What connects a massacre at a Blockbuster video store in 1999 with the murder of four teenagers fifteen years later?

It's New Year's Eve of 1999 when four teenagers working late are attacked at a Blockbuster video store in New Jersey. Only one survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later, four more teenagers 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 is forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who is convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller, who must delve into the secrets of both nights to uncover the truth about the Night Shift Murders...

This was a clinker of a novel that I really enjoyed reading. I love a good crime thriller like the best of us but this one was just that little bit more unique that I found it standing out amongst the many crime novels I read.

I think this was due to Finlay’s complex characterisation (it was really hard not to empathise and champion the feisty female protagonists in the novel - from which there were many to choose) and Finlay’s use of 90s nostalgia really brought the plot to life. Fueled by unanswered questions and a search for closure this novel keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing right until the very last moment.

Tension, suspense and thrill - this is a pacy, immersive read! Just make sure to cancel all plans as this is a read in one sitting well into the wee hours book that you won’t want to put down!

You'll want the night shift to find out what happens :)
This story was a dive into 90’s nostalgia, and the tension of Y2K. On a night where everyone was expecting things to go haywire, they do for a group of teens working the night shift at the local Blockbuster Video store. The Night Shift was a suspenseful read from the beginning and was told mostly in the present, while revisiting a crime from the past. The way the author told the story was enjoyable and kept the tension high, with a recent murder shadowing a murder from the past.
Just an opinion, and it in no way compromised the book, but I would’ve liked to see the action get closer to the characters, to make the final reveal feel a little closer to the action and momentum of the book as the lives of Ella, Jesse and Chris weave closer together.
The characters and detail the author provided drew the action closer to the killer, and the killer’s motive as we learned more about the Blockbuster video survivor, Ella, the ice cream shop survivor, Jesse, and the sibling of the man accused of the first murder, Chris.

* 3.5 stars.

A solidly gripping thriller, nicely fast paced to keep the reader guessing and want to keep reading. I ultimately found the ending a little disappointing, and the plot didn't feel wholly fresh and new, but an entertaining read nonetheless.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the eARC.)

A nostalgia driven opener which recalls to mind Friday nights, choosing a VHS from Blockbuster, quickly descends into the kind of scene which would not be out of place in one of the rental movies.

Almost slasher like in its intensity, 4 people who work the night shift on the eve of the Millennium are murder in quick succession.

A local hoodlum is promptly arrested on the flimsiest of evidence and then just as quickly disappears.

His younger brother Chris,grows up to be a public defender and, 15 years later, becomes embroiled in a new murder spree in the small town of Linden.

Because the sole survivor, a frequent flier through the care system, can tell the police nothing but the last words that she heard from the killer are identical to the Blockbuster killer’s.

And the one person who can confirm it, is the Blockbuster survivor, Ella, who has grown up to be a therapist, brought into the case to pull details out that others may have missed.

The other principle narrator is heavily pregnant detective Sarah Keller, and her sidekick Atticus Singh, as they attempt to slay the ghost of New Year past and present. Using the developments in criminal and legal fields over the past 15 years, they plan to kill two murderous birds with one massive stone.

There is a deftness of touch to the writing which, combined with the short almost filmic chapters,creates a sense of urgency and tocking clocks.

The Night Shift is a superb crime thriller, it is a exploration of restorative justice and just how long someone will wait to exact vengeance. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and each of the well rounded characters zing as they banter, bicker and bargain with each other, creating a perfectly realised small town atmosphere.

This was just average for me.
I was invested in the beginning. The story had a good pace and I was intrigued to see what would be revealed. However, the story plateaued and never picked up again. The tone became a little monotonous and I struggled to finish the book. The story is a typical mystery/thriller so it needed a lot more then a standard mystery/thriller approach for me.

Exactly one year ago I read ALEX FINLAY's EVERY LAST FEAR. I loved his debut novel, and my comments about his latest release are quite similar to what I read last time around.

THE NIGHT SHIFT captivated my attention from the get-go. There's been a murder in a shop and there's only one survivor. Years later a similar killing spree takes place with a similar MO. The alleged killer is still on the run, could it be that he has returned years later to commit a crime once again. But why? And why has one person been left alive again?

We follow the story through the eyes of two female protagonists and one guy. Keller, the FBI agent who is assisting local cops; Chris' whose brother is the alleged killer from the past; and Ella the final girl from the first killing spree.

Ella is now a therapist and creates a bond with the latest survivor.

Unfortunately, the story gets a bit more complicated than that. It's taking turns into youth trauma, redemption and sadness in the light of unresolved issues. That's one of my issues with this novel. The start is fantastic, the premise is great but then the story is losing itself a little bit in its telling. It doesn't help that multiple characters are trying to uncover the truth at the same time separately from each other, that's why we sometimes learn something sooner than the other characters which makes reading their lightbulb moments a bit tedious and boring.

That having been said, it's worth sticking with it because the conclusion is *chef's kiss*.

Really fun and exciting thriller, and somewhat nostalgic for those who grew up in the 90s spending much of their time in the local Blockbuster.

Easily a 5 star read from beginning to end! The premise immediately had me hooked from the start - two similar crimes committed 15 years apart.. is there a copycat killer? Or has the original murderer come back?

There were lots of twists and turns that really kept me guessing until the final chapter - highly recommend this book to face paced mystery thriller fans!

My thanks to Head of Zeus/Ares for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Night Shift’ by Alex Finlay in exchange for an honest review.

I had been impressed by his 2021 thriller, ‘Every Last Fear’, and was very excited to read this novel. It proved amazing!

New Year's Eve, 1999 Linden, New Jersey and four teenagers working late at the local Blockbuster video store are attacked. There was only one survivor. The Police quickly identify and arrest a suspect, the possible boyfriend of one of the victims. Yet when he is released due to insufficient evidence, he flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later and another four teenagers working late at an ice cream shop, the Dairy Creamery, in the same town are attacked. Again, only one makes it out alive.

In the aftermath of this second crime three lives intersect: Ella, the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre, who is now a therapist is brought in to help Jesse, the survivor of Dairy Creamer massacre; Chris, the brother of the accused fugitive, who is convinced the police arrested the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller, who is investigating both crimes in order to uncover the truth about the Night Shift Murders...

The viewpoint shifts between these characters with some flashbacks to the events of 1999. Given that both survivors were teenage girls, there is an element of the Final Girl trope. One very minor quibble was that a few expressions, such as ‘virtual signalling’ seemed slightly anachronistic for 2015.

Overall, ‘The Night Shift’ proved a very intense and totally addictive crime thriller and I was glued to my e-reader for the duration. Alex Finlay is now on my list of ‘must read’ crime writers,

Highly recommended.

“The legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side”



Wow! I need a few moments to get my breath back, after that explosive, whirlwind journey, through a whole rollercoaster ride of emotions.

I gave Alex’s debut novel Every Last Fear, 5 stars right across the board and wasn’t sure exactly how he was going to produce another storyline which could compete with it, let alone better it. But he has, and how spectacularly has he hit that 5 star plus ceiling for me! If Every Last Fear is in development for a major television series, then The Night Shift definitely has to be on the cards for a full length film option.

FBI agent Sarah Keller, also made her debut appearance in Every Last Fear and I remember commenting at the time, that she really should get a series of her own. Well, she makes a return to the action in this latest thriller and despite her temporary and very obvious physical limitations, is pivotal in bringing events to a conclusion, although she almost breaks my golden rule that the main protagonist in the stories I read, shouldn’t end up dead. That she survives by the skin of her teeth, is hopefully an omen that we shall see more of her in future books, although that depends on whether her husband gets his silent wish that she might not need to live up to her “Agent Badass” reputation for too much longer, as he quite likes her alive and in one piece, although he is always willing to support her in making her job as fulfilling as possible, so will back whatever final decision she makes.

This was very much a story of two halves, beginning in 1999 and fast forwarding to 2015, with the intervening years seeming to have been rather calm and ordinary, although as events unfold, we discover that all was not as it might have at first appeared and a much more subtle form of coercion has continued to bubble away silently and undetected, beneath the surface. Are the two horrendous crime scenes, separated by almost two decades, linked and perpetrated by the same person, or is there a copycat killer on the loose with a totally different agenda?

That’s the scary and highly emotional dilemma now facing both Ella, the sole survivor of the first attack and Chris, younger brother of the accused perpetrator of the first attack, Vince, who is still reportedly on the run from the law all these years later. The one thing that Ella and Chris have in common, apart from the fact that after all the time which has lapsed, they have only just managed to get their individual lives back on track and are able to move forward in the right head space; is that they both believe that Vince was innocent of such heinous crimes, despite evidence to the contrary. Yes, he was no angel, on that they are both agreed, but his small time misdemeanours pale into insignificance alongside the witch-hunt stirred up against him by some of the townsfolk.

When the second attack also yields one sole survivor, Jesse, the FBI are called in to help bring about a speedy conclusion to events, although it is Jesse herself, who seems determined to thwart their efforts with her own disruptive agenda. The social care system has not been kind to Jesse over the years and the people who are charged with her wellbeing and keeping her safe, are in fact those who she most needs to mistrust and fear. It is not until the stubborn combination of Ella and Sarah, finally manage to break down her defences and show Jesse that they really are on her side, does she open up and the fractured pieces of this shattered jigsaw, begin to make sense and fit together.

This powerful and gripping storyline is so well structured and multi-layered, that I was still peeling the many strands back right until the eleventh hour, in an effort to uncover the final truth and to be honest, my suspect list had almost everyone’s name on it at some time or another. Although this barrel of humanity contained some pretty rotten apples, I never did mange to isolate the murderer who mattered the most, almost right up until the time that the penny began to drop for Sarah Keller, but by then there was nothing left for the perpetrator to lose, in their final frenzied attack, with their reputation already in tatters and nothing but a lifetime behind bars waiting for them.

Events were thankfully presented in short, seamless chapters, as the often frenetically intense action and narrative, tended to randomly drop in and out of the two timelines and was told in the voices of several different people. The twists and double twists in this storyline, just kept on coming and red herrings were spread liberally to trip me up every time I thought I was getting on top of things. When writing, how Alex managed to keep a track of who was doing what to whom, how, why, where and when, was a complete mystery to me, as my poor little brain was constantly fuddled and tied up in knots. The lies, duplicity and all those dirty little secrets, are so widespread and attributed to so many different individuals, all with their own agendas, that melding them together into such a highly textured and cohesive storyline, was wickedly clever, slick and polished, and pulled off to perfection. The physical footprint of the story was quite small, however the fluently written narrative and dialogue was crisp and visually descriptive, affording a real sense of time and place, as the characters moved around within their location.

Alex created a vast, sprawling and diverse cast of characters, who although they were all compelling and afforded a good strong voice with which to tell their story, did in fact spend much of their time vying to be the lucky ones left standing, when the dust had finally settled and the total body count was added up. The only people who never really had an axe to grind, or ulterior motives and personal agendas to service, were Agent Sarah Keller and her protegee Atticus. The vibrant energy and synergy between them was like a breath of fresh air, in an otherwise claustrophobic atmosphere and I found it easy to relate to and invest in this new pairing, however short lived it may have been. From the unreliable, vulnerable and complex; to the raw, passionate, authentic and believable; just about every emotion played out a storyline where the fragility and frailty of the youthful mind, were played on and manipulated by figures who had been entrusted to nurture them and encourage them to reach their full potential.

There are glimmers of some happy endings to be found, although they may still be fragile and a little raw, but time is a great healer, or so they say. For some, there will be no new beginnings. Theirs will forever be the silent voices.

What makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every new book, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who fire my imagination and stimulate my senses. This story pushed so many buttons on the failings of the system and the social mores of the individual timelines in which it is written, it had the power to evoke strong emotions which were almost overwhelming. This really is a journey you need to make for yourself, to see where it leads you and how it leaves you feeling when it is all over!

Well, this book was definitely a page turner and had me hooked!

It was great to find a book that had me gripped and I didn't want to put it down, even when my poorly eyes needed a rest! I literally grabbed a few spare minutes as often as I could to devour some more!

I did guess the perpetrator about half way in... but that didn't ruin the suspense at all. For a start I wasn't sure at all, but there are also so many branches to this story that a lot of other things were a shock and surprise to me still. The characters were well written and I enjoyed the way the story was told through three of the main character's perspectives, which was also a feature of Alex Finlay's last book - Every Last Fear - which I reviewed last year. While this might sound confusing, Finlay handles this so well and you never get lost - at least not unless it is due to the plot turns!

Fast-paced, full of twists, turns and suspense - a great, thrilling read by an author fast becoming a fave of mine!

A very well done thriller:

- Good characters
- An interesting plot
- Unpredictable solution
- But WHY FGS is a CIA agent a VERY PREGNANT woman?! - Just didn't enjoy THIS part.
I had my problems with visual images of FBI Agent Keller especially in the last scene.

This book starts right at a crucial point and sets up the whole story. It didn't hold back and the punches just kept on coming. I had guessed early on who the perpetrator was, but I wasn't totally convinced, so it was a good set up. Would definitely read another by this author

Working at night is not something easy, can you imagine being attacked? On top of that, what if all your co-workers are dead and you are the only survivor? Welcome to the “Night Shift”.
This is a character driven story; of how a horror situation can change so many lives and there’s no point of return of it.
Be prepared for a fast-paced thriller; with multiple layers and situations to get lost that it’s quite impossible to not love every page of it.
I always love a good thriller with different characters talking. Ella is the first victim who still has nightmares. The brother of the main suspect who doesn’t believe of what police said. And of course, the FBI Agent Keller, who is investigating the case.
I don’t know which of the characters moved me more, how each of them want to discover the truth and so many possible killers that it’s impossible to not make your own guesses while reading it!
This is a twisted and intriguing book, for any thriller lover, believe me! Are you ready to enter to the “Night Shift”?

The first night shift I need to tell you about is the one I put in reading this book until way past my bedtime which should tell you all you need to know about the compelling nature of this book.

The blurb poses the question, What connects a pair of small-town murders that happened fifteen years apart? There are the obvious ones: Ella, the lone survivor of the first massacre, now pursuing a rather unlikely, it has to be said, career as a therapist given her risk-taking behaviour, and Chris, a public defender who also happens to be the brother of the man accused of the original murders. Then there’s FBI Agent Sarah Keller, who despite being eight months pregnant with twins can still be a ‘badass’ when the need arises – and it does. I loved Sarah Keller as a character and her young assistant Atticus (yes, he is named after the character in To Kill A Mockingbird), keen and highly intelligent but still wearing his ‘L plates’, as it were, when it comes to fieldwork. I must also mention Bob, Sarah’s lovely husband, who ensures she eats a nutritious breakfast before setting off to work and provides her with a healthy drink to sustain her during the day, even if it does resemble green slime.

So three characters with connections to the two massacres but perhaps there’s someone else as well? In a novel like this when we’re given small details about a secondary character my immediate thought is, why is the author telling me this? Is it to flesh out a minor character or is it concealing a subtle clue? In fact a ‘blink and you’d miss it’ detail did allow me to guess the guilty party. However I find there’s just as much enjoyment from being driven mad by the fact you got it wrong as there is from the smug satisfaction you got it right.

Those who like plenty of action in their crime thrillers will not be disappointed; nor will those who love a fiendishly complex plot and positively enjoy being wrong-footed and surprised.

The Night Shift is a supremely well-crafted, totally absorbing and deliciously twisty crime thriller.

An interesting turn which reignited my interest but also made me hate the main character. Nevertheless an easy weekend read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was well written with a good plot and plenty of twists. With great characters it grabbed my attention from the beginning and hooked me to the end. I would recommend it!

I really enjoyed this crime novel even if I didn't think the whodunnit element was planned out super well. The setup and the pacing was good, and I felt that the past really had an impact on the present in this novel. I appreciated the red herrings but the killer was not someone who i would've considered plausible as the clues were only dropped 2/3 of the way through the novel and i feel like they should've been added earlier. Ella and Jesse were written really well but I didn't understand the point of the unknown travel vlogger as i didn't get what their sections were meant to add to the story considering that Finlay doesn't explore that character enough.

Last year, I devoured Every Last Fear, and this year I found myself, once again, engrossed in a novel by Alex Finlay. The Night Shift begins on the night of New Year Eve 1999, when five teenagers are brutally attacked at a Blockbuster store in New Jersey. Four of them are killed, only one of them survives. Many years later, that survivor, Ella, is a therapist and she is called on the scene of yet another attack. Four teenagers, three are killed, only one survivor, Jess. And Jess will talk only to her. Ella can relate to Jess, but she soon finds out that Jess has her own dark secrets. In the meantime, FBI agent Sarah Keller is called in to investigate whether the two killings are related, while Chris Ford, a public defender, is in a desperate search for his brother.

The plot is fast-paced, suspenseful, and full of surprises and twists, and I love how the perspective switch from one point of view to the other: from Ella who has her demons to face to Chris with a past that he keeps secret from everyone to Sarah who is convinced that there is something missing from the investigation of the first massacre.

Once I started reading The Night Shift, I found it difficult to put it down, especially because the author inserts many cliffhangers that made me say “just one more chapter” over and over again. Even though I suspected the truth right before it was revealed, it didn’t spoil the experience and there were still many things that took me by surprise. The ending and resolution were intense and well-thought, although a bit heart-breaking. The Night Shift is definitely a book I highly recommend!

Are you afraid of the dark? Well you might be after this twisty, fast paced thriller that had just the right amount of 90's nostalgia.

The Night Shift was a hard to put down novel that had me wanting to set up my own murder board. So many secrets and lies that are so satisfyingly unravelled.

Agent Keller was truly my favourite and one of the fiercest women I've read about. She can do everything you can and do it better whilst being eight months pregnant with twins!

While I predicted the villain, the only reason this book isn't getting a five stars, The Night Shift was obe of the most enjoyable and I'm going to say fun, thrillers I've read in a while. That final showdown was chilling and fierce all at the same time.

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.