Four Found Dead written by Natalie D. Richards kept me <b>on the edge of my seat, literally</b>. I can't even tell you my roller coaster of emotions, I gasped for air, I cried, I screamed, it was like experiencing all of the emotions just on one single page. I think I have finally entered my mystery/thriller era, because this is the second thriller book I have read in a row. Four Found Dead gave me all the emotions for a five star rating, but there was one reason I didn't give this book a five star rating, there was no reason explained as to why the gunman did what he did that awful night, like I read the whole book only not to discover why he did what he did. As I was reading this novel, it felt like I was right there in the movie theater with those teenagers, gasping for air, waiting to make my next move while the gunman is out there looking for his next victim, it was a crazy ride. This is a fast paced thriller that will hold you hostage and keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. You know a book will stick with you when you have a crazy dream thinking someone with a gun is chasing you. If you <b>HAVE NOT</b> read this book yet, I totally recommend you do so immediately, because it was just a nightmare. You can't help but cheer on these characters to make their next move and make it out alive.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND SOURCEBOOKS FIRE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

Tonight, Tempest Theaters in Sandusky, Ohio are closing their doors for good. The once three story shopping mall is closed, but Tempest Theaters is the last to close their doors. At the beginning of Four Found Dead, Tempest Theaters has just shown their last of the movies before it will join the rest of the mall in closing forever. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six co-workers are the only ones left, they had the final shift in cleaning up popcorn, and mopping the floors for the final time. Jo and her six co-workers have locked the doors, the final cleaning has begun. It's bittersweet and sad to see the doors close forever, but these friends are looking forward to going out and getting pancakes together after the doors have been closed for good. But, after an altercation involving their jerk of a manager, Clayton, puts everyone on edge, the power suddenly goes out. When Jo is busy cleaning something up, Clayton is trying to stop a soda machine from exploding, but Jo notices something super shiny in the waistband of his jeans: a gun. Jo doesn't say anything to any of her co-workers because she watched her father get shot right in front of her eyes, and she doesn't want anyone to die in front of her tonight.

Clayton disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers. Jo and everyone else knows something is wrong, but now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. How is that possible when the power is out? How is that possible when all the doors are locked? How is that possible when all the fire alarms have been disconnected and all the windows are boarded up? With exits boarded up and fire alarms disconnected, the shopping mall is filled with hiding places for both purser and pursed. In order to survive this awful night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he strikes again, but before they can escape more bodies have been found. Come on Clayton, all this group of friends wanted to do was go out to get pancakes after closing the movie theaters doors for the final time, but no, some of your stupid petty drama is causing them their lives. The only issue is you didn't know what they petty drama was or why Clayton decided to start killing innocent teenagers.

The characters in "Four Found Dead" are well-developed and relatable, each with their own unique personalities and motivations. Richards does an excellent job of creating realistic and three-dimensional characters, making it easy to invest emotionally in their stories. The protagonist, in particular, is a strong and determined individual who drives the narrative forward. The twists and turns in the plot are well-executed, keeping readers engaged and eager to uncover the truth behind the deaths. The author's ability to create a sense of unease and uncertainty adds to the overall enjoyment of the book.

While the pacing of the story is generally steady, there are a few moments where it slows down slightly. However, these instances are quickly overshadowed by the gripping suspense that permeates the narrative. The author's ability to maintain a sense of urgency and keep readers invested in the outcome is commendable.

"Four Found Dead" is a captivating and suspenseful read that will satisfy fans of mystery and thriller genres. Natalie D. Richards' writing prowess and ability to craft an intriguing plot make this book a compelling page-turner. If you're looking for a thrilling ride filled with twists and turns, this novel is definitely worth your attention. With its gripping storyline and well-rounded characters, it deserves a solid four-star rating!

As I was looking over other reviews to make sure I wasn't the odd ball, I realized I was not alone in my thoughts of this book. Although the structure of the book is different that the "norm", I did not enjoy learning who the killer was so early in the story.. I remember thinking about what might happen in the rest of the book once it was discovered.

I did enjoy the pace at the beginning and will be giving this author's other reads a try! Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the copy of this story!

I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't. I found that the book gave away too much information in the beginning (the tile tells you how many die, and you learn who the killer is rather quickly) that the rest of the book just seems repetitive and elongated to kill off the characters.

**Thank you to Netgalley for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review**

I was very excited to read this book. I recently discovered I like YA mysteries and thrillers, so this fell right in my lane. But, unfortunately, I didn't like this book.

I wasn't expecting knowing who the killer was from the beginning so that surprised me, and then I didn't like how things went forward in the book, everything felt repetitive and expected? I was not shocked by the turn events took and was honestly not enjoying the read.

The characters... I could not be bothered to care for any of them unfortunately, even the romance, which I'm usually a fan of, did not engage me at all.

So in the end it took me a very long time to read this book and I almost DNF'ed it but pushed throught to review it.

(Giving it 2 stars because nothing seemed utterly wrong for me, just didn't enjoy it and it wasn't for me.)

I devoured Four Found Dead in one day! It was perfectly paced, thrilling, and I could not put it down. I felt like I was there each step of the way and highly recommend this.

The last show has ended, but the nightmare is just beginning...
Tonight, Tempest Theater will close its doors for good, just like all the other stores that were in this shopping mall. The customers have cleared out, so Jo and six of her coworkers are cleaning for the last time, until an unexpected altercation occurs. The power's gone out and their manager is nowhere to be found, leaving them without access to their locked up phones or the outside world since all doors have been locked. During the hunt for their manager, one of them winds up dead, and it doesn't take long for the rest of the crew to find out. Their only chance at surviving is through the dark and boarded up mall, with many places for them or their pursuer to hide. Can Jo and her coworkers find it in themselves to trust each other and outsmart the killer?
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was fast-paced and kept me on my toes! I was constantly wondering what their next move would be and who would make it out. The narrator, Rebecca Quinn Robertson, did a great job voicing the characters and capturing their emotions. At times, her whispers were a little too soft and her swallowing was a little too loud. If you're a fan of YA Thrillers, add this to your TBR!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this book after reading the synopsis, but it didn’t deliver for me. This book got really repetitive in the store kept going round and round. I also hated how we knew so much upfront, and it wasn’t revealed to us as the story went on. I can’t stand that we knew who the killer was from the very beginning, this could’ve been such a great plot point, revealing it later on.

My main issue with the book was just how repetitive it was, and this could’ve been helped with some editing

I went into this looking forward to the premise and locked room mystery aspects that this was gonna give me. I was thinking Phantom of the Megaplex, but scarier and in a mall movie theater.

I do feel like the title gives away some of the mystery and kind of ruined it for me. I started it like "okay 4 are dead now what?" Knowing who the killer is and how many are gonna be dead just ruins the whole thing and it can make a reader want to dnf as quick as possible.

This could potentially only be good for a reader who has never read a mystery thriller before and then they will know it only gets better from there.

3.5 stars

Typically I love Natalie Richards books. And I mean love, I have read all of her books in one sitting. There was just something missing for me in this one. Overall it was an ok read. I definitely felt that the audiobook was much more suitable to get through. I am happy I stuck it out for the ending of the book. However there was no big jaw dropping moment at the end. There was a small one but not really too shocking. No matter how I feel about this one, Natalie Richards is still on my auto buy books.

Thank you to netgalley, Natalie Richards and source fire books for this ARC.

A closing night at a theater turns deadly.
7 teenagers must escape an abandoned mall after their manager snaps and starts killing people.

I found myself really enjoying this book in the beginning. It very much gave me Scream/slasher movie vibes, which I thought was really cool. I kept, however, for something more to happen and I don't feel like it ever delivered. I found a lot of things to be not very believable, which I can usually overlook, especially in horror, but found it hard to do now. The motive behind Clayton's actions felt kind of shallow and not very fleshed out. The same goes for the characters. I didn't really get attached to anyone except Jo and maybe Hudson. Generally enjoyed this, but I was dragging my feet a little by the end.

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.