Content Warning: death, murder, violence, sexual assault (off-page, of a minor), child abuse, domestic abuse.
New Year's Eve, 1999. Four high-school girls are working the night shift at a Blockbuster in Linden, New Jersey. Before the night is over, three of them are dead, leaving one of the girls as the sole survivor. Fifteen years later, Ella Monroe has become a therapist, hoping to help others who have suffered like she has. When tragedy strikes again, this time at a local ice cream store, everyone has one question: is it related to the murders in 1999? This event brings three characters together on a collision course: Ella, who is determined to help the only girl who didn't die, forcing her to confront her past; Chris Whitaker, the little brother of the teenage boy who everyone believes murdered the girls at Blockbuster, and who is now a public defender; and Agent Sarah Keller, who works for the FBI and is ready to finally close the case once and for all.
I've been back in the mystery mood this month, returning to the genre that has essentially been my favorite for the last few years. I'm also a huge fan of stories set in the 90s', and although I'm usually not the biggest fan of dual timelines (as usually one is far more interesting than the other), I thought that The Night Shift seemed like a great fit for my reading tastes.
Seemingly inspired by the Austin Yogurt Shop murders that took place in 1991, leaving four young girls brutally murdered, this book starts off with an interesting look into the night of the murders through the eyes of the Blockbuster's manager. Although the writing style was sparse -- and in third-person present-tense, my least favorite way to read a story -- I find that common in thrillers these days, so I wasn't too concerned. As the story progressed, however, and we came to the characters fifteen years later, I found myself a little put off by the run-of-the-mill, slightly cheesy storytelling.
None of the three main characters are particularly likable or interesting. Ella is (perhaps obviously) the one that captured my attention the most, seeing as she is the only survivor of the massacre that killed her friends and manager, but even she comes off slightly dull and underdeveloped. Agent Keller is pleasant, good-natured with a tough side, but I found her chapters teetered on the side of boring. The worst, for me, was Chris. He has good motivation and an interesting background, but he is not only boring, but sanctimonious. The efforts to make him relatable -- especially when it comes to his relationship with his "perfect" fiancée, Clare -- actually made me like him less.
The story itself is fine. Nothing remarkable, but not the worst thing I've ever read, either. It's pretty straightforward, though, and I did predict who the killer was within the first handful of chapters (but that might simply be because I read so many mysteries and thrillers!). The ending was a touch underwhelming, and there's some parts with the culprit that actually almost made me laugh because it seemed so preposterous and like the sort of thing you'd watch in a B-horror movie.
I think this book could've benefitted from more scenes in the 90s'. For me, those were the best parts of the book, though sadly there were very few. I liked the unique idea here, but unfortunately the execution wasn't up to par.
Not for me, but I think many people will enjoy this story!
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