Adult, book review

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio (Review)

Title: Graveyard Shift
Author: M.L. Rio
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Horror, Mystery
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Date published: September 24, 2024

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.

Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks—and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.

⤖ My Review ⬻

I had heard of M.L. Rio before and believe I even own one of their other books, but I had never read them before picking up Graveyard Shift. Therefore, I had no idea what to expect aside from the vibes given off by the cover and the synopsis.

The first thing I noticed that I liked was the writing style and how Rio brought together a mismatched group of characters who happened to interact due to one common factor—they worked the night shift. I had fun getting to know all of them, and I think the author did a great job considering this is a novella and there is less space to work with. Rio really made it work while also fleshing out the overall plot and mystery aspect of the story.

The plot—especially the mystery—kept me engaged throughout as I was eager to figure out what was going on. And I’m happy to say that I did not guess the end result ahead of time, which is always a win for me.

I will definitely be reading more from this author—Graveyard Shift was a tightly written, atmospheric story that left me eager to explore their other works!

⤖ Get Your Copy ⬻

⤖ Let's Chat ⬻

Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!

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