The Night Shift: A Novel

Alex Finlay

Mar 2022 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

From the author of the breakout thriller Every Last Fear, comes Alex Finlay's electrifying next novel The Night Shift, about a pair of small-town murders fifteen years apart—and the ties that bind them.

One of the Best or Most Anticipated Books of 2022: Newsweek • PopSugar • E! News • Goodreads • Book Riot • BookBub • The Nerd Daily • SheReads • Novel Suspects • Crime by the Book • London Times

A Library Reads Selection—Best Book Voted By Librarians for March 2022

“The night was expected to bring tragedy.” So begins one of the most highly-anticipated thrillers in recent years.

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 New Jersey, four teenagers working late at the store are attacked. 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, more teenage employees 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’s forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who’s convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller who must delve into the secrets of both nights—stirring up memories of teen love and lies—to uncover the truth about murders on the night shift.

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

Ratings and reviews

Alex Finlay (pseudonym), the author of last year’s popular Every Last Fear has produced another suspense thriller- one that may leave a reader truly scratching their head. That is usually a good quality in this genre, but here it has more to do with the challenges it presents. The Night Shift contains two timelines, New Year’s Eve 1999 and 2014, both dates that the residents of Linden, NJ will never forget. After a tragic murder takes place in a Blockbuster Rental Outlet, everyone is convinced that the initial suspect is obviously guilty. When the defendant is released due to insufficient evidence, his disappearance upon release acts as further proof of guilt. Only one person survived the 1999 attack, and she feels justice was not served. Ella parlays her traumatic experience into a career in counseling as the narrative transitions to 2014. Ella is asked to help a young woman who survives a massacre that bears a striking resemblance to her own. The novel then unspools a surplus of characters with concurrent plot lines that distract from the story and make it difficult to follow. That, combined with its shifting timelines, leads to a tangled, interconnected puzzle that the reader is tasked to pull apart. The Night Shift strikes the right tone, has some witty banter and the characters are well-constructed. Still, despite its fast pace and interesting premise, Finlay’s latest seems more like a maze than a mystery.

Alex Finlay is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This is the second book that I have read by this author and just like the first one he pulls you in and never lets you go until the end. If you think that you know what is going to happen by the end you could be wrong. I really enjoy reading his stories and I cannot wait to see what he is going to bring us next. I received an ARC from NetGallery but the review is my own opinions.

Wow! Just wow! This book left me with a pounding heart and racing breath as I rushed to find out what was going to happen. Two horrible crimes are linked together, both of which left young teens murdered in their place of employment. The links between the characters are based on these two crime scenes. The characters were so realistic that I felt bad for them having to re-live such an awful event. Keller is the FBI agent who is investigating. Ella is a survivor from the first attack at Blockbuster. And Jessy is the survivor of the most recent attack at an ice cream parlor. Finally, Chris Ford is the brother of the young man originally accused of the crime, the one who got away. Twenty years apart doesn’t sound much like a serial killer, but there is a possibility there, so all hands are called on deck to investigate. There was intense action from the beginning and a lot of drama, with a back story involved and multiple shady characters who could be the real thing or red herrings. The twists were outstandingly incorporated into the fast-paced and riveting plot. I am convinced that this author is one of the authors who will always be on my TBR list because he has shown that he is a master of the suspense thriller. Engaging, enthralling and scary all at the same time! Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

About the author

Alex Finlay lives in Washington, D.C. and is the author of critically-acclaimed novels, including the 2021 breakout, Every Last Fear. His work has appeared on numerous best-of-the-year lists, been published in seventeen languages around the world, and is currently in development for a major television limited series.