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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
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
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This thriller was okay. I think the main thing to know is it’s read in third person, which was hard for me to grasp. It’s not something I’m used to. The twist was good. I don’t know if I’ll try other books by this author, but it was decent.
Alex Finlay's [b:Every Last Fear|53138046|Every Last Fear|Alex Finlay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1615820265l/53138046._SY75_.jpg|69709000] had completely wowed me so when I saw that he had written a book about two "Final Girl" type horror-tragedies that appear to be interconnected, I immediately placed it on my TBR. Unfortunately, The Night Shift felt more predictable and I didn't find it quite as gripping as Every Last Fear.
The story begins in 1999, where four female teenage employees of a Blockbuster Video are viciously attacked - three of them die, along with their supervisor. Candy and Mandy are pretty, popular and break the rules because their shift supervisor, Steve, is basically soft-hearted and well-meaning. Katie comes from a strict Catholic family, who isn't even in favor of her working at the Blockbuster. By the end of the night, all of them are dead. The sole survivor is Ella, the new girl. The prime suspect is a teenager, Vince, who goes on the lam when he is released on bail and is never seen again. Only his brother, Chris, holds out hope that he may know where Vince is.
Fifteen years later, there is a similar massacre at an ice-cream shop in the same town. The sole survivor is yet another teenage girl, Jesse, but the other employees are dead. Ella believes that she has put the past behind her, as a successful therapist, but when her high school teacher Mr. Steadman requests for her help with the traumatised Jesse, Ella returns to her hometown and attempts to figure out what had happened to Jesse and how it might be linked to her past.
Aside from Ella, the other perspective that we read from is that of Agent Sarah Keller, who has been called in to assist local law enforcement - she's ostensibly supposed to work on Ella's cold case but in reality, she is also trying to puzzle out the current mystery and the link between the two.
The Night Shift feels less successful, even though it is clear that Alex Finlay has attempted to create a lot of red herrings to distract us readers with different possibilities. Some work more successfully than others. Maybe I've just read too many thrillers but it seemed pretty obvious who the killer was from the start and the motivation seemed a little too contrived.
There was one twist that I didn't see coming though.
The story begins in 1999, where four female teenage employees of a Blockbuster Video are viciously attacked - three of them die, along with their supervisor. Candy and Mandy are pretty, popular and break the rules because their shift supervisor, Steve, is basically soft-hearted and well-meaning. Katie comes from a strict Catholic family, who isn't even in favor of her working at the Blockbuster. By the end of the night, all of them are dead. The sole survivor is Ella, the new girl. The prime suspect is a teenager, Vince, who goes on the lam when he is released on bail and is never seen again. Only his brother, Chris, holds out hope that he may know where Vince is.
Fifteen years later, there is a similar massacre at an ice-cream shop in the same town. The sole survivor is yet another teenage girl, Jesse, but the other employees are dead. Ella believes that she has put the past behind her, as a successful therapist, but when her high school teacher Mr. Steadman requests for her help with the traumatised Jesse, Ella returns to her hometown and attempts to figure out what had happened to Jesse and how it might be linked to her past.
Aside from Ella, the other perspective that we read from is that of Agent Sarah Keller, who has been called in to assist local law enforcement - she's ostensibly supposed to work on Ella's cold case but in reality, she is also trying to puzzle out the current mystery and the link between the two.
The Night Shift feels less successful, even though it is clear that Alex Finlay has attempted to create a lot of red herrings to distract us readers with different possibilities. Some work more successfully than others.
Spoiler
For example, it made sense to question Jesse given that she had seemed overly invested in the original tragedy and - almost too coincidentally - is found in the wrong place, wrong time. However, I didn't find the current lead investigator to be as compelling a plot point.Spoiler
Given that Mr. Steadman was the connection between the past and the present, it was pretty obvious that he should've been an important lead. The question was more about the why. And it came really out-of-the-left-field that he was the one who'd gotten Katie pregnant and then decided to kill all of them after Katie ends things with him and Candy and Mandy basically insinuated that they knew what he had done and despised him for it. And oh so conveniently, the author mentions that he's actually a hunter? After he has successfully shot arrows at Agent Keller? Alright then. Moreover, I was kind of disappointed that the only POC - Atticus Singh, puppy-eyed police officer - appears to be dead by the end of the story.There was one twist that I didn't see coming though.
Spoiler
I didn't think that Vince was already dead, having been killed by the girls' fathers as revenge.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5. This book felt very quick yet slow at the same time, which was odd, but it was enjoyable. I would’ve like more clarity at the end but alas, I still enjoyed it.