I really enjoyed this book! The premise of teenagers being stuck in an abandoned mall and being chased by a killer... it sounded like my type of book. And I think it was really well done!

I enjoyed the setup right from the start: Them working their last shift at a movie theater that's closing down. A theater that is in a mall where all the other businesses have already closed down. That place was locked up and ready to be torn down. The movie theater was the last one standing. And on the final night of the theater being open, things escalate quickly when the lights go out and they find one of their coworkers dead.

They can't get out the front door because their asshole of a manger has the keys, and they can't call for help because their phones are locked away while they were on shift (also the manager’s doing). So their only option is to escape out into the abandoned and boarded up mall.

I really enjoyed the setting! An empty mall in the dark with construction stuff everywhere was so creepy! I loved it! I enjoyed following the characters as they tried to find hiding places and things to protect themselves with in the mall.

Another thing I really liked about the book is that it took place in one night! I always love that in a book! It just made things feel more fast-paced, which I really liked, especially in a mystery thriller. The book was pretty tense overall, especially the end. And I really enjoyed the end running-away-from-the-bad-guy/fight scene and where it was set.

This was so good! I loved that it took place in one day, I loved the setting in an abandoned mall ready to be demolished, and I liked all the little letters and news reports at the end of the chapters that gave you insight into the future. And because you know the book is called Four Found Dead, you kept wondering throughout the whole thing which four characters were going to be the ones to wind up dead! And I liked the characters too: sweet Quincy, Hudson, and especially Jo and the character arc she went through. It was just a good book all around! I need to read more books from this author!

DNF @ 39%

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this one but unfortunately I had to DNF it. Nothing exciting was happening. Based on the title, you know how many people are going to die, it just revealed how they do. And by 30% in, you know who the killer is so it’s more of a cat-and-mouse rather than a whodunit. Jo’s revelation of “this isn’t the first time I’ve been stuck with a dead body” was VERY repetitive so it started to annoy me.

This one was not my cup of tea but I would still like to look at the authors other works in the future.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Four Found Dead had a lot of potential, but the execution fell a bit flat. I do think it did what thrillers are supposed to do for the most part, being fast-paced and focused on the sense of danger the central cast are in, so it at least works on that ftont. It’s a quick read, and it kept me constantly engaged. And the retrospective elements, like the news clippings, were cool as well.
But I felt a lot of substance was missing from two key factors, the first being that the characters have no real depth. They could be anyone from anywhere, and while I can understand that character development is not the point of books like this, it still would have helped to truly feel invested in whether these people lived or died (and we know four of them die!)
Also, with that knowledge that there are four victims at the end, there need to be a few more surprises, and the fact that there was never really a mystery around who the killer was made the story less interesting. The danger factor was still there, but I think it would have been heightened had some reveals been saved for later in the narrative.
While not the best-crafted thriller I’ve read, it makes for a quick thrill ride if you’re in the mood for that sort of thing.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Four Found Dead by Natalie D Richards. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this ARC.

Before I say anything else, I want to warn anyone with anxiety about mass shootings...this is not the book for you. I had to force myself to finish and read something lighter right after completing this novel.

This book is an excellent choice if you want a fun YA thriller. The book itself was well written and maintained the feeling of being trapped from start to finish. I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

"Four Found Dead" By Natalie D. Richards was a rollercoaster of twists and turns but the writing was not as good as I expected. I am not sure why I did not connect with this book on a personal level as I do with other murder mystery novels/ I do not feel the characters were described well, the personalities did not shine through, and their actions did not go with their characters. I will not spoil the ending however, I was not happy at all. I would rate this book two stars.

Four found Dead - Natalie D. Richards

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this captivating eARC.

This novel tells the story of a killing spree that occurs in a defunct mall (this is the last night the movie theater is still open) which results in a mass murder of four coworkers.

This novel kept me up all night (I finally finished it at 4 AM). Although this book is listed under mysteries and Thrillers, it is also listed as targeted for Teens and Y/A.

The "Teens" designation ALMOST made me overlook this book, please pick applicable interest areas carefully when you post books (dear publishers)! I fear you are limiting readers by adding that "Teens" tag to the list of categories this novel will appeal to, because although and it is ABOUT a group of young people, nothing prevent it from being listed under "Fiction", "Horror", or even Women's fiction" as it is a detailed account of a gun wielding maniac

I was mesmerized by this captivating thriller of a novel! The skilled plot and character development draws you IN (and your heart will race as though you are on that catwalk trying to survive right along with this gang)!

If you enjoy Stephen King or Bentley Little, give the fascinating novel "Four Found Dead" a read, Natalie D. Richards did a great job writing this novel, I will certainly be looking for more from this author!

Until next time, listen for things that go "bump" in the night, and be afraid, be VERY afraid...

Thank you @NetGalley and @SourcebooksFire for sending me an advance copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own!

I absolutely loved this book!! When I first started reading it, I wondered if the blurb and the information given in the first few pages gave away too much too soon, but the more I read, I realized that things were NOT so obvious. This book had intense suspense from beginning to end that kept me constantly guessing. I felt like I was there in those creepy dark hallways with the countless locked doors and no way out...I could feel the claustrophobia and the fear.

I loved how we got to see Jo change from a young woman trapped by an early trauma to a hero and leader. Each character's quirks added to the obstacles they faced.

Between chapters are newspaper articles about the later outcome of the whole mall situation. I found them distracting at first, but the more I learned about the characters and their actions, the more sense they made to me. There were also lines from a letter from an unknown author between chapters. I was confused at first, but these gave clues to the outcome and kept me trying to figure out whose thoughts they were.

I will definitely be adding this book to my classroom library--the constant action and suspense will keep my students reading!

This book was intense and I loved it! Although, I am still a little unsure as to why he went after everyone when really he only needed to go after one person...soo that didn't make a whole lot of sense. But, otherwise this was an edge of your seat thriller and a quick read. Definitely recommend for thriller lovers.

Wow this book was soo intense with soo many twists and turns. I absolutely loved it, the suspense and mystery was awesome and kept thru all the book. A little predictable but do biggie. The writing flowed perfectly and the details really made you feel the story, you can really feel what the characters are feeling (My heart was beating so fast while reading).The writer did an awesome job. I couldn't put the book down I just needed to know what happened next. It was a fun fast read. I recommend it to everyone that likes thriller/suspense books. I will for sure be checking out more books by this author.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards in exchange for an honest review.

3.5

Four Found Dead has a great premise. You know the antagonist, you know four will die, but you don't know how or who. If you're looking for a thriller where there's a great mystery that needs solving, this wouldn't be the right book for you.

Instead this plays like a thriller movie where the suspense comes from not knowing if someone is going to pop out of dark corners and not knowing who will survive the night. It's the kind of read that has you staying up late to find out who survives.

I will say my enjoyment of the book was definitely reduced by the number of plot holes and questions that were never answered. The conclusion was predictable but still satisfying enough but it left me annoyed with the obvious solutions.

Overall it was an enjoyable experience to read Four Found Dead but you definitely need to know what you're getting into and be ready for what you'll experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Natalie D. Richards for the advanced "Four Found Dead" in exchange for an honest review.

With a few adjustments, this book could've easily been a 4- or 5-star read. There was a lot I enjoyed about this book--the tension was done incredibly well and sustained throughout the entire book, the characters were pretty well developed, and I enjoyed their relationships with each other as well. Jo, as a protagonist, was very easy to root for.

What I didn't understand was what made Clayton snap and become a murderer. Why did he strangle the first victim? Was it just because she knew about his relationship with Summer? Is that enough motive? And after that, he wanted to kill the remaining characters just so he doesn't have any witnesses? I wasn't convinced that that was enough motive to kill 7 people.

I also wished the ending was a bit clearer. The cast of characters went from being trapped in the mall to a month later, recovering, and I wish we had seen more resolution to what happened after they got out of the mall, because I had questions about what happened with Quincy in particular; his ending felt surprising and not well established.

Overall, though, I did really enjoy reading this book, and I would recommend it to thriller fans.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very interesting. I liked it very much. This author is a new one for me. The book held my interesting but it was very intriguing at the end.

Thank you net gally for letting me read this great book.

The Riverview theater is shutting down forever, Jo and her six coworkers are cleaning up after the last showing. A stranger shows up and confronts their manager then the lights go out and the manager goes missing along with the keys to the doors and the office safe that holds all their belongings. Then the first body is found. Their only hope is to head into the abandoned mall the theater is attached to and try to find a way out with a murderer chasing them.

This book starts off with a bang and never lets up. When reading this book I had to stop questioning things like an adult and remember these are teenage kids that might do things differently than I would. This would have been a great book to have a map included because this mall felt huge but luckily the great descriptions had me picturing everything in my head. Make sure when you start reading this you have enough time to finish it because you won’t want to put it down.

A different twist on the closed room mystery. We know from the start who is killing the people but not why or who will be next. Set in a movie theater on the last night before it is closed forever, the staff must try to stay alive once they realize nobody can escape.

Ugh this sucks to write. But this was not good.

It was way too repetitive. Just a thought, don’t use the term “pretty little white boy” or “forgettable way that rich white girls are often pretty” multiple times in a book because it’s just odd. Like why was that necessary? Why did the author have to do that?

But as I said, way too repetitive considering this is a short book. Phrases used over and over, no real character development, boring. Each character blended together because they were forgettable and dumb. Jo was the dumbest of all. Her inner monologues got so annoying. I honestly didn’t want to continue. The only good thing about this was you didn’t know which four died. I did like that. But my goodness this was a miss.

Review: what a heart-pounding read!! From the very first page, my anxiety was in overdrive. You could feel the anxiety of all the characters throughout this horrible night! I couldn’t imagine being in that situation! OMG. I just can’t stop replaying it in my mind! It’s horrible! But the book was so good! It kept me on my toes and wanting to continue reading more. Thank you so much @sourcebooksfire and @netgalley for my advanced copy! I love Natalie D. Richards’ books and I can’t wait to read more from her!!

This one was definitely not my thing. I hated everyone in this book and it felt like a chore to read it.

It’s the last night at Riverview Theaters. The final guests have gone. In Natalie D. Richards’ “Four Found Dead,” Jo and her co-workers are spending the last hours of their final shift cleaning up and closing down. The end of their time at Riverview Theaters is bittersweet. They are a pretty tight crew, but are looking forward to moving on from a tedious job and a creepy boss. In quick succession, an unexpected visitor, a broken soda machine, and a power outage fray nerves. Then the bodies start piling up. Jo and her friends have to band together and use their wits to save themselves. Will they be able to outwit the one who wants them dead?

The story is fast-paced and full of “no, don’t go in there!” type moments. For the first third of the book there is a LOT of noise inside Jo’s head. It is reasonable as there are a number of triggers that have her reliving past trauma. Just as the noise and her fear become almost overwhelming, both recede and Jo finds her inner strength to push through an event she never thought she’d be part of. I would have liked a longer set-up to build the creepy-factor before the catapult into action. There are some funny comments about how people behave in horror movies.

This story would be great for teens who like thrillers.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for allowing me to read this early copy

*thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC*

I generally enjoyed this book, I was pretty solidly hooked on the story, and I was pretty spooked throughout. I think it was an interesting take on the horror genre to set up the mystery and unravel it pretty early on. I do think the plot was repetitive and it seemed to drag on and repeat itself throughout some of the scenes. overall, generally solid YA thriller, perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins' mysteries and Karen M. McManus!

omg I hated this book. I've never read a book that made me feel so snarky. This is my first book by Natalie D. Richards and if it's at all indicative of her writing style, it's my last. It's just not for me. Others certainly seem to love it so I would say give it a try if you're a fan of YA thrillers.

Four Found Dead sounded promising, and and I was really excited to start it. Teens running from a killer in a mall/theater after closing? That sounds right up my alley.

But it wasn't.

It was basically just an hours long, high-stakes game of Hide and Seek.

The epilogue was cute, I guess, and at least the action started quickly, but there is absolutely nothing I found redeeming or enjoyable about this book. I love good YA Horror and Thrillers, this ain't it. Sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.