dmn5678's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
a_mcintosh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mundinova's review against another edition
5.0
Finlay is now my go-to thriller author!
One amazing book is a fluke, but two in a row is verifiable awesomeness.
Why do I like these books? Well, the writing is fun and fast, the stories twisty-turny with pop-culture references, and the mystery can be solved by the reader. The first book centered around a Netflix true-crime docuseries. This one involves Blockbuster Video - little cultural touchstones that a reader of a certain age will find exciting and comforting.
Never too scary or too gruesome in its bloody descriptions. Just the right mix of suspense to make it fun, and enjoyable to read. Characters are unique with their own faults and strengths.
Story: 5 stars
Character Development: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
One amazing book is a fluke, but two in a row is verifiable awesomeness.
Why do I like these books? Well, the writing is fun and fast, the stories twisty-turny with pop-culture references, and the mystery can be solved by the reader. The first book centered around a Netflix true-crime docuseries. This one involves Blockbuster Video - little cultural touchstones that a reader of a certain age will find exciting and comforting.
Never too scary or too gruesome in its bloody descriptions. Just the right mix of suspense to make it fun, and enjoyable to read. Characters are unique with their own faults and strengths.
Story: 5 stars
Character Development: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
renmarshallbrown's review against another edition
4.0
This was pretty fun! I stayed up all night to finish it so that says something about its page-turning abilities. I dug all of the characters and the fast pacing. I haven't read this author before but I will definitely check out their other books. There are two issues I have that prevent me from rating this higher: 1) the "whodunit" is very predictable early on and 2) Keller's pregnancy
I actually really liked Keller as a character, especially her loving relationship with her husband. But there is no way she's on active duty at 8 1/2 months pregnant with twins. No way she's running around doing all she was doing. I also don't understand why Keller would reference her due date being in two weeks as a reason to keep working, because that's not how due dates work. I really had to force myself to suspend my disbelief when it came to the pregnancy.
I guess I don't like the title either, but that's nit-picky. Overall I had a great time.
I actually really liked Keller as a character, especially her loving relationship with her husband. But there is no way she's on active duty at 8 1/2 months pregnant with twins. No way she's running around doing all she was doing. I also don't understand why Keller would reference her due date being in two weeks as a reason to keep working, because that's not how due dates work. I really had to force myself to suspend my disbelief when it came to the pregnancy.
I guess I don't like the title either, but that's nit-picky. Overall I had a great time.
dodgeremerson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Not the worst book, but it was very predictable. I called the killer from their introduction, as well as the other deaths that we discover early on. Kind of disappointing.
Also...
Also...
Spoiler
I am really frustrated that the promising young brown kid was killed off. He is the only death outside of the murders, and the only death "on the page." Why is the only POC mentioned the only death? Granted, it was clear he was going to die from the moment Finlay introducedhis mother with that "take care of my boy" line. But it is still irritating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Blood, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Abortion, Bullying, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death of parent, Addiction, and Police brutality
nixbix_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a suspenseful read! Right from the start I was sucked into this world where Ella was the only survivor of a horrific attack on her Blockbuster coworkers & Chris was the younger brother of the only suspect. To then be involved in the aftermath of a similar attack 15 years later brings up horrible memories and all sorts of questions, and I really enjoyed seeing how they dealt with it. I loved how all the different perspectives started separately but then slowly started linking together. I thought this was a really easy book to binge - the chapters were short and always left me wanting more. It’s fast paced but I never felt rushed or that we were being thrown too much information at once. I never guessed the ending - there were a couple of times where I had to put the book down & take a few deep breaths. I did struggle with FBI Agent Keller - she’s actively working a dangerous case while she is over eight months pregnant with twins; this just felt very unrealistic. Apart from that, I enjoyed this riveting read & can’t wait to read more by Alex Finlay.
thegirlwiththebookonthecouch's review against another edition
5.0
I already knew I loved Alex Finlay because I burned through his previous novel Every Last Fear, but The Night Shift has solidified him as a crime thriller favorite for me.
If you like…
-crime fiction
-multiple character perspectives
-suspense
-the past haunting the present
then you HAVE to pick up this book and go into it as blindly as possible ☺️
I got to talk to Alex about The Night Shift on my podcast!
Audio
https://between-the-lines-with-kate.simplecast.com/episodes/alex-finlay-the-night-shift
YouTube
https://youtu.be/7sioSPVdSCU
If you like…
-crime fiction
-multiple character perspectives
-suspense
-the past haunting the present
then you HAVE to pick up this book and go into it as blindly as possible ☺️
I got to talk to Alex about The Night Shift on my podcast!
Audio
https://between-the-lines-with-kate.simplecast.com/episodes/alex-finlay-the-night-shift
YouTube
https://youtu.be/7sioSPVdSCU
jordysniper's review against another edition
DNF - life’s too short. I was not invested in any of the characters, nor did I care for what the outcome was going to be. Just wasn’t gripping me.
itsacucumber's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0