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The Night Shift by Alex Finlay


The Night Shift

By Alex Finlay


Genre:

Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Horror, Contemporary


Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5






Description:


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 Linden, New Jersey, four teenage girls working the night shift are attacked. Only one survives. Police quickly identify a suspect who flees and is never seen again.


Fifteen years later, in the same town, four teenage employees working late at an ice cream store are attacked, and again only one makes it out alive.


Both surviving victims recall the killer speaking only a few final words... “Goodnight, pretty girl.”


In the aftermath, three lives intersect: the survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive her tragedy; the brother of the original suspect, who’s convinced the police have it wrong; and the FBI agent, who’s determined to solve both cases. On a collision course toward the truth, all three lives will forever be changed, and not everyone will make it out alive.


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 Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers.



My Thoughts:


This book had me hooked from the description. Two similar murders several years apart and the only surviving victims from each become somewhat friends. When my Libby hold came through I couldn't wait to start it. Easy to read with short chapters that kept you wanting more at the end of each one.


The book changes POV quite frequently and this was a little confusing at first for me but then you get used to it. I even enjoyed seeing the perspectives of the different people and how their lives began to intersect. The first character Ella, is the surviving victim of the 1999 murders and is now a therapist that was called to talk to the newest surviving victim. Chris is a lawyer and public defender, he is also the brother of the guy who was accused of the 1999 murders and has disappeared since. Sarah is a pregnant FBI agent who is working on the cases now in 2022.


The whole book takes place over the span of 3 days with some flashbacks to 1999. It is definitely a very quick read and will keep you entertained. Although, I will say that it was quite predictable (for me at least). I had a feeling of who the killer was but there were some other surprises along the way that I never did quite predict before it happened. I will also state that I hated that Sarah was so far along with her pregnancy with twins and yet was still working and out in the field.


Overall, the writing was well done and the characters were well written. The ending did leave me feeling a little bit like I wanted more but we got all the answers we needed. 4-star rating for me. I enjoyed it but there wasn't enough to make me love it.

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