Alex Finlay

From Alex Finlay, the author of Every Last Fear, comes The Night Shift, a breakneck new thriller about a pair of small-town murders fifteen years apart, and the one man whose life in inexplicably linked to both...

A Novel

The Night Shift

It's been a while since I've read a murder/mystery that I haven't solved before the book ended. This was so refreshing for me and I'm very happy it was my first read of the year! 

Mazzie

Courtney Passio

really enjoyed this thriller! Fun read. Has some dark moments, but nothing too crazy.

Denaiir

I loved this book, the characters were endearing, and even though I guessed who the murderer was from the start I loved the twists and turns to get there. And that ending!! I cried so hard.
I liked Alex Finlay's previous book, but this one was amazing!
Read in one sitting

Briar's Reviews

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is easily one of my favourite thriller reads in 2022. I was honestly surprised how fast paced, mysterious, and binge-worthy this book was! The multiple POVs kept me hooked at every turn, and even the little cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter didn't bother me. I was completely enthralled with this book and it was super hard to put it down. 

The characters were relatable, even through their tough times. You feel for these characters, and you want an answer... Even if it's not the one we want. The ending will leave you wanting to punch through walls (but don't, because everything is expensive with the supply chain problems these days). 

I will give it to Alex Finlay - this is a masterfully crafted book that has left me wanting to read more books by this marvellous author. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a mystery that brings back the nostalgia of the 1990s/2000s, and really makes you think. Plus, short chapters are always great for binge readers like me that sometimes need a wee break (to sleep!).

Five out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I feel like I read a different book than all my friends because I thought this was terrible. The writing was so bad. It felt like a detective procedural on a poorly funded public access channel. The plot felt messy, and the characters were annoying. There were so many unanswered questions and I didn't like how the ending didn't feel fully wrapped up. I was also annoyed with how often Finlay kept mentioning how one of the characters was 8 months pregnant. He brought it up in almost every one of her chapters and it was overkill. It was fast-paced, so I'll give it that, but everything else needed some work.

Heather Harrington

I thought this was a great quick read. I think this would be a great movie adaption as well. I enjoyed the story. It was right to the point. 

 I love those things in a book. So that definitely was a bonus for me. 

Bookworm

I thought this was a great quick read. I think this would be a great movie adaption as well. I enjoyed the story. It was right to the point. 

Short chapters.

Multiple POVs.

 I love those things in a book. So that definitely was a bonus for me. 

Alexa M

well shit, this was a whirlwind! i honestly could not put this book down, so interesting and fast paced and twisty, wow. wayyy better than Finlay's last release. highly recommend!

From the author of the breakout thriller Every Last Fear, comes Alex Finlay's electrifying next novel The Night Shift, about a pair of small-town murders fifteen years apart—and the ties that bind them. One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2022: • PopSugar • Goodreads • Book Riot • BookBub • The Nerd Daily • SheReads • Crime by the Book “The night was expected to bring tragedy.” So begins one of the most highly-anticipated thrillers in recent years. It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in New Jersey, four teenagers working late at the store are attacked. Only one inexplicably survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again. Fifteen years later, more teenage employees are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive. In the aftermath of the latest crime, three lives intersect: the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who’s convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller who must delve into the secrets of both nights—stirring up memories of teen love and lies—to uncover the truth about murders on the night shift. Twisty, poignant, and redemptive, The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side, and it solidifies Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers.

Molly Morgan

This book was a lot of fun!

On NYE in 1999 at a blockbuster a group of teens are closing up and get attacked.. only one makes it out alive. Fast forward 15 years, same thing has happened at a yogurt shop in the same town. What is the connection?

I really enjoyed the characters and the plot progression set a really nice pace. Were there any wild unpredictable twists? Not really, but honestly how many thrillers give you that. It's a really good read and an interesting story to watch unfold.

A thriller following a pair of small-town murders that happened fifteen years apart – and the ties that bind them.

Really good and some fantastic twists and turns. I found it a little slow to get into but sped through the last half!

Soph

Siya S

It's Mystery & Thriller Week - what a perfect time to pick up this book! I LOVED IT! 

Spent my whole Sunday reading this book to the final page. It's a medium-pace crime sleuth with a good twist at the end. I kind of guessed the murderer right (again, what else is new?) but I don't think it took away the fun because the last 1/3 of the book was packing a punch. Loved it.

A good mystery. Would’ve rated it three stars but I didn’t guess the killer or motive properly so I rated it four stars

Amanda Autumn Berrey

sophia n

this was a perfectly serviceable mystery/thriller, which is a really cold way to review a book lmao. i'm between 2 and 3 stars but i really can't think of anything that actually hooked me, beyond the original premise pitch, which was totally missing in execution. which i think might be part of why i feel so off. the pace was good and the twists and final reveal were all totally fine but i was just so disconnected from the whole thing, idk. also i was truly considering DNFing at 60% because i found myself sitting here thinking "i really don't care" but i pushed through just to see if the end was worth it but it really wasn't for me. idk.

also at the end one character literally says "like some silence of the lambs level shit" and i had to pause and sit down because i was laughing so hard. but like. at the book, not with it ...

Bonita

James Eaton

Pretty good read (I would say it's more of a 3.5 rating than a 3). I liked how to story had wider characters arcs that all came together in the end. Some good twists and turns and a very enjoyable read. 

I am coming off The Dark Tower series (which was just a big emotional read) and this was a good read. If you need a beach read / weekend trip read, then I think this is a good choice.

Heather

2.5 ⭐️
Honestly, this book was just too boring for me. I didn’t feel any kind of “wow factor” by the ending. I’ve just read better thrillers than this one.

ingrid

WHAT A BOOK!!! this book has been on my TBR for weeks now and i was so excited to read it and it did not disappoint. the story got me hooked from the start and all the characters served their purpose. this book was fast paced from the beginning and it never felt boring. the plot twists were very well written, with just the perfect amount of suspense that left you shocked once they happened. overall, it was a great read and one of my favorites! i received an arc through netgalley

Livia

3.5/5 stars


this was quite a solid read. i like the mystery, it didn't feel like it was dragged out too much. i was kinda meh about the characters (mostly chris and the second survivor which i completely forgot the name of), but i enjoyed it.

Holly

Definitely an improvement over Every Last Fear! I will say some aspects were not explained very well and definitely required some piecing together. 
(view spoiler)[ Justice for Atticus!!! (hide spoiler)]

kendall p

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay is a jam packed novel full of plot twist and suspense. 

This book sucked me in from the beginning. I never once found myself bored as I was reading. It’s perfectly paced. The only thing I had a problem with was the little conflict that arises with Chris, and we aren’t really given any answers to it. It just kinda happens then they move on. I wish it was talked about just a tad bit more. 
We are presented with two cases - one is presumably solved, and the other is unsolved. The first one happened in 1999 at a blockbuster, We are blasted fifteen years later to an ice cream store where the same events take place. 
We are given multiple POV’s - which the author did perfectly. The short chapters make for such an easy read, but also leaves off at the perfect points. 
The characters are written in such a great way. They all have aspects that are easy to relate to, which makes you connect so well to them. I felt my heart breaking for all of them at certain times. They intersect, and come together so well. It makes the story even that much better. 
This book was shocking. As soon as you think the story is going in one direction, Finlay drops a bomb that completely changes the direction. 
If you enjoy true crime, you will really enjoy this book. It mentions the infamous LuLu Lemon case & the main case has a resemblance to the 1991 Yogurt shop murders. The books reads just like an episode of Criminal Minds, or Law & Order. 
The ending was so heartbreaking, but well wrapped up, and I felt satisfied when it was all finished. I would have liked to known more about Jesse and Ella, but overall I was fine with it. 
I definitely recommend and think this will be a top book for 2022.

- i was provided an e-arc of this book by st.martins publishing for my honest review. release date 3/1/22

There was a lot of build up throughout the book and then BAM. the last 20 pages allll the things happen and we find out all this new j formation and plot twists. Very good thriller and easy read. 

Autumn Hunsinger

Samantha King

So I was expecting this to be a little more thrilling than it was considering its classed as a mystery/suspense and thriller. Its not, I feel like it shouldn't be labeled as that either.
Although I read this in one day I did somewhat enjoy it but it was only tje last 50 to 20 pages that things got interesting for me.
Don't get me wrong if I'd known this was simply a dark mystery then I probably wouldn't have been disappointed. 
It's a good mystery with three main pov 
Sarah Keller a cop, Chris a lawyer and brother to the accused killer of the murders back in 1999 and Ella the survivor from 1999.
I will say I felt for Chris and Ella near to the end
Was I surprised with the ending...not overaly surprised or shocked. 
I found the ending dissapointing 

Tee Ng

A strong come-back from Alex Finlay after Every Last Fear. Good storyline, however the fact that all the clues were uncovered in such coincidental ways kinda annoys me. 

4.5/5 rounded up to 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lacey Feigl

15 years after the famous unsolved Blockbuster murders in which four teens are murdered and only one survives, it seems there may be a copycat in the same town. The survivor of the Blockbuster murders has since become a psychologist to help those with trauma. When she is asked to help the current survivor, Ella can’t help but says yes. But helping this young girl is putting her right back into the headspace of the night she was attacked. Ella knows she won’t be peace until she finds out what happened on both of these horrific murders.

The Night Shift is 307 pages long and took me two days to read.

This book was so entertaining and I had so much fun reading it! I’m giving it a 4 out of 5! This would be a great summer read because it’s so fast paced!

Thank you so much, Minotaur Books, for sending me this copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey


Katelyn Caillouet

This book was quite meh. The characters, despite going through intense dramas, came across as staggeringly unaffected by them. They made bad decisions in an unrealistic way. Also, the multiple POVs (I think there were 5 total?) came across too homogeneous. A couple surprises tucked in there, but I had the true murderer picked out by 1/3 of the book. I'm tired of suspense and thriller novels being so predictable and tiresome.

Lynn Braden

The death of four workers at a Blockbuster Video store in New Jersey on New Year's Eve has lost it's impact over the years until a similar crime at a local ice cream shop brings it back to the forefront.  In both cases, one girl is left alive.  After the trauma she experiences in 1999, Ella Monroe becomes a psychologist in order to understand her own issues and also help others, so it is no surprise when she is contacted to help the sole survivor of the ice cream shop murders, Jesse Duvall.  Jesse isn't what Ella expects; she's tough, strong, and she has spent the last several months investigating the deaths at the Blockbuster store 15 years before.  Her involvement raises questions that must be solved by local cop, Atticus Singh and FBI agent Sarah Keller.

The Night Shift is a twisty mystery with a large number of characters, covering a time span of over 15 years.  As a result, there are lots of suspects and lots of information but not much character development.  Very few of the characters in the story are likable enough to root for, however the twists and turns in the book add suspense, especially toward the end when all of the clues come together.  The middle of the book drags a bit as all of the details are used to create both atmosphere and guesswork, but overall, The Night Shift is a clever, enjoyable mystery with enough suspense to make it a fun read.  

The Night Shift A Novel

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