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A review by savvyrosereads
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
On New Year’s Eve 1999, a mass murderer struck the night shift of a Blockbuster, killing all but one employee. Fifteen years later, four teenage employees at an ice cream store are attacked in the same way—and once again, there is only one survivor.
First things first, this book is not what I expected from the blurb, cover, and various marketing materials I saw. I was anticipating something with slasher vibes and a heavily 90’s atmosphere—in reality, this is much more a procedural thriller and there are only a handful of scenes actually set in the 90’s.
Fortunately, I *love* procedurals, so this is a case of what I got being much better than what I imagined! The Night Shift had me hooked from the very first chapter, with brilliant characters, short and engaging chapters, and a string of great twists. I saw the whodunit coming, but not all of the underlying surprises, which always makes me happy. But the biggest standout of the novel is definitely the depth of feeling with which Finlay writes—there were so many moments of quiet compassion and humanity from the characters that I so appreciated. This is the kind of extra touch that so often gets lost in thrillers as authors struggle to keep their story as gritty and dark as possible, so I truly appreciated seeing the balance executed so well here.
Recommended if you like: procedural thrillers/mysteries; stories about cold cases; multiple POVs.
CW: Blood/murder/violence, injury and injury detail, discussions of inappropriate sexual relationships (adult/minor), mention of suicide.
On New Year’s Eve 1999, a mass murderer struck the night shift of a Blockbuster, killing all but one employee. Fifteen years later, four teenage employees at an ice cream store are attacked in the same way—and once again, there is only one survivor.
First things first, this book is not what I expected from the blurb, cover, and various marketing materials I saw. I was anticipating something with slasher vibes and a heavily 90’s atmosphere—in reality, this is much more a procedural thriller and there are only a handful of scenes actually set in the 90’s.
Fortunately, I *love* procedurals, so this is a case of what I got being much better than what I imagined! The Night Shift had me hooked from the very first chapter, with brilliant characters, short and engaging chapters, and a string of great twists. I saw the whodunit coming, but not all of the underlying surprises, which always makes me happy. But the biggest standout of the novel is definitely the depth of feeling with which Finlay writes—there were so many moments of quiet compassion and humanity from the characters that I so appreciated. This is the kind of extra touch that so often gets lost in thrillers as authors struggle to keep their story as gritty and dark as possible, so I truly appreciated seeing the balance executed so well here.
Recommended if you like: procedural thrillers/mysteries; stories about cold cases; multiple POVs.
CW: Blood/murder/violence, injury and injury detail, discussions of inappropriate sexual relationships (adult/minor), mention of suicide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy