The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

I can’t remember the last time I had as much fun reading a thriller as I did with The Night Shift by Alex Finlay. On New Year’s Eve 1999, four teenage girls are attacked after closing time at a Blockbuster video. One survives. A suspect is identified but flees, never to be seen again. Fifteen years later, four teenage girls are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, again with one survivor. The survivor of the Blockbuster attack, now a counselor, is called on to talk to the latest survivor. Her story intertwines with that of the brother of the original suspect and an FBI agent called in on the case. Is the killer back? Is this a copycat? Or has everyone had it wrong all along?

The narrative shifts between the survivor, the brother, and the FBI agent, but it does it so seamlessly it feels like one narrative, not three. Ella, the original survivor, must revisit her own trauma as well as help Jessica, the latest survivor, who is oddly fixated on the original Blockbuster crime. The brother is convinced that police had the wrong suspect and if only he could find his brother he could prove it. The FBI agent is as suspicious of a connection between the two crimes as the local police are to prove they are separate events.

Finlay keeps the plot propulsively moving forward as the threads wind tighter and tighter around each other until reaching a stunning conclusion. Revelation after revelation lead you closer to the truth as suspense builds throughout until it bursts. Rock-solid characters that are complex and sympathetic anchor you to the story. This is a true page-turner that you will be unable to put down and will think about long after you are done. The Night Shift is going to wind up being one of my favorite reads of the year, and I can’t wait to see what Finlay has up his sleeves next!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.