This was such a twisted thriller. We follow as a group of coworkers after their last shift at a theater. Their plans of celebrating their last shift with some IHOP pancakes are shot when they find one of their coworkers dead. They end up fighting for their lives while a killer hunts them in a shut-down mall connected to the theater.

This was more of a thriller than a mystery; however, the mystery elements tied the whole plot together. We learn who the killer is very early on, which surprised me. Her books usually follow more of a "whodunnit" format, but it worked well in this. I think if the killer had been kept a secret, it would have detracted from the tense atmosphere Richards created.

This book was hard to put down. Every page was tense and filled with action. As it literally says in the title, four people end up dead. There are eight people at the start, so you are on edge the whole time, counting down, trying to figure out which characters will be left standing. This was a great spin Richards put on the novel.

If you choose not to pick this one up, reconsider. You will not regret reading this one I promise.

(Review has been posted to Barnes and Noble under username Berriesandbooks)

Intriguing plot line but wow you really need to suspend disbelief for a majority of this book. Personally I would have enjoyed more of the backstory before we dove into the plot on certain characters. It felt incredibly disjointed at times and the main character flashbacks combine with the medical knowledge they had at 16 was a huge reach. Additionally I felt the author was forcing certain storylines and playing to the audience with being over the top with the inclusivity. Mentioning that one of the victims had same sex parents added absolutely nothing to the storyline and almost felt like an afterthought. I was personally put off by the age difference between the manager and his employees, this book is geared to young adults and the Summer/Clayton storyline felt like a horrible reason for the killings.

This will be a popular thriller read in my high school library. I was so excited about this one for the premise, but knowing the "bad guy" at the beginning kind of took the wind out of my sails. Not a bad book, but the repetitive nature of this one made it not my favorite.

I wanted to love this but I just couldn’t.
This is a fast paced slasher but I don’t feel we were given enough time to get to know the characters for us to care when they’re dying. I love the idea of the book I feel I would’ve just enjoyed it better if we had more time with the characters.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-galley.

I did not enjoy reading this at all.

The story is thrust into violence almost from chapter 1. I didn't feel as if I was even given a chance to get to know the characters before they started dying. The balance of violence and action to plot skewed too heavily to violence for my tastes. I guess I'd assumed there would be a little more mystery to the story, but this kind of felt like a book version of a 2000s slasher film at times.

Some people may like this, but it was just too violence heavy without enough character development for me.

Well I think the premise for this one sounded great. Unfortunately the execution fell flat for me. There were too many characters introduced at once and by the time they started dying I just wasn’t invested in any of them to really care.

I did enjoy the little news snippets between chapters.

Also, the reveal of things at the end was pretty lackluster.

***** I have received and read an e - ARC from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

I give it a 1.5/5, rounded up to 2/5.

I feel like this is a first draft that was rushed to be published instead of a carefully polished novel.

The elements are there- locked room style, an abandoned mall (always a great option for a fun read), murder, mayhem, and a movie theater (again, always a fun location to work with).

We’re introduced to too many characters way too fast. I know that four people are going to die (thanks to the title), but I don’t need to try and juggle all of these people. And the characters themselves seem underdeveloped. I couldn’t really connect with anyone.

The plot was straightforward and I never felt surprised at any point.

I’ve read some of Natalie’s books before, and this didn’t feel like it was up to her usual high quality work. It almost felt as if she might have come up with the basic plot, it the book was ghost written under her name.

Four Found Dead…so you know how many will live through this one night. Eight people are shutting down a movie theater in a mall for the last time. A story I can relate to as someone who hates malls, grew up in their heyday and is watching them being torn down in my town this week. Between a crazed killer boss running around and a construction company who took shortcuts, our characters are stuck in a mall with no escape. Weirdly, the tension sometimes just dropped away for me and a few parts seemed a bit boring. I liked the little bits of news and thoughts that ended many of the paragraphs. I could picture the inside of this empty and outdated structure. I have to admit it brought me back. All of the books I’ve read by Natalie Richards have been similar-young adults in dangerous and deadly situations-but I think it is a formula she can really work with. I’ll continue to seek out anything I can to read by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Sourcebooks Fire for the gifted e-book ❤️

Read if you like: Locked room, cat and mouse, haunting backstories

Wow. This was really different. I have never read anything like it. We know the killer from the beginning but not the reasons why. We follow Jo's POV. What a great choice. She is such a strong, level-headed, thoughtful character. This is a trapped in an area, cat and mouse type thriller. I loved it. My heart was pumping hard the whole time. It definitely stayed interesting to me. It's a very fast-paced and thrilling. I love the little nuggets of information with the news articles and such. This book made me cry. So good.. I recommend it!

Adrenaline pumping!!!

Super glad that Sourcebooks Fire gave me this ARC!

It started with Jo and her coworkers closing up a theater in a rundown mall that will be demolished soon. Right at the end of their shift, there was an unexpected visitor, and things started to escalate from that second.

We all know who the killer is from the beginning, but it didn't take away the tension. The cat and mouse situation put me on edge and I felt scared for them! I was hoping there will be a twist that the killer wasn't the actual killer, but nothing came up. But it didn't take away my enjoyment of reading this book.

There was a twist though or more like a revelation as to what was the reason the killer did all of this thing. I had my prediction and it was right, if you read a lot of mystery thrillers I bet you can figure it out from the beginning. But as I said, the story is still gripping. I was in a slump but this book made me keep going because I wanna know what will happen next.

I like Jo as the main character. She felt a bit unreliable at first but I ended up loving her. She went from a scared cat to someone who could stand up for her and her friends when they were in need. I also love the side characters, Quincy, Hudson, and Naomi. Each of them has different thoughts and approaches to how to deal with the killer, it made a dynamic team in my opinion. Throughout the book, I kept screaming internally for them to make it out alive. Did they escape? You have to find out yourself!

I regret finishing this book. I didn't care who died and it already says who the killer is from the beginning. It's boring and repetitive and the dialogue is cringey.

This is a really quick read, that tells you off the bad that four movie theater employees are murdered, and it delivers on that. If I hadn't started it at 9pm I easily could have finished it in a day. But that might have been the best part of it, and the rest of it mostly fell flat. 
*
Some of my issues: 
- There were no twists. Everything was exactly as it appeared. 
- Why exactly did the killer go on a murder spree? I have no idea, that was never explained
- The main character has "taken all first aid courses" and can treat shock but doesn't feel comfortable with CPR 
- They yelling to each other in an empty mall and somehow the killer doesn't hear them? Also some decision the killer made just made no sense... had them all pinned but then ran away? 
- The character development wasn't particularly deep and was repetitive 

Anyway, it's fast, and somewhat exciting, and would be a good beach read or something, but I can't really recommend this. Thanks anyway @netgalley, @goodreads, and @sourcebooksfire for the early copy!

2.5⭐️ I didn’t hate the concept of knowing whodunnit at the beginning; I have read a similar style book and didn’t mind it. I think there were just a lot of characters and they weren’t developed enough for me. It ended up being a bit difficult for me to get through.

Thanks to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Fire for a chance to read this book!

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Riverview Theaters is closing tonight, and now that the last show is over, all the moviegoers have left. Jo and her six coworkers are eager to finish up their cleaning shift and leave too but when, after witnessing an altercation between their manager Clayton and his wife, the power suddenly goes out, they realize Clayton has disappeared – along with the keys to the exit doors and the safe where all their phones are. Their fright as they realize they are locked in the theatre is only the beginning of a terrifying night when one of them is murdered – and the killer is now stalking them all. Their only chance of escape is now through the abandoned mall that connects to the theatre which is slated for renovation. Jo and her friends must work together to survive the night and find a way out before the killer catches up to them.

I’m always game to try a new thriller and just from the sound of the synopsis, I knew this would be one that would keep me at the edge of my seat. Fortunately I was right and with this book I seem to have finally broken my streak of disappointing reads I’ve been going through recently. Today’s review was supposed to be a different book, but I’m really enjoying that one so far so I’m taking my time finishing it.

Four Found Dead was basically a locked room mystery of sorts and was set in the timespan of a single night. I liked that the narrative was interspersed with newspaper articles detailing the aftermath of the night. It added another layer to the story and it made the ongoing events hit even harder.

The setting of the abandoned mall was an excellent setting and it made for a very creepy kind of atmosphere, especially given that the entire story took place in the dark. In hindsight, reading this in the evening was probably not the best idea.

The writing was pretty good and the narration was exactly what is needed for a book of this genre. It conveyed the tension in the story perfectly throughout and kept me on tenterhooks just as I predicted from beginning to end and I was so engrossed I read it in a single sitting.

There wasn’t much in terms of plot twists and the villain was made clear quite early on, to my surprise, so this was definitely less mystery and more thriller. There were some questions left hanging until the last few chapters, but none that turned out to be particularly significant. I was expecting this to be a whodunnit and the early reveal was a little disappointing from that angle, but in a way, knowing the killer’s identity made the stakes that much higher for the rest of the book.

There were quite a few characters in this book but the only POV was Jo’s, along with a mystery narrator who wasn’t revealed until the end. Still, I think that in the short timespan of this story, the author managed to make them all reasonably distinct and it was easy enough to keep them straight. They all also had similar amounts of page time which made the narrative that much more balanced.

Character development was somewhat lacking, especially for the villain because the reason for their actions and the path they chose was never really explained. I half expected this since this type of story rarely leaves much room for anything but plot, but it would have been a good addition. Jo was a decent main character and she was strong and logical which I rather appreciated (for some reason all the books in this genre I’ve read in recent months seem to be centered around ridiculously reckless characters), and she had a good backstory that tied in well to the plot of this story as well as her arc.

The last couple of chapters did have one surprise left and the character who ended things was not the one I would have predicted. All in all, it was a satisfying conclusion and left the question of which of the characters were going to make it out alive unanswered right until the last pages.

Four Found Dead was a fast paced novel, easy to read and utterly riveting. I absolutely loved the setting and it really enhanced the mood of the story. If you’re a fan of thrillers or are looking for a quick, yet interesting read, I would definitely recommend this book!

I found the concept for this book fun and it promised to be a fast-paced thriller. I also loved that there would be no surprise that four people would eventually die!
However, this one just didn’t hold up for me. I found myself dropped into a story where about 8 characters were introduced in the first chapter so I had a very hard time keeping anyone straight. No one had a specific personality, they just all seemed like stock characters. Also, parts of the plot just seemed so over the top that I just found myself rolling my eyes quite often.

Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The last show is over and the movie theater is closing down for good. For Jo and her coworkers it’s supposed to be a night of celebration (well if you call afterwork pancakes a celebration, lol…and yes I would). They just need to finish cleaning up and shutting everything down, but something isn’t right. Yes, Clayton—the manager—is being a jerk, though that is nothing new, but Jo happens to see he’s carrying a gun tonight. Suddenly the idea of pancakes isn’t so important, she just wants to get the heck out of there, but everyone’s phones and keys are locked in the office safe. However before they can retrieve their items, Clayton’s wife shows up and there is an altercation between her and Clayton and soon thereafter the lights go out, screaming starts…and someone ends up dead. But if you took notice of the title of this book then you realize that’s just the first to drop. This was an enjoyable ‘locked room’ mystery with good characters, a decent plot, and some genuinely intense moments. I believe this is now either the third or fourth book I’ve read by Natalie Richards and I have to say she always entertains. I’d like to thank SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Four Found Dead.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Natalie D Richards for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Four Found Dead coming out May 2, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Riverview Theaters is showing movies for the last time. It’s the only open business in a dying shopping mall. The moviegoers have all left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the closing shift, a shift that quickly goes dark.

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

Now their only opportunity to get away from the killer is through the dark, abandoned mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the building is filled with hiding places. But will they be able to hide from the murderer or is the murderer among them? In order to survive, Jo and her friends have to trust each other, navigate to an open exit, and outwit a killer before he finds them.

I really enjoy Natalie Richards’ YA thrillers and murder mysteries. It’s one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed this was set in a mostly abandoned mall. There was definitely a survival aspect to it. I think there was a little bit of pacing issue with me. I thought the book was slightly too long and I was losing interest in a few parts. I think it could’ve been a little shorter and would’ve held my interest the whole time. I thought the characters were interesting, but the killer is known pretty early in the story. So it was slightly predictable after that.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA thrillers!

This was a game of cat and mouse, an escape room type. Almost felt like ‘final destination’ vibes.

Something was missing from this book, but I just can’t put my finger on it. I think I might have preferred a bit more of a back story of the characters, it was extremely face paced but not much foreshadowing.

Riverview Theatres is closing tonight, same with the boarded up mall that it’s in. Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, a shift that turns dark real quick.

The theatre workers have to lock up their phones at the start at every shift. So when the manager goes missing with the keys to the safe and the lobby, and the power goes out, Jo and her coworkers are trapped inside. Stumbling upon one of her colleagues dead, they to escape immediately. A murderer is on the loose and there is no way out.



Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a DRC. Four Found Dead is available May 2.

I really enjoyed this book! It was one of those stories that just doesn't quit moving! It was go-go-go from the beginning, and I thought I had it figured out so many times, but the twist was something I did not expect. If you like YA thriller, this is for you!

Thank you to Natalie D. Richards, Sourcebooks Fire, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had such high hopes for this book. I have read some of Natalie's other books and really liked them. I had high hopes for this but unfortunately, it didn't hit. Knowing who the killer was from the beginning took the suspense away in my opinion.