Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which we share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers who do the same.
Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.
To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.
Today’s feature is one of my new books: The Night Shift, by Alex Finlay.
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Book Beginning:
(Prologue)
New Year’s Eve 1999
The night was expected to bring tragedy.
Planes falling from the sky. Elevators plunging to earth. World markets collapsing.
A digital apocalypse.
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Friday 56:
(Ella)
Ella had two sessions that morning: a college kid who was flunking out and hiding it from her parents, and a seemingly perfect mother of two who purged every piece of food that entered her body. The meme is true: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
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Synopsis: 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.
Twisty, poignant, and redemptive, The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side, and it solidifies Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers.
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What do you think? I have been eagerly awaiting this book for a while.
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SERENDIPITY 
I’ve heard of The Night Shift. I haven’t read it, but I’ve heard a lot of praise for it. Have a great weekend! 🙂
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Thanks, Breana, I am excited about it!
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Haven’t heard of this one, but it definitely sounds like something I would enjoy. And does that opening bring back memories of the predictions we would all meet our doom.
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Thanks, Mark, I am so happy that those who were predicting the apocalypse were wrong! Of course, who knows what can happen in the upcoming days and years? We are already in a polarized world in which anything can happen! Gloomy, right?
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As a child I was only half-aware of all the worrying around the change of the millennium, but I find it hilarious to look back at! ‘The Night Shift’ sounds fascinating, I’m definitely going to add it to my TBR! Thanks for sharing and I hope you have a lovely weekend 🙂
Juli @ A Universe in Words
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Thanks, Juli, I remember watching TV in 1999, during the New Year’s celebrations around the world, and felt reassured when countries nine or ten hours ahead were not experiencing anything terrible!
I am definitely curious about the book.
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I really like the sound of this one!
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Thanks, Catherine, I’m eager to read it.
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This sounds really good. I remember when everyone was worried about Y2K and nothing happened. Of course now we have other worries.
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Thanks, Yvonne, there is no shortage of worrisome things these days!
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I like the cover and the opening line sounds promising. I remember Y2K and the panic, I had only been married for 6 months and was trying not to take too much stock in the world is going to end. I remember waking up the next day and being relieved nothing had changed. https://cindysbookcorner.blogspot.com/2022/03/first-line-friday-41-edgewater-road.html
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Thanks, Cindy, I was also worried, but didn’t believe anything like the End of the World would be happening, LOL.
Enjoy your week and your books.
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I like the sound and cover of this one! Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Lauren, so do I!
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