Book Review: The Graveyard Shift by Maria Lewis

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Graveyard Shift by Maria Lewis

Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror, Mystery

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Datura Books (September 12, 2023)

Length: 400 pages

Author Information: Website

I was completely enamored with the premise of Maria Lewis’ The Graveyard Shift, which opens with a nightmare inducing scenario: Tinsel Munroe, a horror film buff and host of a late-night horror-themed radio show is taking calls from listeners, when a fan is brutally murdered live on air, her screams and last breaths broadcasted on the airwaves. At first believing it to be a prank (it was Halloween night, after all), Tinsel pays little heed, until the cops show up at her door the next day, revealing the awful truth.

But while the detectives are doing all they can to catch the killer, around the city of Melbourne, people linked to the film industry seem to keep dying. As the number of victims mounts, Tinsel has an uneasy feeling that she may be a target too. After receiving some threatening messages and experiencing a close call outside her home, she is placed under the protection of Detective James, with whom she develops an instant attraction. With the help of her true crime blogging sister Pandora, Tinsel must work with James on a race against the clock to find out what the killer has in store for her.

Straddling the line between mystery and horror, The Graveyard Shift utilizes slasher tropes to great effect, offering a unique take on both genres. The book also delves into the worlds of true crime reporting as well as the radio industry, offering glimpses into the fascinating world of Australian entertainment. That the author herself is a horror film, music, and pop culture enthusiast was evident, as many parts of the book read like a love letter to these elements.

However, there were a lot of things about the novel which didn’t sit quite right with me either. Of these, the most distracting was the pacing. Because I was expecting horror-tinged mystery thriller plot, the focus on the relationship between Tinsel and Detective James took me completely by surprise. It then took me quite a while to adjust to these new expectations, realizing that romance was the third major party in this genre mashup—and that it was here to stay. Once I made peace with that idea, it became much easier to accept the frequent detours away from the main mystery to focus on other less exciting parts of Tinsel’s life.

Yet there were other minor annoyances as well, distracting little questions in the back of my mind that pulled me out of immersion, such as why Tinsel would be left completely alone at a radio station that was supposedly a major one in the city, without even a producer, or why Pandora would ever leave her phone on airplane mode considering the scoopy nature of her job or the fact she’s a parent of young kids who must keep abreast of any emergencies. All these strange particulars simply felt like manufactured obstacles to help the plot. And then there were the sections of the story that I didn’t feel were quite necessary or that dragged on for far too long, like the radio tribute to the first victim (whose relatives were also written way too irreverently, not at all realistic considering their family member was just murdered on air in the most grisly fashion).

Of course, none of these were dealbreakers, and The Graveyard Shift was still highly enjoyable. Ultimately though, the reason why I didn’t rate it higher was because of the ending. I feel like I gave the book a lot of passes because of how interesting and entertaining it was, but I just could not forgive what happened in its conclusion, which seemed to go against the entire tone and spirit of the novel. The ending was, in a word, terrible. Instead of delivering a satisfying payoff, this was the opposite, leaving a bad taste in my mouth, and seemed a very poor way to repay the leniency I afforded the slower parts of the story. I feel cheated because I gave the plot the benefit of the doubt, trusting that my patience would be rewarded, but the author broke that deal in the worst way possible.

In sum, The Graveyard Shift offers an inventive approach to horror and mystery storytelling, but the jarring ending leaves a lingering sense of anger and disappointment. I still can’t believe that happened! While I will not reveal any spoilers here, needless to say, the end severely impacted my enjoyment of an otherwise promising book. I would say read this if it sounds interesting to you because overall at least it was fun, but prepare to be left totally gutted by the end—and don’t say I didn’t warn you.