THE NIGHT SHIFT

 

SYNOPSIS

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...

Title: The night shift

Author: Alex Finlay

Publisher: Head of Zeus

Publication date: March 3, 2022

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Night Shift was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it delivered 100%. With just two books, Mr Finlay sure knows how to keep readers engaged making them keep turning pages compulsively. 

The story takes off during New Year’s Eve in 1999, on the eve of Y2K, when the world was waiting with bated breath the arrival of the 21st century. On that night, the night crew of a Blockbuster is savagely murdered and 15 years later a similar killing spree on an ice cream shop will confront those who survived or were affected by the old murders with their past.

The initial scene gave me all the nostalgic vibes of that time (how is the 90s already nostalgic?!). I still can see myself going to the Blockbuster to rent some movies, trying to decide which one to choose each week. From there, the story unfolds through several POVs: Ella, the only survivor from the Blockbuster murders; Chris, a public defender with ties to the suspected murderer, and Agent Keller, the FBI agent investigating the case. That many POVs, each of them following their own investigative line, didn’t allow for a single boring moment. There were a lot of minor characters, making it hard sometimes to keep track of who was who, but that also added a lot of misdirection and suspense to the story.

I really like the author’s style, going back and forth between the different characters and ending each chapter with a small cliffhanger that makes it nearly impossible to stop reading.

As the mystery uncoiled there were several surprises, some I saw coming, some I didn’t (I didn’t guess the killer this time), and one truly heartbreaking moment right at the end that was like a punch to my guts. 

The Night Shift is a fantastic fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing right until the end, with a really gripping plot that will have you page flipping like crazy. Alex Finlay is, from now on, a definite must read author for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.