Saturday 22 April 2023

Four Found Dead by Natalie D Richards


At the movie theater where Jo works, the last show has ended. But the nightmare is just beginning.

Tonight, Tempest Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time.

But after an unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out. Their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.

Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.

Fast paced, exciting and tense - this is definitely a read-it-in-one title!

It's a wonderful idea for a thriller, a boarded up, half demolished mall. I would have liked, and maybe there will be in the finished copy, a map of the layout - I find it easier to follow a story like this when I have something to reference, because as it was I kept imagining my local mall and getting confused when the layouts didn't match. However, I often have trouble picturing things I read - reading is all about the words for me - so I'm sure other readers won't have that problem.

The narration was deliberately confusing, I thought, but it did make for a good reveal. The action was well thought out. This would make a great movie - it's a brilliant premise! I'll cross my fingers and hope for that.

If you like an intriguing thriller you won't be able to put down, this is the one for you.



Four Found Dead publishes on the 2nd May, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.

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