The premise of this book sounded really interesting - 4 teenagers attacked whilst working the late shift at Blockbuster on NYE 1999. Three are murdered and only one gets away. Fast forward 15 years and the same thing happens again but at an Ice Cream Store? The question is are these two attacks connected and why?
The opening paragraph got me hooked but it soon petered out and the first half of the book was quite slow. There was so many characters to get my head around from both the first attack and the second as it flicked back and forth.
However I stuck with it and the second half became pacier and there was so many twists and turns, it was probably just me but I kept having to stop and process them all!
My first Alex Finlay book thanks to Netgalley. I give it 3 and a half stars.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of The Night Shift, a stand-alone set in New Jersey.

In 1999 teenager Ella Monroe is the only one to survive a massacre at the Blockbuster where she worked. Fifteen years later she is asked to counsel the only survivor of a massacre at a local ice cream shop. Heavily pregnant FBI agent Sarah Keller is tasked with investigating any links between the two attacks, while lawyer Chris Ford is left wondering as his brother, the prime suspect in the Blockbuster killings, has been missing for the past 15 years after he fled the area.

I enjoyed The Night Shift, which is an interesting mix of the past and present. I like the idea of linking two similar crimes but far enough apart to engender doubt about the link and the perpetrator. I think the author does a good job of that.

The novel is told from various points of view and that has both good and bad points. The good is that it offers a much wider view on events than a mere procedural and that it shows the different ways trauma can affect each individual. The bad is that the constant switching of attention does not offer an immersive read. I find it difficult to get really absorbed in a read when I have to keep switching my attention and adjusting to another viewpoint.

The plot is great. There are lots of twists and turns and secrets to be revealed. It seems well paced throughout and ramps up the tension, action and excitement at the end and, no, I didn’t guess either the perpetrator or the motive.

The characterisation is difficult. The author covers the bases so the reader gets a good idea of who and what they are, but it’s hardly nuanced. I must admit that my mind boggled at the thought of an eight month pregnant Sarah Keller acting the “badass” but still she’s the most likeable, not that it’s hard as most of the other characters are traumatised in one way or another.

The Night Shift is a good read that I can recommend.

Dnf 37%

I tried giving this book and this author a fair shot. And I gave him way too much of my time (totally undeserved, I want it back).
From page 1 I knew something was off, but I was given an arc by the publisher and I didn’t want to judge the book from only a couple of chapters. Turns out I was wrong, I should have put it down immediately. I have to listen to my instincts more often. Because it wasn’t only the writing that was bad.

This book tried so hard to be woke about women but it had such misogynistic undertones every time a woman was involved it made me want to throw up. Same thing with the brown Indian character: the way the narrative and other people approached him just sounded wrong.

My conclusion is that Alex Finlay wrote this book trying too hard to make it “inclusive” and “diverse” without knowing the real meaning of those words.
It goes without saying that I won’t be touching anymore books by him.

I have to be honest...I got bored and skipped a huge chunk. But I enjoyed the end! Although I had the killer figured out from almost the start, there were some twists I did not expect.

Oh my gosh - you all need to read the Night Shift!! I am pretty sure I told everybody last year that they needed to read Every Last Fear and Alex Finlay has followed it up with another must read thriller.

The story was addictive and so cleverly written, giving us just that little bit of information from the past to match up with what was happening in the investigation today. The idea of a massacre at at Blockbuster video sucked me in. Didn't we all love going to hire a movie from the local video store? I know I did. And I work in an industry that is really missing video/DVD hiring.

The characters were all hiding something of course and getting to the truth is the fun part. I just had to keep reading to find out what would happen next and how the new murders at the ice cream store would be connected. My mind was working throughout trying to put all the pieces together. Happy to say that I could not work it out.

Released on March 3rd, The Night Shift needs to be added to your TBR if it isn't already there. Thanks so much to Netgalley and head of Zeus for my advanced copy to read. A physical copy will be added to shelf on release.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲: Alex Finlay 🙎🏻‍♀️🏪🩸🩸🏪🙍🏻‍♂️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: At a Blockbuster Video in Linden, New Jersey, four teenage girls working the night shift are attacked. Only one survives. Suspect escapes and after Fifteen years, in the same town, four teenage employees working late at an ice cream store are attacked, and again only one makes it out alive. Are these cases related or someone is recreating the events?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: The book has the perfect nostalgia feeling to it starting at a Blockbuster store with a potential serial killer on the loose in the 90s. With concise chapters, finishing on tiny cliffhangers makes you keep turning the pages. The book follows multiple narratives the Sole Survivor Elle from blockbuster store, and Chris suspects brother and a FBI agent Keller. As story progresses slowly and gradually all parties started to collide with each other which was the most fun part of the book. Then comes the twists and reveals which I didn’t saw it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝: Once two narrators finally meet, my wishful thinking of a little more of them together towards the end.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐭: Alex Finlay has become a distinctive voice in its own as his previous book “Every Last Fear” and Now this both used successfully the multiple narrative investigative procedure in a Crime Fiction genre. As we follow multiple narratives trying to uncover the truth about same event which has disturbed their lives. It takes some time for readers to understand how they all are connected and that’s the best part of the book as all pieces of the puzzle revealed one by one throughout the book making you keep flipping through the pages till the end. I cannot wait to see where the author goes next.

Thanks @netgalley and @headofzeus for an ARC of this one. Coming out on 1st March, 2022.

I had heard about The Night Shift from the Booktube community in the US and thought it sounded right up my street, so when I saw digital advance copies were available in the UK I jumped at the chance to request one.

The premise had me lured in straight away: a Y2K setting, a spree killing at a Blockbuster video store, the possibility of a copycat killer or even the original back in the modern day - let’s just say I didn’t take much persuasion to jump in to what I hoped would be a nostalgia kick in the same vein as Riley Sager’s Survive the Night or Stacy Willingham’s A Flicker in the Dark!

However, I found this book didn’t go in the direction I expected it to. Rather than being focused mostly on the lone survivor of the original attack, as I had for some reason assumed, The Night Shift is instead a multi-viewpoint story that ended up being much more of a police procedural than I had anticipated.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it reminded me in some ways of Criminal Minds, my old favourite TV series. But I admit that I did find myself getting a little confused between the viewpoints at times, particularly with our survivor Ella and the FBI agent Sarah Keller who’s trying to crack the case.

In this book we follow the characters 15 years after the Blockbuster attack, with Ella trying to squash down her survivors’ guilt and defence lawyer Chris still struggling to believe his fugitive brother Vince could have been behind the brutal murders.

But when more kids are killed in a similar way, this time in an ice cream parlour, they are forced to confront the worst night of their lives and wonder why it could be happening all over again.

Overall I enjoyed The Night Shift, although I don’t think it quite lived up to the particularly high expectations I had of it. I thought the denouement was very satisfying and the final few scenes particularly exciting, if a little far-fetched in that horror-movie-ending sort of way.

I would have liked to see more made of the late 1990s setting of the original murders, as this would have provided more opportunities to create the nostalgic atmosphere I had been hoping for. And I wish the author hadn’t named two of the characters Mandy and Candy, as it erred too much on the side of silly for me.

After finishing Night Shift I would still be interested in reading more from this author, but perhaps wouldn’t anticipate the next title quite as eagerly as this one.

I'm rounding the rating up to four stars for the purpose of this review, but I think 3.5 would be more accurate.

Read this if you liked: The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado

Many thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did expect this book to be a lot more than it was.

This book follows 3 people, a detective a therapist and a lawyer as they navigate a murder eerily similar to one that happened 15 years earlier.

I did really like the plot, I thought it was original and interesting and I was invested in the connections between both crimes. Despite that, I felt like there wasn't a lot of emphasis on the crimes and the links and the murders themselves.

The sections about Mr Nirvana got on my nerves and I'm not gonna lie I did just skip all of them except the last one because I just was not interested.

One thing I did love was the twists at the end. They made a lot of sense and didn't come out of nowhere for shock value. You could see through the book how exactly this happened.

On the other hand, the ending itself for me felt very rushed, it seemed like all the action happened in the last 15 pages and then the book ended. Even the epilogue felt like it was glossed over.

Overall, while I wouldn't read it again, it's a decent read.

This was a compelling read and I was hooked from start to finish. There were a few different strands to the story and I enjoyed seeing how everything connected.

It has been 15 years since the Blockbuster massacre on New Years Eve in 1999. Soul survivor Ella is called to assist when another massacre happens – this time at an Ice Cream store, leaving one survivor. Ella is now a Therapist and helps Jessica who is traumatised by the events that occurred and finds a similarity between the two cases. Could this be the work of the same killer?

We have insights in to both massacres by multiple point of views and are left wanting to read more with the short chapters and the cliffhangers they leave you on. With so many twists and turns this book will definitely not be the last Alex Finlay book. I can just picture this book being made in to a movie.

Thank you Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the copy for an honest book review.

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
I give this book 4.5 stars

It's New Year's Eve of 1999 when 4 teenagers are attacked at a Blockbuster video store in New Jersey. Only one survives.
15 years later 4 teenagers are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive.
In the aftermath, 3 lives intersect: the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre, the brother of the fugitive accused of the 1st crime and FBI agent Sarah Keller, who must delve into the secrets of both nights to uncover the truth about the Night Shift Murders...

Told mainly from Keller,Chris and Ella’s perspectives with a past and present timeline. This compelling plot kept me on the edge with just the right amount of intrigue,twists and reveals. Fast paced with short snappy chapters l literally flew through this. I loved the way the story cleverly weaves together and I particularly became invested in Keller and Chris.l really enjoyed the Youtube excerpts.
A new author to add to my list!
With thanks to Netgalley,Alex Finlay and Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book for my chance to read and review this

On New Year’s Eve in the year 1999 a killer targets a blockbuster video store, killing the manager and 3 of his teenaged staff. Only one girl survives, Ella Monroe. The police quickly arrest a suspect but he vanishes and the trail goes cold.

Years later Ella, now a therapist, is called to help a young girl who has been traumatised by a similar experience. She is the only survivor of a massacre at a Dairy Queen. Is there a connection between these crimes? FBI agent Keller is determined to find out.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced and gripping story. Likeable characters along with a decent plot and excellent writing made it a fun read. I predicted some of the reveals, but not all and I very much enjoyed picking through all of the information we were given to see if I could piece parts of this puzzle together. My only criticism was the ending. The actual ending of the story was pretty rushed and I’d have preferred a bit more detail on how it all panned out. I’m not really a fan of epilogues unless they add something new and remarkable and as nice as it was to read about Agent Keller’s family life, it was entirely superfluous for me.

I’m rating this book at a solid 4 stars and I will recommend it to friends as a great example of its genre. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

Quite intriguing but found it a bit slow in places. Quite intriguing but found it a bit slow in places.

Wow! What a riveting read! I finished this in a day. It reminded me of a 90s slasher film and would make a great film in its own right. I was not expecting the ending to be what it was at all. An excellent read and I cannot wait for more books from Alex Finlay!

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for allowing me early access!

This was a super thrilling read. I loved the way the two timelines connected and how all of the characters had some kind of connection with each other. I actually didn’t guess the killer this time around when I probably should have. But the plot twists were thrilling and fun which meant I couldn’t put this book down. Almost every chapter ended with a cliff hanger then switched to a different perspective that kept me reading, needing to know what was going to happen next. Alex Finlay is becoming one of my favourite thriller authors and I can’t wait to read more from them.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You to Netgalley and Head of Zeus (Part of Bloomsbury Publishing) for an advamce copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

New Years Eve Y2K at a Blockbuster Video four teenagers are brutally attacked. Only one survives. Fifteen years later history repeats itself.

I found this a little slow going to start with and struggled to care about the characters initially but once it got going I was invested and could not put it down. This book had me guessing till the very end. I am a sucker for a final girl trope.

In 1999 there was a massacre at a Blockbuster video store, leaving three teenagers dead and one terribly injured, but alive. Police identify a suspect, a boyfriend of one of the deceased girls. The suspect flees, and is never captured, or even formally seen again. Then fifteen years later four teenagers are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town. Again, only one survives.

Following this latest crime spree peoples paths begin to intersect in intriguing ways. The only survivor of the Blockbuster massacre, the brother of the accused from the Blockbuster murders, and FBI agent Sarah Keller. Together they all wat to know the truth about the killer, and the murders dubbed the Night Shift Murders. They all have a different take on what happened. How long will it take for the truth to get uncovered?

There was extremely effusive praise for this book, so I went in with high expectations. I had never read anything by this author before, so I was looking forward to it. After the high paced opening scene things got a tad slow at times. The writing was excellent, and the concept of the FBI Agent still working in her condition - loved it! The story was a little heavy on some of the minor details on the investigation. Which I get, grounds it in more reality. But I am here for a blast of thriller!

When the pace picked back up again, the twists in the plot were sudden, unexpected and fantastic. The ending was fully all-go, and had you perched on the end of your seat. The flurry of the final dramatic scene was real, messy, traumatic, and written like I imagine it would be felt if you were there. I couldn’t put this book down. A definite page turner, and worth all of the exemplary reviews I kept seeing!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

As a former blockbuster employee this brought back a bunch of nostalgia. I loved the setting and it was perfectly creepy and kept me on my toes, couldn’t put it down!

There are already many amazing reviews for this book so I’ll be brief. The story starts on NYE 1999 when everyone thought Y2K was going to be a thing. It fizzled but 4 of the night shift workers at the Blockbuster video store in Linden, New Jersey, were brutally killed. There was only one survivor - Ella, who is now a therapist. The only real suspect was Vince Whittaker who, after being released on bail (on, let’s face it, thin evidence) disappeared never to be seen again.

Fast forward to 2015 and another night shift crew, this time at an ice creamery in Linden, is killed. There is one survivor - Jessie Duvall. Jesse won’t talk so the call goes out to get hold of Ella who is the one person who will be able to relate to what Jesse is going through.

The story is largely told through the POV of Ella, Chris (Vince Whittaker’s younger brother and now lawyer who always believed in his brother’s innocence) and FBI Agent Sarah Keller from the first book. Sarah is 8 months pregnant with twins. I didn’t think that particular element was necessary, she was painted as some sort of super hero.

Anyway, Keller’s investigation is to focus on locating Vince while the local police are handling the current murder. Unfortunately events don’t stay neatly in their boxes and the investigations soon overlap. Clues are doled out piecemeal which enables you to try and solve this along with the detectives. There are some massive reveals along the way which bring you back to the question - who is the killer or killers?

Although this wasn’t perfect there is no doubt that Alex Finlay spins an engaging and compelling yarn in a very accessible style that will appeal to a broad cross section of readers. I will look forward to his next book with great interest. Many thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

On New Years Eve, 1999, there is a massacre at the local Blockbusters shop. 3 dead and 1 survivor, Ella. 15 years later, Ella, now a counsellor receives a call to talk to another survivor of a similar attack at the Diary Creamery. Jessica tells Ella the words the attacker said, the same as those said to Ella that fateful night. But Ella has never told a soul these words. Is it the same attacker? This is now FBI Special Agent Keller’s task to solve.
An excellent book and I hope Keller makes it to a series. Descriptive characters that you felt like you knew. A spell binding plot, with plenty of twists that keep you wanting to read the next chapter.