THE NIGHT SHIFT by Alex Finlay
Minotaur Books; 3/1/22
CBTB Rating: 4.5/5
The Verdict: page-turning, binge-worthy suspense
More thrillers should be as fun to read as Alex Finlay’s THE NIGHT SHIFT. Available this week from Minotaur Books, Finlay’s newest thriller delivers a one-two punch of 90’s nostalgia and gripping, genuinely unputdownable plotting, and ties it all together with characters whose intertwining fates—and secrets—will keep you hooked from the book’s first page to its very last. It all begins on the eve of Y2K in New Jersey, when a group of teens are brutally murdered at a local Blockbuster. A suspect is named, but soon after skips bail and vanishes. The case is never solved. Fast forward fifteen years, and a similar tragedy takes place, this time at an ice cream shop. Could the original killer be back in town? THE NIGHT SHIFT unfurls at breakneck speed, practically daring readers to set it down. Readers who love fast-paced thrillers featuring FBI agents (think: books from authors like Lisa Gardner) will devour Finlay’s accessible and immediately-engaging writing; readers who loved Riley Sager’s recent ode to the 90’s in SURVIVE THE NIGHT will love being transported back to the end of the last century in Finlay’s immersive writing. THE NIGHT SHIFT is a full-throttle thriller that is, simply put, the most fun I’ve had reading in quite a while. Pick this one up, clear your calendar, and enjoy the ride.
Our story begins at the most fitting of 90’s-thriller settings: a Blockbuster on New Year’s Eve, 1999. All the expected horrors of Y2K never materialize, but at this particular Blockbuster, a different kind of horror is about to take place. On that fateful night, four teenage Blockbuster employees are brutally attacked. Three are killed, and only one—Ella—survives. Suspicion immediately falls on another teen: Vince Whitaker. Vince is arrested for the crime, granted bail… and then promptly disappears, never to be seen again. Fast forward fifteen years: Ella is now working as a therapist, and, one night, receives a desperate phone call from her former high school guidance counselor, Mr. Steadman, who is now the principal at her old high school. Typically-unshakeable Mr. Steadman sounds panicked. There has been another attack, one terrifyingly similar to the mass murder Ella survived years ago—this time, four teens have been attacked at a local ice cream shop. There is only one survivor, a young woman named Jesse. She has been hospitalized, and she desperately needs someone to talk to who can understand what she’s going through. Can Ella come speak with her? Knowing that she is uniquely qualified to care for Jesse at this moment, Ella agrees. As Ella begins to get to know Jesse, she uncovers a complex and unpredictable young woman with many dark secrets in her past. Who really is Jesse, and could she have had something to do with the mass murder at the ice cream shop? Readers move between Ella’s point of view, as she gets to know Jesse and uncovers the young woman’s complicated past, and the perspectives of two additional individuals with close ties to the case: FBI Agent Sarah Keller, and attorney Chris. These three characters’ perspectives - Ella, Sarah, and Chris - converge bit by bit as each character follows their own leads to get to the heart of the ice cream shop murders, and to uncover what really happened at Blockbuster all those years ago.
THE NIGHT SHIFT is a book told through the perspectives of three individuals with unique ties to the story’s central murders—and it’s one of those rare books where no one narrator’s point of view is any less gripping than the others. Alex Finlay expertly uses his story’s three narrators to unravel the book’s central mystery and solve two mass murders. I loved the way each point of view readers follow in THE NIGHT SHIFT contributes to our understanding of the story as a whole; we couldn’t solve this mystery with any one of these perspectives alone, but bring them all together and you’ll be able to play “armchair sleuth” alongside the book’s central characters. I can always tell just how effective a multiple-narrator structure is by whether or not I find myself mentally “fast-forwarding” through some of the story’s points of view. In THE NIGHT SHIFT, there isn’t a single narrator whose perspective you’ll want to skip. The insights each of these individuals provide—and the unique secrets, motivations, and end goals each character bears—are essential to uncovering the truth about our story’s crimes both past and present., and Finlay doles out the essential pieces of information each character has to offer in masterful (and seriously addictive) style.
At the heart of this story is Ella, the book’s homage to a “final girl.” Fifteen years ago, Ella was the sole survivor of the Blockbuster massacre. Now, years later, she works as a therapist, helping others to overcome their own trauma. When Ella gets a call in the middle of the night that the events of fifteen years prior may have happened again, she rushes to the aid of the young woman who survived this massacre—but quickly discovers the young woman now in her care is much more complicated than she could have predicted. Ella has all the hallmarks of a great “final girl”: she is resilient, brave, independent, and selfless, willing to put herself in harm’s way to take care of those around her. I loved spending time with Ella, but surprisingly, she wasn’t even my favorite character here. My favorite character in THE NIGHT SHIFT was FBI Agent Sarah Keller, a seriously brave woman who is given the specific task of investigating Vince Whitaker (the original suspect for the Blockbuster massacre) and determining whether or not he could have ties to the story’s present-day ice cream shop murder. Sarah tackles this investigation with heart, grit, and major perseverance… oh, and she’s pregnant while doing so. Readers who love thrillers featuring FBI agents will be hooked on Sarah’s thread of this story, and I’m personally hoping to see her return in a future Finlay novel! Last but certainly not least, our story’s third point of view, Chris, is our book’s enigma. Chris is a public defender whom readers quickly discover has personal ties to the mysteries at play in THE NIGHT SHIFT—so much so that he probably shouldn’t be anywhere near the ice cream shop murder case in a professional capacity. But when someone is arrested under suspicion of committing these murders and needs a defense attorney, Chris takes the case. Chris’ mysterious past and shadowy personal ties to the crimes at the heart of this story become a puzzle unto themselves, and readers will be hooked on uncovering his secrets and motivations. Finlay expertly develops the perspectives of these three central characters, tasking each of his protagonists with solving a unique element of the mystery at hand and weaving all their stories together in gripping fashion.
There are many qualities I loved about THE NIGHT SHIFT, from its truly delightful 90’s nostalgia to the expert way in which the author unspools this story through his three narrators’ unique perspectives, but honestly, my favorite element of this book was how plain fun it was to read. THE NIGHT SHIFT is the kind of thriller that reminds me why I love reading thrillers in the first place. From its very first page, THE NIGHT SHIFT grabs your attention and draws you in. Mini-cliffhangers can be found at the end of nearly every single chapter in this book, and the story doesn’t relent in pacing or thrills until the book’s epic final showdown. Speaking of the conclusion to this story: is this book’s finale the most realistic? No, admittedly, it’s not. Did it bother me? Not in the least. Finlay’s thriller is cinematic and gripping throughout, and the book’s high-octane finale, while perhaps a bit over-the-top, nevertheless delivers major entertainment value and a tidy, satisfying explanation for the story’s multiple dark crimes. (Oh, and the reveal of this story’s villain? Just as sinister and surprising as I’d hoped.) There are crime novels that challenge you and make you think, and then there are crime novels that just plain entertain you; THE NIGHT SHIFT is the latter, and I mean that in the best possible way. I had so much fun reading this book, and if you’re looking for a thriller that will sweep you up in its plot and keep you genuinely hooked on its central mystery, this is the book for you.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions my own.
Book Details:
Publisher : Minotaur Books (March 1, 2022)
Language : English
Hardcover : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250268885
ISBN-13 : 978-1250268884
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