Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful....and so is this book!

TITLE: Night Shift
AUTHOR: Robin Triggs
PUBLISHER: Flame Tree Press
PUBLISHING DATE: November 6, 2018

FROM GOODREADS: Antarctica. A mining base at the edge of the world. Anders Nordvelt is over-promoted and he knows it. Arriving at Australis base on the last transport before the long night falls, he is to take over as Chief of Security. It should be an easy job. The crew have all been rigorously psychoanalysed and he's there only because the rulebook says the position must be filled. The biggest challenge Anders anticipates is to find his place within an established group. But shortly after his arrival communications to the outside world are cut. Suspicion immediately falls upon Anders. It's his job to uncover the culprit - but how can he find answers when the rest of the crew, bound by relationships, resentments and passions he knows nothing about, see him as the threat? Surely no-one can have crossed thousands of miles of wasteland - the sabotage must have been an inside job. But how could a criminal have got past the screening process? Then the commander's body is found in the ice. The running of the base falls to the senior staff, Anders included, but there is open hostility towards him. Only the uncertain support of the engineer, Max, gives any hope. But can he trust her? Is he giving her too much leeway as it is? Amidst the fear the work must continue. In a world where every last scrap of fuel is precious, the minerals must keep flowing. But the attacks continue, leaving them with no heating and little food. As they shelter in a basement room, claustrophobia, starvation and madness become as big a threat as a murderer. Will Anders live long enough to find the killer? Will anyone survive the night shift, or will future explorers find only ice and frozen corpses in the last remaining wilderness on the planet? 

MY THOUGHTS:  So this book starts up right as Anders, the MC, arrives at the mining base of Australis.  The previous security guard left under questionable circumstances and the crew are not very welcoming of a new member.  A few days after Anders arrives, a celebration is held honoring the last sunset for six months.  Anders is still learning about the individuals stationed at Australis when he is thrown smack dab in a murder investigation.  Slowly but surely someone is picking off the crew and since he is the new kid on the ice, Anders may be the best suspect.  Knowing this, he sets out to catch the true culprit and clear his name in the process.

"Night Shift" is full of action and atmosphere.  I love book set in snowy, wintry settings and you don't get much more snowy and wintry than the Antartic.  I loved getting to know the crew alongside of Anders and I have to admit, I was slightly pleased to learn the identity of the first victim.  Because the crew is so isolated, they soon not only start fighting each other but they also have to rage a war against the elements.  

I am hesitant to say that Anders is not the most reliable narrator (and nope, there is no Gone Girl of Woman in the Window comparisons here).  Nonetheless, I found him likable and was rooting for him.  I also really liked Max, the janitor.  She's pretty kick ass and I adore the fact that the person most familiar with the machinery and technology of Australis just so happens to be a woman.  While there are hints of some romance, or to be honest, sexual encounters, anyone turned off by those elements in an action, survivalist setting need not worry.  That element is not overwhelming and not shoved down your throat. 
"Night Shift" is best described as a book about survival and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Thanks to Flame Tree Press for the ARC.

RATING: 5 PAWS