Pleasant Nights

Title: The Night Shift

Author: Alex Finlay

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I read Every Last Fear a while ago and thought it was pretty good. Good enough to want to read more of Finlay. So, when I saw this one on NetGalley, I grabbed it, expecting another pretty good book. I was surprised because this one was even better. I loved this one and flew through it in a couple of days.

From Goodreads: It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in New Jersey, four teenagers working late at the store are attacked. Only one inexplicably survives. Police quickly identify a suspect, the boyfriend of one of the victims, who flees and is never seen again.

Fifteen years later, more teenage employees are attacked at an ice cream store in the same town, and again only one makes it out alive.

In the aftermath of the latest crime, three lives intersect: the lone survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive the horrors of her tragedy; the brother of the fugitive accused, who’s convinced the police have the wrong suspect; and FBI agent Sarah Keller who must delve into the secrets of both nights—stirring up memories of teen love and lies—to uncover the truth about murders on the night shift.

I loved that this book follows three different characters, Sarah Keller; Ella Monroe, the survivor of the original murders; and Chris Ford, the brother of the accused. Between those three, you get the full story. And there are some fun plot twists along the way. I did guess the big reveal at the end at the beginning of the book, but there were plenty of other surprises. I’m super critical of good writing, and Finlay wrote a beautifully tight story. I will definitely recommend this one.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism

The Family Game

Title: The Family Game

Author: Catherine Steadman

Genre: thriller

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This book is preposterous. Just flat out no way in the world would any of this happen. And I don’t mean this in a fun way. I gave this three stars, but that was generous. The main character jumps to conclusions that no actual person would. I rolled my eyes a lot at her.

From GoodReads: Harriet Reed, a novelist on the brink of literary stardom, is newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir of an extremely powerful family. And even though Edward has long tried to severe ties with them, news of the couple’s marital bliss has the Holbecks inching back into their lives.

As Harriet is drawn into their lavish world, the family seems perfectly welcoming. So when Edward’s father, Robert, hands Harriet a tape of a book he’s been working on, she is desperate to listen. But as she presses play, it’s clear that this isn’t just a novel. It’s a confession. A confession to a grisly crime. A murder. And, suddenly, the game is in motion.

Feeling isolated and confused, Harriet must work out if this is part of a plan to test her loyalty. Or something far darker. What is it that Robert sees in her? Why give her the power to destroy everything? This might be a game to the Holbeck family—but losing might still prove deadly.

READY OR NOT, HERE THEY COME…

I mean, I could not stop reading mostly because I wanted to see what wretchedness the family would concoct from one scene to another, but Harriet is the most ridiculous detective. Given the meager clues Steadman writes, there is no way Harriet would have figured out what was going on as quickly as the did. The plot holes are gaping, the characters are empty, and the story was flat. I was really disappointed with this snoozefest.

A Beautiful Mind