Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio
SYNOPSIS
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 unofficial 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?
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The excitement I had at just the prospect of this book is indescribable. Rio is the master of dark, spooky, gothic vibes and this book followed through on that promise. Graveyard Shift was like a fun mix of Guillermo del Torro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House, and the unravelling mystery style of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Murders in Rue Morgue. We have a unique cast of characters that give so much depth and feeling in just a short 100 pages and multiple points of view over the span of one dark night to get into their minds. I was extremely impressed with how well we’re able to slip into each characters mindset given the short time we had to get to know them. It was creepy and dark and everything you need for a quick October read to get you in the Halloween/Horror spirit. This gothic novella single-handedly pulled me out of one of my worst reading slump months.
Each character in this book gets two chapters following their point of view during this strange, sleepness night. Since all of them work a night shift, the story starts just after midnight and goes till mid-morning the following day. Before work every night, this group meets in an abandoned churckyard to smoke. The only place on campus that doesn’t currently have any “no smoking” rules in place. But there’s a grave there, freshly dug, that wasn’t there the day before. And no one has used this graveyard in ages. With the soil still wet, our ragtag crew can’t help but dig into the mystery individually to help pass their long night ahead, eventually coming together as the puzzle pieces begin to connect.
What I loved about this book is how effortlessly Rio was able to create different, unique threads tying each character to each other as well as tying each character individually to the plot. To accomplish that in 100 pages is impressive. With only two chapters which each character, the fact that I was able to relate to each one and build this empathetic connection enough to care what happened to them was exactly what pulled me into this story so thoroughly. I also really enjoyed how different each character was. These are people that had zero business being even a few miles within each others social spheres yet somehow it worked.
The short timeline of this story taking span over one night made the length a lot more realistic yet we were able to pack a lot of mystery into such a short time/book. Having each chapter being a different hour of the night was reminiscent of when you’re struggling to go to sleep and everytime you glance at the clock, only a small amount of time has gone by. Each chapter heading was like glancing at a clock on a sleepless night. My favourite part of the book overall, however, was how creepy it was able to be while also staying on the very edges of supernatural. The situations in this book were very realistic and could, in a terrifying way, happen in real life which made it all the more spooky. When there is no limit on science, things can go sideways fast. I love that this book explored that theme of how far is too far when it comes to the good of science?
What I didn’t love was minuscule in comparison to the things I enjoyed about this book. For one, and this is a personal opinion and isn’t a spoiler given the cover of the novel but, WHY IS IT ALWAYS RATS?! Why can’t it be the cuter of the rodent family like squirrels or chipmunks or hamsters? Talk about nightmare inducing. I also felt the ending was a little too neat and tidy but I think what I really wanted was just more of the story. It was still a chilling end and I’m pretty happy with the way it went.
Loved this novella, it was a 5 star experience for me and single-handedly lifted me out of one of my worst ever reading slumps so it will forever hold my gratitude. And I think it’s become an October reread staple on my shelves going forward. If you’re looking for the perfect short story to get into the spooky season, this one is the perfect fit.