A fairly good thriller, I found it compelling and easy to read. Good concept and some excellent twists toward the end. My only complaint is the sheer number of characters and POVs, it made it hard to stay on top of who’s who and importantly, why they’re important to the story.

Wow! It's a gripping novel that contains all the elements I love in a good thriller. A present day murder with possible links to a similar crime in the past, multiple points of view, great characterisation and lots of suspense and twists. Back on New Years Eve in 1999 a murder at a Blockbuster store left one survivor, a teenage girl, a similar crime at an ice cream parlour in the same town in 2015 also leaves a teenage girl alive. The novel is told from the points of view of Ella, now a therapist and the survivor of the Blockbuster murders, Sarah an FBI agent and Chris, a lawyer with a family link to the first murders. Highly recommended.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book by Alex Finlay caught my attention with the mention of teenagers being murdered at a Blockbuster video store. I remember going to Blockbuster on the weekends with my family to choose which horror movies to watch. This book did not disappoint and featured so many little twists before the final conclusion. I did not guess the twists in this book, it kept me guessing the whole way through. I loved the characters and enjoyed how they featured chapters from the FBI agents POV as well. I recommend this book to lovers of crime fiction as it is so easy to immerse yourself in it and binge read. Such a fun twisty crime thriller.

This was my very first Alex Finlay and it definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed this book. The story was very fast paced, never boring, but still got time to make you feel for the characters. I loved that it has very short chapters, which makes the reading experience very comfortable. The twists were great, they were all logical, but still surprising, sometimes even shocking. The only problem I had with it is that I wish the characters were shown on a deeper level, that way I could have been more invested. All in all this is a very fun, fast paced thriller that I can recommend to basically anyone.

This is my first book by this author and, on the back of what I just read, won't be my last. We start in the past, back in 1999 where there's an attack at a Blockbuster video store (remember them!?). Out of the four teenage girls there, only one survived. There's a suspect but, before the police could apprehend them, they flee.
Fast forward to the present, to an ice cream store where four teenagers are working the late shift. Can you see where we are going? Yep... three dead, one survivor. Police are trying to get through to the girl who survived but are struggling until they call in the survivor from the Blockbuster attack to help. But can Ella, now a therapist, help Jessica and, in doing so, get to the bottom of whether the two incidents are linked? Ably assisted by heavily pregnant FBI Agent Keller and local cop Atticus (yep, great name huh?) can they cut through the noise to figure out the why and who in time? And then there's Chris, brother of the original suspect, desperately trying to find his missing brother and prove his innocence... Who will win this game of cat-and-mouse?
I loved this book. It just kept on giving. Every time I thought I got it sorted in my head, BAM! another curve ball was launched spinning me off in a completely different direction. All so very cleverly plotted and that plot expertly executed. And starring a cracking bunch of very well defined characters. All easy to connect to in some way, shape or form.
I also got on really well with the author's writing style. Pacing was great, matching the narrative all the way through and the punches were delivered in just the right places for maximum impact.
All in all, a cracking book that only makes me hanker for more from this author. I'm off to check out his back catalogue... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I’ve had a really long string of average-bad thrillers for like the past year, and I genuinely was starting to wonder if I should just call it quits with the genre for a while

Excited to say that this book broke my bad streak!

Sure I guessed some stuff, but there were so many different twists in here that I got to be surprised by a lot of it, and it balanced the line perfectly between too many twists and not enough. It was also dark enough that it felt gritty with high stakes, without descending into gratuitous violence.

The writing was fast-paced, and I’m a sucker for short chapters and I love that Alex Finlay didn’t make us wait too long for reveals after a cliff hanger. Again, perfect balance between building tension but not letting it drag out so that you lose interest

I think this was a solid thriller and I’m excited to see what the author puts out next!

*5 Stars!!

In 1999 New Years Eve ends with devastation for 5 families. When four teenagers working at blockbusters are brutally attacked just after closing, only one Ella survives. After receiving a tip of the police are quick to arrest a teenager of the murders but with insignificant evidence they’re forced to release the suspect who then disappears. Fast forward 15 years in the same town four teenagers are attacked just after closing the ice cream store and once again the killer left a female survivor. Both survivors from past and present come together with the FBI and the original suspects brother to find out once and for all who the killer really is.

I really enjoyed this book that ending though was so damn sad I certainly didn’t see that coming but I felt Chris and Ella’s pain so much in those moments. I also felt that near the end we finally saw a different side to Ella’s mother, a side where she was trying to protect her husbands memory and protect Ella’s love for her father.

I’m so glad that Chris and Ella were able to get some closure and really liked there interacts with each other even though there wasn’t much. I’m still not sure about how I feel about Jessie a part of me likes her but another part things she’s way to manipulative and she just rubs me the wrong way. But I do think that she would make one hell of a reporter. I also liked the relationship between the FBI agent Sarah Keller and her husband Bob and Keller and her temporary partner Atticus Singh.

Looking forward to reading more books by Alex Finlay in the future!!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Head of zeus for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.*

Finally!! The first book of the year that I absolutely loved. Two crimes, decades apart, are tied together by four devastating words; Good night, pretty girl. The story had everything I need in a book. Bloody crime scenes, determined cops, unreliable characters and deep nostalgia. This brought me right back to browsing the shelves at my local Blockbuster all those years ago. With twists and turns you won't see coming, what more could you want? Loved the characters, loved the plot, love Alex Finlay. Immediately checking out the whole back catalogue.

THE NIGHT SHIFT - ALEX FINDLAY

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Well here we go - my first 5 star of the month! This book was SO good - All I can say is READ IT!

Thank you @headofzeus, @netgallery & Alex Findlay for an advanced readers copy of The Night Shift.

"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 inexplicably 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."

This book gave me so much nostalgia being set in a blockbuster for part of the novel. Who doesn't remember those Friday nights loaning some overnighters as a treat?

I loved the flash backs to 1999 mixed with the present tense, the suspense and pace throughout.

The story was so entertaining and I was hooked from the start. It does, of course, contain twists and turns that have you questioning who is the culprit 👌

A massacre occurs at a Blockbuster store, four young teenager girls are killed and one is in a critical condition. All have been stabbed. The teenagers were being supervised by their store manager Steve, but Steve is only slightly older than the girls and really they get away with only doing the bare minimum at work. There is a suspect, but due to only a small amount of evidence against him he his let go, he was identified by an anonymous caller. Y2K was meant to be that day the world stopped but for these poor girls, the world was still turning.

Fifteen years after this time, the same set of events occurs in an ice-cream shop, Two multiple murders, what would be the chances of this. Sarah Keller from the FBI is tasked into figuring this tragedy out and good luck to her. This is an outstanding fast paced thriller, very much edge of your seat stuff. The plot gallops along taking you for the ride of your life.

I loved this book, when I first read the synopsis I wasn't sure it was for me but being and Alex Finlay fan, I decided to and boy am I glad I requested it. If you enjoy books where you cannot stop turning the pages fast enough, then this book is for you. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Shift was a great fast paced thriller.It's perfect for readers wanting to get out of a reading slump because once you start reading it you have to find out what happens. The book has a lot of twists throughout to keep the reader’s attention. The reveal of the murderer was a little predictble but there were so many more things going on that it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

4.5 stars!
I really enjoyed Every Last Fear so I was thrilled with the chance to read Alex Finlay's second novel The Night Shift. An added bonus for me was the setting of part of the story in the late 90's, an era I love reading about. I'm nostalgic like that. It's been a long time but I vaguely remember that I visited the local video store quite a lot back then. I can still see the rows and rows of grey video cassettes behind the counter. I don't quite remember the person manning the station but it could very well have been someone like Steve, the first person who was introduced in the novel. Following his interactions with his employees I was already having a lot of emotions before the story had well and truly started.

If you enjoyed Finlay's first novel you'll certainly going to enjoy this one too. Just like in his first novel The Night Shift begins without preamble. The term slowly easing in definitely isn't in his dictionary :-). I love this style of writing and I simply couldn't protect myself from reeling! Right when you think you'll get to know a character better and you start to feel some affinity he'll kill them off! The lead up to murder was short and the shock value was high. I was dying to know WHY and WHO asap. 

The investigation was really compelling with the past history linked to the present with another serial killing 15 years later. I don't know what the secret ingredient exactly was, whether it was the pace, the plot or something else but it had me hooked! I also loved there were so many different characters to intrigue me as a reader. There are two final girls, a suspect on the run for 15 years, the brother of the suspect who still believes he's innocent and of course FBI agent and 8-month pregnant Sarah Keller assigned to work the case with Union County detective Atticus Singh. They are a wonderful duo even if it felt a bit of a strange combination at first, they really were great together. Several of these characters are looking for answers though, not only the FBI so with the race for solving these mysteries on, it made for very animated reading.   

With the different POV's switching at high speed I didn't have much time to think things through but I didn't want to take a break from reading to start analysing everything that I read so it's not so surprising that I missed the who and why entirely. Maybe the why could have been expanded a little more but the story had deaths, danger, secrets, lies... everything you need for a great book. All of this combined with a very skilled writer who loves to do things just a little differently, someone who doesn't always take the beaten path in writing, makes this one well worth reading. 

I find Alex Finlay a bit of an understated author and I'm happy I was introduced to his work. I already can't wait to read his next book!

Overall enjoyable and hard to put down.
Not sure the FBI would send a heavily pregnant lady into the field. And I doubt that a guy with such violent tendencies would lay low and not hurt anybody for fifteen years.
I liked how flawed the characters were, and the relationship between Keller and Atticus.
As a reader, it didn't seem hard to guess who the culprit was. Not sure why he whispered anything to any of his victims, since they weren't the actual target of his attack?

Alex Finlay’s The Night Shift is one of my favourite books of the year so far.

It’s New Year’s Eve of 1999 and while everyone else is worried about the Y2K Bug, four teenagers working late at a Blockbuster video store in New Jersey experience real terror. A frenzied attack kills three of them and the one survivor is left in shock. The 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. The tragedy brings four people together, the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre; the girl who survived this latest attack; the brother of the fugitive accused of the original murderers and pregnant FBI agent Sarah Keller, who must delve into the secrets of both nights to uncover the truth about the Night Shift Murders.

This is a very well constructed and highly addictive read. Finlay draws quickly draws the reader into his clever story and keeps them glued to the page until the final reveal. The book moves along at a good pace and the characters are fresh and interesting.

I read this twisty read in a couple of days and enjoyed it from beginning to end.

What I particularly liked: was the way that Finlay subtly undercuts the reader’s expectations and delivers some good surprises

What I was less keen on: perhaps a little too coincidental, but not enough to take away the pleasure.

A strong four to four and a half stars out of five!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an electronic copy of the book.

Okay so when I started reading this I didn't know what to make of it, but it turned out really good once I got used to the different timelines.

I did work out who the culprit was but not the other plot devices which made my reading even more enjoyable.

I would definitely recommend just go with it - it also was very nostalgic.

I was given an advance copy of the book by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

Now you’re talking - this is the best thriller I’ve read in ages. The Night Shift is a stand-alone mystery about two multiple murders, fifteen years apart, but does feature the fabulous FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from last year’s Every Last Fear, which I had also enjoyed, and I very much hope there will be more books about her. This had a clever plot, sympathetic well-developed characters, and a well-concealed but believable final reveal that I didn’t see coming at all - but also didn’t feel cheated by.

New Year’s Eve 1999, and four teenage girls working at a New Jersey Blockbuster video store are brutally attacked, and only one survives. The lead suspect is released on bail because of insufficient evidence, and promptly disappears. Fifteen years later, his younger brother has a new name and is beginning his law career, but still hopes to one day reconnect. When another group of teenagers are massacred under similar circumstances, counsellor Ella Monroe is called in to help the lone survivor, because of her unique shared experience. Sarah Keller, heavily pregnant with twins, and young detective Atticus Singh are charged with investigating links between the murders, but with everyone keeping secrets, who should they believe?

Finlay is one of the few authors I’ve come across who can pull off present tense narration - they write under a pseudonym and I can’t help wondering if they’re a more experienced writer in disguise.
I really liked the way this was mostly told from three different perspectives - Chris, Ella and Keller, with distinctive voices and just enough background about their personal lives to humanise them without detracting from the story. I particularly liked Keller’s delightfully helpful, kind and domesticated husband, who isn’t threatened by her career - why can’t more fictional and real husbands Be Like Bob?
The flashbacks were brief, and didn’t dwell on the violence of the attacks, but neither are they sugar-coated. I did get quite worried about one character and was gutted to have my fears realised.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes good suspense without excessive violence or contrived twists. An easy 5 stars. TW: brief mentions of vicious historic child abuse.

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. The Night Shift is published on March 3rd.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review.
Great characters, edge of your seat plot, will keep you turning the pages right up to the end. Loved it.

Apologies but this was a DNF for me,I tried a couple of times to get into the book but sadly couldn’t

Every Last Fear was one of my favourite thrillers of 2021, so I was very excited to check Alex Finlay's newest release out. I'm happy to say I enjoyed it a lot.

Like in Every Last Fear, I really appreciated the characterization. Characters in mysteries are often quite bland, while more attention and detail is given to the plot: but here the three main characters were very well drawn and I grew attached to all of them. I was very happy to see Sarah Keller again (she was the main detective in Every Last Fear), and I really felt for Chris. As for Ella, even though she didn't always make the best decisions, I liked how her trauma and her destructive tendencies were portrayed, and her relationship with Jesse was very intriguing.

As for the plot, it was mostly really well done. I liked how the two different mysteries interweaved and, even though the culprit was quite obvious for me, I always wanted to keep reading and there were many secondary twists which I didn't see coming.

I'm looking forward to Alex Finlay's next book!

On New Year’s Eve, 1999 three young girls and their manager working the evening shift at Blockbuster videos were found stabbed to death. High school junior Ella Monroe was the only survivor. An anonymous tip quickly led to a suspect, Vince Whitaker, being brought in for questioning, but he was allowed to go since the police didn’t yet have enough evidence to hold him. Shortly afterwards he disappeared, never to be seen again, his younger brother Chris the only one to believe that he couldn’t have done it.

Fifteen years later, the shockingly similar murder of three teenage girls at an ice cream parlour rocks the town, again with one survivor, Jesse Duvall. Jesse’s headmaster Dale Steadman, who also helped Ella all those years ago. asks her to come and speak to Jesse at the hospital since she is refusing to talk to the police.

Before picking up speed and becoming a really riveting read, the novel starts off a little slowly to set the scene and bring in the various characters involved such as the detectives working the case, Chris Ford, the young lawyer working in the Public Defenders’ office, heavily pregnant FBI agent Sarah Keller who is reviewing the Blockbuster murders for similarities, along with keen young detective Atticus Singh. What everyone really wants to know is whether Vince Whitaker is back in town or whether these are two unrelated events.

The narrative is mostly told through the voices of Ella, Jesse, Chris who are all flawed characters, damaged both by the murders and their upbringings, as well as by Sarah Keller who believes the cases are related. Even at 38 weeks pregnant with twins Sarah is relentless and fearless, to the point where she picked up the nickname Agent Badass during the case). Every time she rushed into danger I worried about her unborn twins and the risks she was taking, especially since twins are mostly born at least two weeks early and she could have gone into labour at any moment. (I also can’t imagine a woman that hugely pregnant with twins charging around anywhere and think it would have more believable if she hadn’t been quite so far along.)

Overall, this was a very enjoyable well written thriller, with a good build-up of suspense later in the book, plenty of action, great, well-developed characters, and some terrific twists. I felt the ending of the epilogue was unnecessary, but those who like redemption and happy endings will probably enjoy it.