Review: Four Found Dead

It’s the last night at Riverview Theaters. The final guests have gone. In Natalie D. Richards’ “Four Found Dead,” Jo and her co-workers are spending the last hours of their final shift cleaning up and closing down. The end of their time at Riverview Theaters is bittersweet. They are a pretty tight crew, but are looking forward to moving on from a tedious job and a creepy boss. In quick succession, an unexpected visitor, a broken soda machine, and a power outage fray nerves. Then the bodies start piling up. Jo and her friends have to band together and use their wits to save themselves. Will they be able to outwit the one who wants them dead?

The story is fast-paced and full of “no, don’t go in there!” type moments. For the first third of the book there is a LOT of noise inside Jo’s head. It is reasonable as there are a number of triggers that have her reliving past trauma. Just as the noise and her fear become almost overwhelming, both recede and Jo finds her inner strength to push through an event she never thought she’d be part of. I would have liked a longer set-up to build the creepy-factor before the catapult into action. There are some funny comments about how people behave in horror movies.

This story would be great for teens who like thrillers. 

Content warning: active shooter.

Thanks to NetGalley and SourceBooksFire for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"Four Found Dead" arrives on shelves in May 2023.