We had good cause for fear. This assignment was rapidly becoming a nightmare. Just a few days into the night shift and we already had a death on our hands.Night Shift is more of a whodunit thriller story with some underdeveloped science fiction worldbuilding elements. The story is a spin on the And Then There Were None motif of a group of strangers are isolated from the outside and are picked off one by one. 13 people are working in Antarctica for what is known as the night shift: a six month period where the sun doesn't rise and inclement weather isolates them completely from outside help.
This is a plot driven narrative told in the first person perspective of Anders and written well to keep the suspense throughout for the reader, and Triggs does a good job of expressing the characters' paranoia through the text. I liked that the beginning started at the end with the tease of the terror about to unfold with the confidential memo.
Where this story fell flat for me was the worldbuilding. There are actually a lot of nuggets of interest that are woven into the exposition well, but we all know that I love me some worldbuilding. I was left wanting to know more about the Company, the Resource Wars, and what happened in the world to bring humanity to this point. The book is set in some undertermined future that is possibly post-apocalyptic as they purpose of the project is to mine fuel and find food and clothing solutions for the people.
I guessed the reveal, but for me the impact that Triggs was going for was undermined by the underdeveloped worldbuilding and the ending also left me unsatisfied as there is no real resolution. And I suppose that is the point: it is about the ordeal that those at Australis went through. But there are allusions to a greater conspiracy that I would have been interested in exploring.
Overall as a thriller is concerned, it is an enjoyable read but I was left wanting more because the world sounds so interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if Triggs expands this into a series, and I would happily read to find out more about this world.
🤝 Buddy read with Destiny!
Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending me an eARC for review. Quotations are taken from an uncorrected proof and may change upon publication.
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