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Four Found Dead
At the movie theater where Jo works, the last show has ended. But the nightmare is just beginning.
Tonight, Tempest Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time.
But after an unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out. Their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.
Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.
Tonight, Tempest Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time.
But after an unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out. Their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.
Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 2, 2023
455 people are currently reading
25961 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,593 reviews
November 18, 2025
In Sandusky, Ohio, the once thriving three-story shopping mall is closed. Only the attached movie theater, Tempest Theaters, is still in operation, or was.
At the start of Four Found Dead, Tempest Theaters has just shown its final movies. It's the last night of operation before it will join the rest of the mall in closing forever.
Jo and her six colleagues have locked the doors and their final clean-up at the theater has begun. It's bittersweet, but the friends are looking forward to going out and grabbing pancakes together after they leave.
Unfortunately, an unexpected altercation, involving their super-buff, jerk of a manager, Clayton, ends up putting their pancake plans on hold. They just want to get the heck out of there, but Clayton is spiraling and he's not letting them out.
They're literally unable to leave, as Clayton is the only one with the keys to the exit doors. After they finish their tasks, they quietly try to figure out what is going on with him. Maybe he has finally lost it? He seems dangerous.
Oh, also, the icing on the cake, Clayton's no phones on shift rule, allows him to lock-up all of their phones in the office safe at the start of the night and he isn't opening it now. Thus, the friends have no means of communicating with anyone outside of the theater.
As the tension and anxiety continues to rise, the power goes out. They are left in almost complete darkness. Then the screams begin.
One dead body in the employee locker room starts it all. It's clear it wasn't an accident.
The girl whose blood-curdling shrieks brought the others to the locker room to make the grisly discovery, is barely coherent. They can't get anything out of her, but they all know who did this...
The remaining coworkers, Jo, Hudson, Quincy, Naomi and Summer, need to find a way to escape. Clayton is lurking in the dark. Their only possible way out just might be through the boarded up, abandoned shopping mall.
I started this book on Sunday morning and finished it Monday. I could not put it down. I considered calling in sick to work, LOL. I haven't devoured a story like that in a while. It's such a compulsive read.
I loved the setting of the theater and abandoned mall. It was easy to picture every single scene in my mind. The lack of power, boarded up doors and stores made in particularly eerie. I felt like Richards did a great job portraying that.
Personally, I think this would make a fun movie. I would love to see a Netflix or Hulu adaptation. There's certainly plenty of abandoned malls around for them to film at...
I also really enjoyed the pace. The tension continued to build throughout as the characters became more and more desperate for escape.
Jo was an interesting main character, as we learned a bit about her past, which included another traumatic and terrifying event that truly shaped who she had become as a person. There was a lot for her to prove to herself in the current circumstance.
The entire drama has a real survive the night feel and while it isn't mysterious per se, I definitely second-guessed some things and some character motivations.
What this is though, is definitely a high-stakes, action-packed, drama-fueled Thriller. I found it entertaining as heck and am so glad I had the chance to read it already.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the exact kind of story I have been craving lately!
At the start of Four Found Dead, Tempest Theaters has just shown its final movies. It's the last night of operation before it will join the rest of the mall in closing forever.
Jo and her six colleagues have locked the doors and their final clean-up at the theater has begun. It's bittersweet, but the friends are looking forward to going out and grabbing pancakes together after they leave.
Unfortunately, an unexpected altercation, involving their super-buff, jerk of a manager, Clayton, ends up putting their pancake plans on hold. They just want to get the heck out of there, but Clayton is spiraling and he's not letting them out.
They're literally unable to leave, as Clayton is the only one with the keys to the exit doors. After they finish their tasks, they quietly try to figure out what is going on with him. Maybe he has finally lost it? He seems dangerous.
Oh, also, the icing on the cake, Clayton's no phones on shift rule, allows him to lock-up all of their phones in the office safe at the start of the night and he isn't opening it now. Thus, the friends have no means of communicating with anyone outside of the theater.
As the tension and anxiety continues to rise, the power goes out. They are left in almost complete darkness. Then the screams begin.
One dead body in the employee locker room starts it all. It's clear it wasn't an accident.
The girl whose blood-curdling shrieks brought the others to the locker room to make the grisly discovery, is barely coherent. They can't get anything out of her, but they all know who did this...
The remaining coworkers, Jo, Hudson, Quincy, Naomi and Summer, need to find a way to escape. Clayton is lurking in the dark. Their only possible way out just might be through the boarded up, abandoned shopping mall.
I started this book on Sunday morning and finished it Monday. I could not put it down. I considered calling in sick to work, LOL. I haven't devoured a story like that in a while. It's such a compulsive read.
I loved the setting of the theater and abandoned mall. It was easy to picture every single scene in my mind. The lack of power, boarded up doors and stores made in particularly eerie. I felt like Richards did a great job portraying that.
Personally, I think this would make a fun movie. I would love to see a Netflix or Hulu adaptation. There's certainly plenty of abandoned malls around for them to film at...
I also really enjoyed the pace. The tension continued to build throughout as the characters became more and more desperate for escape.
Jo was an interesting main character, as we learned a bit about her past, which included another traumatic and terrifying event that truly shaped who she had become as a person. There was a lot for her to prove to herself in the current circumstance.
The entire drama has a real survive the night feel and while it isn't mysterious per se, I definitely second-guessed some things and some character motivations.
What this is though, is definitely a high-stakes, action-packed, drama-fueled Thriller. I found it entertaining as heck and am so glad I had the chance to read it already.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the exact kind of story I have been craving lately!
May 25, 2023
"Hear ye, Hear ye, murder at the Theater!"
I have to admit that I expected a lot more. This sounded like a dream thriller taking place at a movie theater. Loads of hiding places and a "slasher" type plot line. Unfortunately not.
The plot line is revealed really early in the book and kind of lost it's anticipation factor. Even though its YA, you would expect it to go at least past the half way mark.
I have to admit that I expected a lot more. This sounded like a dream thriller taking place at a movie theater. Loads of hiding places and a "slasher" type plot line. Unfortunately not.
The plot line is revealed really early in the book and kind of lost it's anticipation factor. Even though its YA, you would expect it to go at least past the half way mark.
January 25, 2023
2.5 ⭐
To be honest, I thought this was going to go way better than it did.
The story had a great premise, and I loved how we know from the start four people would end up dead. It made me wonder the whole time, guessing who the four will be.
But the fact that we also knew who the killer was from the start took away a lot of excitement. And a couple of "surprises" we got were not at all surprising, you could spot them from miles away.
I also didn't like how repetitive the writing was. Many punches were repeated again and again and again, and because of it they quickly lost their impact, but we still had to go through them a couple hundred more times.
If you want to see my more in-depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards in exchange for an honest review.
To be honest, I thought this was going to go way better than it did.
The story had a great premise, and I loved how we know from the start four people would end up dead. It made me wonder the whole time, guessing who the four will be.
But the fact that we also knew who the killer was from the start took away a lot of excitement. And a couple of "surprises" we got were not at all surprising, you could spot them from miles away.
I also didn't like how repetitive the writing was. Many punches were repeated again and again and again, and because of it they quickly lost their impact, but we still had to go through them a couple hundred more times.
If you want to see my more in-depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2023
This book was absolute garbage. Literally every other page almost every single page this girl was beating herself up about some trauma in her past like “I can’t freeze like I did then” and “The others have never seen a dead body. I have.” Like girl shut up. I literally have no idea why that man was killing everyone too. I STILL DONT GET WHY. THERES NO EXPLANATION. Like literally the first chapter he was totally normal and then he was TRYING TO KILL EVERYONE LIKE 20 PAGES IN. I’m actually shocked how confusing and bad this book was. The layout of the mall was also really hard to understand a map would have been good in this book.
March 7, 2024
TW// murder (including of teens, fathers), cheating, pedophilia/grooming, gun violence, death (including brothers, uncles), mention of car crash
I honestly don’t know why I don’t read thrillers more. I’ve enjoyed most of the ones that I’ve read and this one was no exception.
My favorite part about this whole story was the unique setting. It was extremely atmospheric and it made the story feel really immersive. I’d love to see this book made into a movie someday or maybe even a video game where you can explore all the abandoned stores as you’re running from the killer.
I loved the PTSD representation in the story. Althought it doesn’t explicitly state that Jo has PTSD, it’s very clear that that’s what she’s struggling with mentally throughout the story. I have PTSD and the way that Jo responded to her trauma really resonated with me.
The seizure disorder representation was really well done. It was added to the story really gradually, but it realistically portrayed how a chronic health condition would come into play during a life or death scenario. It was really cool to see this representation included as I’ve always wondered how conditions that involve seizures or passing out would present themselves in a horror story.
The pacing in this story was fantastic. It was super fast paced and if I hadn’t had a comic con occur in the middle of reading this book, I easily could’ve finished Four Found Dead in one sitting.
The only downside to this book was that I wasn’t super fond of how you knew who the killer is right away and how you can guess pretty easily why he started killing people. I wish there had been more of a mystery surrounding the killer.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it’s a great young adult horror/thriller that a lot of people will enjoy.
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
I honestly don’t know why I don’t read thrillers more. I’ve enjoyed most of the ones that I’ve read and this one was no exception.
My favorite part about this whole story was the unique setting. It was extremely atmospheric and it made the story feel really immersive. I’d love to see this book made into a movie someday or maybe even a video game where you can explore all the abandoned stores as you’re running from the killer.
I loved the PTSD representation in the story. Althought it doesn’t explicitly state that Jo has PTSD, it’s very clear that that’s what she’s struggling with mentally throughout the story. I have PTSD and the way that Jo responded to her trauma really resonated with me.
The seizure disorder representation was really well done. It was added to the story really gradually, but it realistically portrayed how a chronic health condition would come into play during a life or death scenario. It was really cool to see this representation included as I’ve always wondered how conditions that involve seizures or passing out would present themselves in a horror story.
The pacing in this story was fantastic. It was super fast paced and if I hadn’t had a comic con occur in the middle of reading this book, I easily could’ve finished Four Found Dead in one sitting.
The only downside to this book was that I wasn’t super fond of how you knew who the killer is right away and how you can guess pretty easily why he started killing people. I wish there had been more of a mystery surrounding the killer.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. I think it’s a great young adult horror/thriller that a lot of people will enjoy.
Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.
March 12, 2023
Well, that was a disappointment. Four Found Dead is a locked room mystery. But it's not the typical whodunit plot. At the get-go, we are made aware of who the killer is, but the motive is unclear. I guess that was the point -- to determine the motive of the killer. Not the best narrative, in my opinion. I would have preferred (for the sake of suspense,) to be left biting my nails till the end to find out who the killer was and the motive behind the murders.
So, as soon as the killer is revealed, the story just lost all of its oomph. The reveal occurred fairly early so at 34% I was done. Too bad because it probably would have been an excellent read for me, otherwise. One unfortunate star.
I received a digital ARC from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
So, as soon as the killer is revealed, the story just lost all of its oomph. The reveal occurred fairly early so at 34% I was done. Too bad because it probably would have been an excellent read for me, otherwise. One unfortunate star.
I received a digital ARC from Sourcebooks Fire through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
July 13, 2023
"Now I just want to forget"
Yeah, trust me buddy, me too...
This is a one POV book, told by the POV of Jo.
For the first two chapters or so we don´t even know who our MC is, so I was left wondering if I was reading the book from the perspective of a man or woman. Even her name comes out way later. The author also does a GREAT job (yep this is sarcasm) of not creating any backgroud story for any of the characters so you literally don´t care about them and it doesn´t make you sad in the slightest when they die. Isn´t that nice of her!?
The same background story problem also goes for the side characters, sometimes it felt like they were just there to have more people to be killed off/injured without having to risk the MC.
The story sadly had no tension at all for me. We find out in the first third of the book who is the killer and with that most of the suspense went out the window for me. The motive is what we find out at the end of the book but it´s so predictable that you can guess it in the first few chapters. This also makes the pacing feel relatively slow. We already know that four people die (hence the title), but two happen right at the beginning and then there is a whole lot of filler material until things get a bit more "exciting" (they don´t really) at the end. The lacking background stories that I already mentioned also made me barely care for the characters. There is also a weird romance that came kind of out of nowhere for me. The killings also started to happen really rash and out of nowhere to me....
Overall it wasn´t a great suspenseful read.
trigger warnings: domestic abuse, murder, grooming, cheating/affair with a minor
Yeah, trust me buddy, me too...
This is a one POV book, told by the POV of Jo.
For the first two chapters or so we don´t even know who our MC is, so I was left wondering if I was reading the book from the perspective of a man or woman. Even her name comes out way later. The author also does a GREAT job (yep this is sarcasm) of not creating any backgroud story for any of the characters so you literally don´t care about them and it doesn´t make you sad in the slightest when they die. Isn´t that nice of her!?
The same background story problem also goes for the side characters, sometimes it felt like they were just there to have more people to be killed off/injured without having to risk the MC.
The story sadly had no tension at all for me. We find out in the first third of the book who is the killer and with that most of the suspense went out the window for me. The motive is what we find out at the end of the book but it´s so predictable that you can guess it in the first few chapters. This also makes the pacing feel relatively slow. We already know that four people die (hence the title), but two happen right at the beginning and then there is a whole lot of filler material until things get a bit more "exciting" (they don´t really) at the end. The lacking background stories that I already mentioned also made me barely care for the characters. There is also a weird romance that came kind of out of nowhere for me. The killings also started to happen really rash and out of nowhere to me....
Overall it wasn´t a great suspenseful read.
trigger warnings: domestic abuse, murder, grooming, cheating/affair with a minor
April 18, 2023
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for my copy of Four Found Dead that comes out May 23! This book was about a movie theater in an otherwise closed mall. This is the closing night at the theater before the mall is permanently shut down, and Jo and her six coworkers are trying to complete their final shift. But then an argument breaks out and Jo feels like she’s in danger. The power goes out and the manager disappears and the keys to the safe where their phones are kept are gone with him. Then a dead body is found, and the teens realize that if they want to stay alive, the only way out is through the dark and dangerous mall.
Thoughts: The premise of this book caught my attention immediately. I loved the idea of a creepy closed down mall as a locked room setting. This is another one of those books where the title ruins the story (OKAY, so now we know that FOUR are found dead). There wasn’t really a mystery, but this was more of a game of cat and mice. The reader knew immediately what was going on and most of the details why, which didn’t leave a lot to be discovered. It was more of which four were found dead, which also seemed obvious to me.
I will share a TW which could be a SPOILER: There is a shooter in the movie theater which can be incredibly triggering. There is also mention of infidelity, death of a parent, and gun violence. I thought this book was repetitive and stretched a little bit of character into so many chapters. The space could have been used for character development, but instead it was 8 hours of kids running around a mall. 2-stars.
Thoughts: The premise of this book caught my attention immediately. I loved the idea of a creepy closed down mall as a locked room setting. This is another one of those books where the title ruins the story (OKAY, so now we know that FOUR are found dead). There wasn’t really a mystery, but this was more of a game of cat and mice. The reader knew immediately what was going on and most of the details why, which didn’t leave a lot to be discovered. It was more of which four were found dead, which also seemed obvious to me.
I will share a TW which could be a SPOILER: There is a shooter in the movie theater which can be incredibly triggering. There is also mention of infidelity, death of a parent, and gun violence. I thought this book was repetitive and stretched a little bit of character into so many chapters. The space could have been used for character development, but instead it was 8 hours of kids running around a mall. 2-stars.
June 11, 2023
Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards is one of the best YA books I have read in a while, and once I started the audiobook, I knew there was no way I would quit until I was done. This is a great, one-sitting type of read and it is full of suspense, super tense moments, and lots of action. We find out the who pretty early on, but we don't know the why until almost the end of the book, and while we also know there are 4 dead (thank you title) we don't know who they are going to be. I really liked the MC Jo and felt very connected to her as well as most of the other characters she is trapped with. The story is also interspersed with news articles regarding the killing spree and an unknown narrator of sorts, and I really enjoyed having these different elements as part of the book.
The audiobook is pretty short at just over 7 hours, and if you listen at a faster than 1x speed as I do (3x speed was fine for me), you basically fly through it. I enjoyed the narrator Rebecca Quinn Robertson and thought she was the perfect fit for Jo and the story as a whole. I did notice I could hear her swallowing a couple of times, and while that would normally drive me crazy it didn't actually bother me here, and I was so into the book that it didn't matter as much to me. It also didn't happen too much which made it a lot easier to ignore than something that happens constantly. Overall, I would definitely recommend listening to it, and while the why probably won't be satisfying to a lot of readers, it worked just fine for me. This was an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride in my book, and I am so happy I have found this author!
The audiobook is pretty short at just over 7 hours, and if you listen at a faster than 1x speed as I do (3x speed was fine for me), you basically fly through it. I enjoyed the narrator Rebecca Quinn Robertson and thought she was the perfect fit for Jo and the story as a whole. I did notice I could hear her swallowing a couple of times, and while that would normally drive me crazy it didn't actually bother me here, and I was so into the book that it didn't matter as much to me. It also didn't happen too much which made it a lot easier to ignore than something that happens constantly. Overall, I would definitely recommend listening to it, and while the why probably won't be satisfying to a lot of readers, it worked just fine for me. This was an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride in my book, and I am so happy I have found this author!
July 24, 2023
So excited to finally read this book. They had it available on Libby so I jumped at the opportunity. I really enjoyed the read. Incredibly fast paced and so tense it was hard to put this book down once I started. Jo is working her last shift at the movie theater with her friends. Their manager, Clayton, is a real asshole so all are happy this is the last day they have to deal with him. They are excited to get their phones and keys from the safe and enjoy some pancakes at IHOP when the power goes out and they hear a scream. The title says the rest. Wow, I really liked this book. Extremely entertaining and just a great time.
July 31, 2023
I don’t know what I expected, but this book was boring. There is some tension throughout the story, but since the reader and the people in the story know from the beginning who’s behind the events in this book, it doesn’t feel like a mystery.
I didn’t feel any terror reading this book and wasn’t immersed in the story enough to fear for any of the characters. It’s a pretty straight forward story and that made the whole book even more predictable. I don’t think there is any twist that I couldn’t see coming from a mile away.
I really liked the other two books I previously read by the author, so I’ll definitely will give her a try again and hope this was just a one off for me.
I didn’t feel any terror reading this book and wasn’t immersed in the story enough to fear for any of the characters. It’s a pretty straight forward story and that made the whole book even more predictable. I don’t think there is any twist that I couldn’t see coming from a mile away.
I really liked the other two books I previously read by the author, so I’ll definitely will give her a try again and hope this was just a one off for me.
December 21, 2022
Jo and her coworkers are set to celebrate their last day of work as the movie theater they have all worked together at closes for ever. The celebration is shattered however when one of the coworkers is found murdered. Jo knows right away what is happened but not why or who is next. As the title states, 3 more are poised to die.
A very tense thriller in which we follow Jo and her friends as they try to stay alive in a mall. You will never look at malls the same way again! If you like a tense and atmospheric thriller, a book about fleeing a killer, or just are a Natalie D. Richards fan, Four Found Dead is for you! #YA #Fourfounddead #NatalieDRichards
A very tense thriller in which we follow Jo and her friends as they try to stay alive in a mall. You will never look at malls the same way again! If you like a tense and atmospheric thriller, a book about fleeing a killer, or just are a Natalie D. Richards fan, Four Found Dead is for you! #YA #Fourfounddead #NatalieDRichards
July 31, 2023
Overall Rating : B+
"We recognize the scent of danger, and we find ways to survive."
It's Joe's and 6 of her colleagues last night at the mall movie theater before it goes out of business for good. But as the night ends, a power outage occurs, and Joe discovers the dead body of one of her coworkers. Trapped in an abandoned mall with no phones in the dark, she and her fellow coworkers/friends have to find a way out before the killer finds them. But - as the title suggests - not everyone is going to make it out alive.
This book was fast-paced, intense and addictive. The action practically starts at the first page and doesn't stop till the end. Jo was a pretty good MC, with her own trauma closely related to what's going on. And her bravery to use that to her strength to get her friends out.
Side characters were great and moved the story at a predictable pace without overshadowing the main plot. You do find out who the culprit is pretty fast but it doesn't really change the premise of the story; getting out alive. I really had no idea who was going to die or not and that really upped the thrill factor. .
A great book if you're looking for a quick read with a ton of tension and suspense.
"We recognize the scent of danger, and we find ways to survive."
It's Joe's and 6 of her colleagues last night at the mall movie theater before it goes out of business for good. But as the night ends, a power outage occurs, and Joe discovers the dead body of one of her coworkers. Trapped in an abandoned mall with no phones in the dark, she and her fellow coworkers/friends have to find a way out before the killer finds them. But - as the title suggests - not everyone is going to make it out alive.
This book was fast-paced, intense and addictive. The action practically starts at the first page and doesn't stop till the end. Jo was a pretty good MC, with her own trauma closely related to what's going on. And her bravery to use that to her strength to get her friends out.
Side characters were great and moved the story at a predictable pace without overshadowing the main plot. You do find out who the culprit is pretty fast but it doesn't really change the premise of the story; getting out alive. I really had no idea who was going to die or not and that really upped the thrill factor. .
A great book if you're looking for a quick read with a ton of tension and suspense.
May 21, 2023
"Are we in big trouble?"
A question that echoes throughout this nail biter!! Literally blew through this one, I grew to love these poor kids and what badass little fighters they are!
A question that echoes throughout this nail biter!! Literally blew through this one, I grew to love these poor kids and what badass little fighters they are!
December 22, 2022
A group of friends are getting ready to leave the movie theater in a closed down mall for the last time. An argument occurs and the lights go out. Terror strikes and a body is found. The doors are all boarded up and there’s no way out. They are trapped with a killer. This was an attention grabbing read and very suspenseful. Thanks NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this ARC!
May 22, 2023
“Overhead, the faintest trace of indigo is visible through the skylights. Dawn is coming. Help cannot be far away.
All we have to do is stay alive.”
What I Loved: This was a fast-paced cat and mouse chase through a shutdown shopping mall. Give me a mall setting any day, especially a creepy one.
The Meh: I kept waiting for a twist, but nope. You know from the beginning who the killer is, just not why (though the why is pretty predictable).
Overall: If you want a tense, slightly gory YA mystery to pass time on a plane ride or the beach, you’ll like this one.
All we have to do is stay alive.”
What I Loved: This was a fast-paced cat and mouse chase through a shutdown shopping mall. Give me a mall setting any day, especially a creepy one.
The Meh: I kept waiting for a twist, but nope. You know from the beginning who the killer is, just not why (though the why is pretty predictable).
Overall: If you want a tense, slightly gory YA mystery to pass time on a plane ride or the beach, you’ll like this one.
March 30, 2025
3 stars ⊹ ࣪ ˖ hudson and jo made this book<3
June 10, 2023
TW: Murder, gun violence, language, bullying, scary scenes
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Tonight, Tempest Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time.But after an unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out. Their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.
Release Date: May 23rd, 2023
Genre: YA Mystery
Pages: 332
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The cover is a lovely shade of dead
2. Loved room mystery
What I Didn't Like:
1. Some of the characters ramble on
2. All the bickering between the characters
3. No character development
Overall Thoughts:
I was organizing my bookshelves and had this audiobook sitting on my Libby shelf. I had 3 days till it would be returned so I threw caution to the wind and pressed play.
Right off the bat I was annoyed with the characters and not just because they are teens - but that didn't help - they all just complain about one another. It gets old.
I also had zero cares when they are being killed off because I have no idea about who they are. The killing starts off pretty quickly - in just under 50 pages. It's off screen. We didn't "really" know the person is so who cares...
The audiobook is terrible. The narrator is ABSOLUTELY monotone. There is no emotion just this very bland reading. Was she playing a game of solitaire on her phone while reading this book?
The word gun is mentioned way too many times 😫!
Final Thoughts:
In the end I choose to dnf this one at the 66% mark of the book. I felt I still had so far to go and most of the book was them hiding in one room to the next all while hiding and rambling on about things I believe people wouldn't care about if you were being gunned down.
I know it's a YA book but it just was too much of dumb pointless things happening - things that served no purpose to carry the plot nor the characters.
Recommend For:
• Survival stories
• Teens
• Scary situations
• Books taking place in malls
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Tonight, Tempest Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time.But after an unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out. Their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.
Release Date: May 23rd, 2023
Genre: YA Mystery
Pages: 332
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The cover is a lovely shade of dead
2. Loved room mystery
What I Didn't Like:
1. Some of the characters ramble on
2. All the bickering between the characters
3. No character development
Overall Thoughts:
I was organizing my bookshelves and had this audiobook sitting on my Libby shelf. I had 3 days till it would be returned so I threw caution to the wind and pressed play.
Right off the bat I was annoyed with the characters and not just because they are teens - but that didn't help - they all just complain about one another. It gets old.
I also had zero cares when they are being killed off because I have no idea about who they are. The killing starts off pretty quickly - in just under 50 pages. It's off screen. We didn't "really" know the person is so who cares...
The audiobook is terrible. The narrator is ABSOLUTELY monotone. There is no emotion just this very bland reading. Was she playing a game of solitaire on her phone while reading this book?
The word gun is mentioned way too many times 😫!
Final Thoughts:
In the end I choose to dnf this one at the 66% mark of the book. I felt I still had so far to go and most of the book was them hiding in one room to the next all while hiding and rambling on about things I believe people wouldn't care about if you were being gunned down.
I know it's a YA book but it just was too much of dumb pointless things happening - things that served no purpose to carry the plot nor the characters.
Recommend For:
• Survival stories
• Teens
• Scary situations
• Books taking place in malls
IG | Blog
January 31, 2023
It is the last night for the movie theater to be open and the last thing Joe and her coworkers want to do is watch her bully Manager Clayton argue with his wife but that’s exactly what happens. It isn’t bad enough that earlier he tried to intimidate Hudson and acted like he was going to fight him over something stupid. when he finally finishes arguing with his wife Joe decides since she has the least friction with Clayton she will go and asked to get their cell phones out of the safe but before she can do that the lights go out. After they realize they’re not coming back on Joe Here’s heavy footsteps coming from the hallway where the managers office and the staff locker rooms are.. She think it may be Clayton or one of the girls who went back there earlier but when the footsteps pass her up and despite her calling out their names no one answers she gets a kill down her spine. She remembers they have flashlights in the office and so her, Hudson, Naomi and Quincy make their way in the dark to the hallway. After finding the flashlights they go to check on the girls in the locker room but when they find one of them dead with summer crying saying Clayton did it I don’t know what to think and Joe hasn’t even told them she saw that Clayton had a gun in the back of his pants earlier. This is the beginning of a night of terror. You would think that knowing who the killer is would take away from the tension, but knowing who were stocking the kids to me only made it worse. I love horror and have been reading a lot of horror lately and this would have to be at the top of my list for my favorite horror books this year. I think Natalie D Richards really knows how to build up the tension I really enjoyed this book and highly recommended if you love tension filled horror as opposed to jump scares you love Four Found Dead I certainly did. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
June 5, 2023
1.5 - Might be the worst book I’ve ever read? Technically listened to. Needed a good thriller for a long car ride and this was not a good choice. Not very thrilling or interesting at all. Characters are just dumb. Never figure out why the killer is killing? So it’s kinda pointless. Also the main character mentioning her past trauma every other sentence is extremely annoying. We get it! You have a dead dad!
July 9, 2023
What kind of nonsense did I just read. I only have myself to blame, I know better than to read ya but perhaps the target demographic should be insulted by how stupid the authors believe their readers to be. “Those ya readers, they don’t need a plot, or character development or motive”. But then there’s like 200 pages of complex structural imagery navigating an abandoned mall, I practically needed architectural experience to coherently read it. Fuck this book.
May 29, 2023
Super average but I’m not disappointed because I expected it lol
February 25, 2025
oczekiwałam czegoś o wiele lepszego.
główna bohaterka cały czas myśli i mówi nam o tym, że ona przeżyła coś, a jej znajomi nie, przez co odniosłam wrażenie, że czuła się lepsza od nich. nie, nie jesteś lepsza, jesteś tak samo durna jak oni.
relacja romantyczna to jedno wielkie XD. what do you mean ze ona nagle go kocha i to jej miłość życia? czym się zbliżyliście i kiedy, w dwie godziny przez to, że on jest ranny? żart jakiś.
powód zabójstw i wgl ten plot twist? jezu, jak on mnie zawiódł.
zakończenie też nie lepsze, totalnie za szybkie.
główna bohaterka cały czas myśli i mówi nam o tym, że ona przeżyła coś, a jej znajomi nie, przez co odniosłam wrażenie, że czuła się lepsza od nich. nie, nie jesteś lepsza, jesteś tak samo durna jak oni.
relacja romantyczna to jedno wielkie XD. what do you mean ze ona nagle go kocha i to jej miłość życia? czym się zbliżyliście i kiedy, w dwie godziny przez to, że on jest ranny? żart jakiś.
powód zabójstw i wgl ten plot twist? jezu, jak on mnie zawiódł.
zakończenie też nie lepsze, totalnie za szybkie.
January 19, 2023
”Maybe we all have to make peace with that night, with the fact we’re here and they’re gone.”
I’m not usually a fan of young adult thrillers/slashers but this book surprised me and I found it difficult to put it down once I picked it up.
I would love to see this in movie form. The suspense and mystery were fantastically written and I was left trying to piece together what was going to happen next.
Jo was such a strong protagonist. She had been through a horrific trauma earlier in her life but she still managed to remain level-headed and act courageously in this time of crisis. I also admired her passion for becoming a doctor because of everything she’s been through, it was a little detail that I appreciated being included.
I’m intrigued to read more from this author. This was great!
Thank you to NetGallery and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I’m not usually a fan of young adult thrillers/slashers but this book surprised me and I found it difficult to put it down once I picked it up.
I would love to see this in movie form. The suspense and mystery were fantastically written and I was left trying to piece together what was going to happen next.
Jo was such a strong protagonist. She had been through a horrific trauma earlier in her life but she still managed to remain level-headed and act courageously in this time of crisis. I also admired her passion for becoming a doctor because of everything she’s been through, it was a little detail that I appreciated being included.
I’m intrigued to read more from this author. This was great!
Thank you to NetGallery and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for providing me this arc!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 20, 2024
2.5 stars. I loved the set up for this - a bunch of kids working in a movie theater inside a mall get locked inside with a murderer. Hell yes. But, the author barely utilized the environment. Like give me scenes in the actual theater! Show me the projection room. ANYTHING. We get like nothing. Then they make their way through the mall and we barely got any use out of that environment either.
The characters are ok, but pretty bland. There was no tension because we know immediately who the killer is. There just was nothing intense about the story. It was ok. I didn’t like Five Perfect Strangers by this author either so I don’t think she’s for me.
The characters are ok, but pretty bland. There was no tension because we know immediately who the killer is. There just was nothing intense about the story. It was ok. I didn’t like Five Perfect Strangers by this author either so I don’t think she’s for me.
March 21, 2024
2,5*
A YA locked room murder mystery that traps a group of teenagers inside of an abandoned shopping mall.
It was supposed to be the last shift at the movie theater for our group of teenagers. But little do they know that, that night they will be trapped in the shopping mall with a serial killer.
I really did enjoy the setting and the kills but it did lack when it comes to the tension and the thrilling aspect of it.
Too much is revealed too soon and it removes the mystery element. Overall it was a fast paced and fun read but it was more of a drama at times and I guess I was expecting a bit more of horror and a tense battle for survival.
A YA locked room murder mystery that traps a group of teenagers inside of an abandoned shopping mall.
It was supposed to be the last shift at the movie theater for our group of teenagers. But little do they know that, that night they will be trapped in the shopping mall with a serial killer.
I really did enjoy the setting and the kills but it did lack when it comes to the tension and the thrilling aspect of it.
Too much is revealed too soon and it removes the mystery element. Overall it was a fast paced and fun read but it was more of a drama at times and I guess I was expecting a bit more of horror and a tense battle for survival.
January 2, 2024
i thought this was ok, like 1/3 of this book could been cut out (most of the middle) and still had the same effect and outcome. loved the characters and they’re dynamic but seemed to be a little long to me. some things and/or scenes felt repetitive and/or unnecessary at times. just my opinion
June 21, 2023
3.25 i still literally have no clue why the killer was killing everyone. so…. not great!
September 5, 2023
Booooooooring. Such potential that was ruined with poor execution. Skip this one. This would have been a DNF for me if I ever had the sense to actually walk away from books I'm not enjoying.
April 4, 2023
Are we in big trouble?
Four Found Dead is a dark locked-room thriller. The uniqueness lies in knowing who the baddie is but not why he's doing this. I'm not sure that it completely landed. On the other hand, it does get right to the good stuff, building the characters as you go.
One of the problems is that it really stalls in the middle. It feels repetitive and overly descriptive, like it's trying a little too hard to be atmospheric and instead dragging on. They repeatedly referred to a prior incident. "This wasn't the first time I left a room with a dead body in it.." okay, tell me what happened or shush about it.
A quick summary:
It was supposed to be the end of an era. Their last night closing the theater, which is connected to the once bustling, but now mostly lifeless, mall. Everything they did- trash, sweeping, even cleaning up gum- was for the last time so there was a nostalgia of sorts in the air.
Their manager is a jerk but it's their last night with him too. They just want to finish up and go have fun but the manager becomes preoccupied by something else, leaving the friends stuck there with no phones(their stuff is in the safe).
At first it's an inconvenience, but it soon turns murderous.. not everyone will make it out of this.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review!
Four Found Dead is a dark locked-room thriller. The uniqueness lies in knowing who the baddie is but not why he's doing this. I'm not sure that it completely landed. On the other hand, it does get right to the good stuff, building the characters as you go.
One of the problems is that it really stalls in the middle. It feels repetitive and overly descriptive, like it's trying a little too hard to be atmospheric and instead dragging on. They repeatedly referred to a prior incident. "This wasn't the first time I left a room with a dead body in it.." okay, tell me what happened or shush about it.
A quick summary:
It was supposed to be the end of an era. Their last night closing the theater, which is connected to the once bustling, but now mostly lifeless, mall. Everything they did- trash, sweeping, even cleaning up gum- was for the last time so there was a nostalgia of sorts in the air.
Their manager is a jerk but it's their last night with him too. They just want to finish up and go have fun but the manager becomes preoccupied by something else, leaving the friends stuck there with no phones(their stuff is in the safe).
At first it's an inconvenience, but it soon turns murderous.. not everyone will make it out of this.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review!
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