The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

*Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Publication Date: March 1, 2022

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Pages: 312

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 4/5

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay has so many elements that I love. A gripping thriller told with intriguing flashbacks and gripping characters that had me flipping through pages as fast as I could. The nostalgia factor was also high with this story as a child of the 90’s who frequented Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. The book starts on New Year’s Eve 1999 where all the employees of a Blockbuster are attacked with only one surviving. And then the story picks up fifteen years later when another group of employees at an ice cream parlor are attacked and there is again only one survivor.

We follow three different protagonists as the story unfolds. One of them is the survivor of the Blockbuster massacre, another is an FBI agent tasked with helping the local police, and the third is a public defender who has ties to the Blockbuster massacre. I think the choice of the three narrators was great because we got to see all sides of the mysteries unfold throughout all their separate storylines. And of course when the three storylines ultimately collided it led to an explosive final act.

I think the bulk of the mystery is easy to figure out but the wild ride we take to get there was very enjoyable. There was just enough doubt for me that I did find myself second guessing if I was right. The story also has the perfect amount of twists and reveals to keep my attention glued to the story. I honestly had a hard time putting this book down because I just had to know what was going to happen next. This was the first Finley book that I have read and I am definitely going to read his other, Every Last Fear, soon.