel! For fans of Riley Sager, this thriller goes between 1999 and 2014, dealing with two mass killings at a Blockbuster and an ice cream shop. The lone survivor of the Blockbuster murders discovers her attacker may be back in town, and she needs answers. I read this in one sitting, and highly recommend it. Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for an unbiased review.

The book's main story takes place over three days, and I happened to read it along that real timeline, even though I wished I could have just finished it in one day. The short chapters and three storylines make the start of this book a little hectic, but once you understand who the characters are and how they begin to intersect with each other the book became a lot of fun. Chris' plotline started out slow, but by the end his story was the one I found most interesting. Ella starts out as the most interesting character since she was a survivor of the original massacre and has to interview the new survivor, and the scenes between Ella and Jesse were some of my favorite in the book. Keller has to play the traditional cop trying to solve it all, and as a result, her chapters occasionally were a little boring, but Finlay found a way in the final chapters to tie a lot of it together in explaining the crime, which I was impressed by.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Alex Finlay for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Night Shift in exchange for my honest review!

On the night of the famous 1999 New Year's Eve, just on the brink of Y2K, four teenagers working at Blockbuster in New Jersey are attacked, but one miraculously survives. A teenage boy who had been spending a lot of time with one of the girls is identified as their killer, but he escapes custody, never to be seen or heard from again.

Fifteen years later, at an ice cream store in the same town, another group of teenagers are attacked, and once again one miraculously survives. In their quest to discover if the Y2K Blockbuster killer has struck again, three people's lives quickly become intertwined. Readers will follow the only survivor of the Blockbuster killings, the brother of the vanished accused killer, and FBI agent Sarah Keller. Together they try to find the truth about what happened at the ice cream store and Blockbuster.

This book was one wild ride. Super fast-paced, with short chapters that made it a nice and quick read. I loved having multiple POV chapters along with just the perfect amount of flashbacks to the 1999 Blockbuster night. I wouldn't classify any of the characters as necessarily unreliable or even unlikeable, but there was a level of distrust with all of them that I honestly was living for.

I did predict the big reveal BUT there were so many other mini bombs dropped throughout the book it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. This one is incredibly well-written and entertaining, and I think thriller lovers everywhere will enjoy this one very much.

The Night Shift is on bookshelves in the US March 1, 2022!

I love Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear… the writing style is unique and keeps the reader wanting more! I jumped at the chance to read The Night Shift because who doesn’t want some nostalgia!? I was just thinking of Blockbuster video the other night…who doesn’t remember Y2K 1999? Just thinking about those days gives me the chills! What a time to be alive! If you only read one book this year… this is the one. It’s bingeworthy and a full thrill ride! It stars two crimes 15 years apart. The plot is insane! You won’t want to put it down, this is the type of story that makes you fall in love with reading. Fantastic storyline… well crafted tale… Alex Finlay is going to be a household name in the mystery and thriller genre! Please more Alex Finlay to come! This is the one I’ll be recommending 2022 to everyone!

Same town, same gruesome scenario, 15 years apart: Four teenagers working late - one set at Blockbuster Video and the other at an ice cream shop, both in Linden, New Jersey - are brutally attacked. In each instance, only one of the four survives. The aftermath of the first attack in 1999 devastated lives of family and friends as well as that of Emma, the surviving girl. Now a therapist, Emma is called in to help calm the survivor of the ice cream shop murders; that plus her status as the lone survivor of the 1999 incident, she's thought to be eminently qualified.

Turns out the survivor, Jesse Duvall, is quite the handful; she's belligerent, refuses help and generally uncooperative - albeit a bit less so when she learns Emma is a survivor like she is. And suspicions that the two attacks may have been done by the same person are solidified when Jesse shares with Emma the words the attacker spoke to her when he left her for dead: "Good night, pretty girl." Shockingly, they're the same words Emma's attacker said to her.

Enter Sarah Keller, a very pregnant FBI agent who's trying her best to get the case solved before her twins decide to enter the real world, and a public defender who, unbeknownst to everyone else, is the traumatized brother of the man believed to be the Blockbuster murderer - and the man who got away.

Chapters switch from perspectives of various characters as well as time frames, with each adding bits of information that give readers insights into what's to come - which includes plenty of surprises. My only question? All the characters are referred to by their first names except the FBI agent, who's always "Keller." If that is supposed to mean something, it went over my head.

That puzzlement aside, I heartily recommend this action-packed book that I truly had trouble putting down. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Another excellent book by this talented author!

I had been on a streak of mediocre thrillers/mystery novels when I picked up this ARC, and I was so happy to dive right into the totally bingeworthy plot of The Night Shift! Once I started reading, I just couldn't put it down.

You will love this book if...
...you love books with lots of twists and turns! The plot follows the investigation of 2 similar murders in the same New Jersey town - one at a Blockbuster on New Year's Eve in 1999, and another 15 years later at an ice cream shop. The book has multiple narrators and timelines, but it kept me really engaged and on the edge of my seat.
...you really enjoy suspense. There were a few moments during this book where I found myself holding my break, and thinking that I knew what was going to unfold but being surprised by some of the twists! I get disappointed when I guess the murderer too early in a thriller, so I was happy that I actually didn't figure it out until pretty deep into the book this time!
...you like strong female characters. I absolutely loved the strong female characters in this book, especially Keller, the FBI agent on the case. I did find it slightly unrealistic that an almost 9 month pregnant FBI agent would still be actively working in the field, but hey, that's what fiction is for! ;)

I also have to say that being from New Jersey, coupled with the fact that I remember New Year's Eve 1999 like it was yesterday (and let's face it, I was probably at a Blockbuster at some point during the week of New Year's in '99!) this book sucked me in right away. If you are a fan of thrillers or mysteries, don't hesitate to pick this one up!

I enjoyed Alex Finlay's debut, Every Last Fear, and couldn't wait to read more of his work.  Sometimes a Netgalley ARC approval feels better than Christmas! The Night Shift did NOT let me down! This book sucks you in, and holds you captive until the final page is turned.

What do you remember about NYE 1999? Were you desperately praying against the revolt of the machines, or were you partying like that famous Prince song implored you to? I know exactly what I was doing, and Finlay uses that bite of familiarity, tinged with nostalgia, to great effect. There are dual timelines, both dealing with similar crimes, perpetrated 15 years apart, in the same town.

I did figure out the central mystery very early and very easily, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment one bit. There were still plenty of puzzle pieces to try and find, and lots of suspense to keep me glued to the pages. There are also some pretty great characters in this book, some you'll be rooting for, some you'll despise. Alex Finlay is establishing himself as a top-notch thriller writer, and I count myself among his new fans. What are you waiting for? Go buy a copy of The Night Shift and happy reading! Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the chance to review this advance copy.

A well crafted, propulsive thriller about two seemingly connected massacres that take place 15 years apart. How are the murders of a group of Blockbuster employees in 1999 connected to those of local ice cream shop employees in present day? They both produce a lone survivor that just may be the missing link to solving it all. These characters were wonderfully written. I personally loved the depiction of such strong and brave female leads and the overall plot had no storylines left unanswered or unaccounted for. Everything tied together seamlessly at the end and I thoroughly enjoyed the reveals along the way. Thank you to netgalley and Minotaur books for my advanced copy, I highly recommend this one for fellow thriller lovers!

The storyline of this book was interesting, but generally very hard to follow. There are multiple police cases being discussed, many characters involved, and different points of view from the many characters. As the story was wrapping up, I became more interested because I was curious who did it/what happened, even though I was unable to fully follow the case while reading.

This is my second Alex Finlay read, and y'all, these are some kind of thrillers! This one focuses on two crimes that take place 15 years apart and the possible connections. First, there is an incident at a Blockbuster on NYE 1999 with only one survivor. 15 years later, there is an incident at an ice cream store again with only one survivor. Both crimes remains unsolved, and the latter brings up memories and questions from the former. What is so great about this one is the way the characters with connections to one or both incident interact. Some of them have secrets revealed only to the reader, while others are clearly lying, and then there are those truth bombs along the way that made my jaw literally drop. This was such a twisty page-turner, and I was so, so here for it. If you need a thriller that's just going to take you away as you try to discern what really, REALLY happened, this. is. it.

Review posted to blog: books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com

A look back on New Year's Eve, 1999, and Y2K. It almost seems like a distant memory, but then again it is!

On New Year's Eve in 1999 at a Blockbuster Video in Linden, New Jersey - an assailant goes on a shooting spree, killing four teenage girls. There is one survivor. Her name is Ella.

Fast forward 15 years later, another shooting spree occurs in the same town, this time at an Ice Cream shop. Once again, there is a lone survivor. Her name is Jesse.

After surviving the Blockbuster attack, Ella became a counselor and as it turns out, she is the only person Jesse will talk to.

The FBI, together with the police are now investigating both shootings as the original suspect got away.

Caught in the middle of this mess is Chris, the brother of the original suspect who is now an attorney representing the individual accused of the second crime. Talk about a conflict of interest!

Tense, taut, and fast-paced, this thriller was quite entertaining, albeit predictable.

In The Night Shift, Alex Finlay brings back FBI agent Sarah Keller, her boss Stan, and her fabulous husband Bob, who always brought a smile to my face.
3.75 stars

A buddy read with Kaceey that both of us enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

Lots of twists in this nostalgic thriller. The book begins during a shift in a Blockbuster and where a mass murder occurs with only one survivor. Fifteen years later, a similar murder occurs in a different shop. The plot was fast-paced and the character development was phenomenal. 5 enthusiastic stars!

Wow. I love a good mystery, and this was one heck of a mystery! It started off a bit confusing, what with the 4 different viewpoints, but it made more sense as the story progressed. I was kept in suspense until the very last few pages.

I couldn’t put this one down! Totally binge-worthy!

Props to the couple of reviews I read that said that they’d figured out who the killer was early on so there were no surprises left for them. I had absolutely no idea who the killer was. I’m starting to think I wouldn’t have made such a great detective 😂

There were so many twists in this one, which I really enjoyed, and I loved how everything tied together in the end. There were great connections between the characters. Also loved the significance of the title.

Another solid whodunit from Alex Finlay, who burst into the thriller scene last year with Every Last Fear. It was hard not to get sucked in by the nostalgia of one of the key crimes taking place at a late nineties Blockbuster Video. The timeline then jumps back and forth between that crime and another one years later. Both crimes involve the murder of numerous employees at a store….with one survivor…who whispers one secret phrase.

As is sometimes the case with me, within the multiple narrators and timelines, I found one character by far the most compelling — Ella, the survivor of the original slaying. She was great to read. We also see the investigation through the eyes of an FBI agent and a public defender. The plotting is fast-paced and twisty with some great ending reveals.

My one bone to pick is this pet peeve I have - I am a lawyer and I tend to get very annoyed with plots that have a lawyer with an obvious conflict of interest as part of the storyline, usually (as here) written as someone key to the plot with an obvious connection to the crime who is somehow representing a suspect in the same crime. This obviously never happens in real life and it annoys me as a plot point, but I will say I appreciated the author pointing out the conflict and incorporating it into the plot. Despite this personal pet peeve, overall the entertainment value, strong writing, and whiplash-fast plot won me over. Finlay is an extremely talented thriller writer, and I’ll read anything he puts out!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for this very fun and twisty ARC.

On NYE 1999, four teenage girls working at a Blockbuster in Linden, NJ are attacked. Only one survives. Fifteen years later, four teenage girls working at an ice cream shop in the same town are attacked. Again, only one survives. Both of the 'final girls' remember the killer saying the same final words: "Goodnight, pretty girl."

This book is told in alternating POVs, which I loved. Ella is the sole survivor of the Blockbuster massacre. Her life was forever changed by the massacre, and as a therapist and the only person who can relate, she is called in to speak with the survivor of the ice cream shop attack. Chris works in the public defender's office. His brother was arrested for the 1999 murders, but when he was released for insufficient evidence, he fled and has never been seen or heard from again. Sarah is an FBI agent who is convinced the two cases are connected and is determined to solve them both.

This was my first read of 2022, and it was a good one! A fast-paced thriller that had me from page one. I highly recommend!

It was just OK to me. Very slow to start, slow build, and the characters take some time to get used to and keep lined out. It didn’t hold my attention 90% of the time but the 10% that it did— I liked it.

QUICK TAKE: my fist Finlay book, and wow was it a suspenseful blast! very reminiscent of Scream, this murder mystery is told from the POV of three badass female characters, and I found myself propulsively turning pages. Dark and twisty and very commercial.

I'm only not giving this 5 stars because the perpetrator was exactly who I thought it would be the whole book.

But the journey getting to that reveal was a whole lot of fun! There was at least one genuine surprise, to me, and the whole premise of connected mass murders at New Jersey businesses set 15 years apart was great. The pages fly by in this one, much like Finlay's first book.

This book kept me intrigued the entire time. If kept me guessing until the very ending. Wow! I truly did not see that twist coming. This was a very good book and thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC for an honest review.