A perfectly passable thriller -- easy to follow, interesting plotline, requires a bit of suspension of belief (how are all of these people so extraordinary?) but not a bad way to spend some reading time. It feels like a classic crime novel, the kind of thing I would've snagged from my dad's nightstand.

"What Have We Done", a dark and twisty thriller that dives into the complex web of trauma and betrayal that binds three former friends from a troubled past. This novel's themes of identity and the power of past experiences to shape our present, but with a much darker and more sinister tone make this a book you can't put down. With its fast-paced plot and mysterious atmosphere "What Have We Done" will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow the story of former friends forced to confront their shared past and a deadly secret that threatens to destroy their lives.

Ahhh, not Alex Finlay's best.

A well-crafted thriller, but lacks the emotional depth that I've come to associate with his work. Nico x Annie really got to me though, as with Benny x Donnie. I also enjoyed knowing each character and the dynamics among the group, but my emotional investment just wasn't as strong this time.

Plenty of action, twists and turns, plus I didn't see the whodunit coming. But while entertaining and propulsive, I just wasn't blown away.

By the way, the character crossover??!?!?! Love it.

A well-written and engaging page-turner, just not my favourite from an auto-read author. But I eagerly await his next!

What Have We Done is a question with an answer that is known by at least three people, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico, forever bound together because of shared adolescent trauma. Twenty five years ago, they lived at Savior House in rural Chestertown, Pennsylvania. Albeit a comforting name but Savior House, “a group home for parentless teens,” was a hell-hole.

Twenty-five years ago



At the top of a knoll through a break in the trees, five teenagers stand at the edge of a shallow grave. A light rain falls, thunder rumbles in the night sky.



One of the boys raises the gun. It was his idea, after all; he should go first. He aims into the hole, but the gun wobbles in the half-light.



“Do it,” another boy says.



But the kid with the gun stands there, arm extended, the rain beading his face, matting his hair.



At last, the only girl in the group reaches for the weapon—the .22 they bought for twenty-two bucks. She swallows, looks at the rest of them. “We agreed,” she says. “We all have to.” Her eyes return to the pit, and the gun clenched in her hand makes a noise like a firecracker, a faint pop.

They fall in line, shooting into the pit, and passing the gun along to the next person. The last person to shoot, “the only gentle soul at Savior House group home,” has “tears streaming pale vertical lines down his dirty face.” After he takes his shot, they all drop to their knees and manually push the sodden dirt into the pit.

In the dark, the gentle boy utters the words none of them will ever forget: “What have we done?”

Alex Finlay skillfully circles around that question, parsimoniously sharing clues. Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were not traumatized just because they were orphans, they were also abused, exploited, and neglected at the group home. They banded together for comfort, friendship, and, to the best of their abilities, mutual protection. Following the disappearance of several residents (mostly young teenage girls) the house was shuttered for good and the three went their separate ways. That was then. Now, decades later, these once abused teenagers are targeted for murder.

Jenna is asked forced to perform an assassination in broad daylight in downtown Washington D.C. It’s clear that this is not her first rodeo but she’s retired from the game. She’s married to Simon, a widower with two daughters, five-year-old Lulu and seventeen-year-old Willow. Jenna’s biggest problem is the tension between her and her teenage step-daughter. After the shooting, Jenna races home and pulls the defcon trigger, saying the words “Alas Babylon.” Per their disaster plan, Simon races off to grab Lulu and Jenna rushes to the Sidwell Friends School to pick up Willow. While Willow and Jenna make their way to Jenna’s hidden cabin hideaway, someone tries to kill Jenna. Drawing upon her deep knowledge of deflection and obfuscation, Jenna gets away safely, unites Willow with her dad and sister, and takes off. Her family is safe but it’s a temporary solution: Jenna must find out who is targeting her and why.

Donnie, aka Donnie Danger, is a musician with the band Tracer’s Bullet. He’s the band’s founder but inexorably Tom Kipling, another player, has taken over the band’s leadership and, through some nasty sleight of hand, ownership of the band’s music. It hasn’t helped that over the years Donnie has sunk deeper and deeper into a morass of drugs and alcohol. The band is playing on a Legends of Rock Cruise. When Donnie shows up late to their performance, Tom fires him. Resigned and despondent, Donnie goes out on deck to look out over the ocean. A young woman comes on to him, flashing her ample cleavage, before suddenly pulling a gun on him. Jump, she tells him. “Five…four…” Certain death but what choice does Donnie have?

Nico stars in a popular television show featuring coal miners. It’s a surprise hit but Nico, who has a desperate gambling problem, is regarded as a liability by the show’s producers. He’s not exactly sure how he ended up in the belly of the beast but somehow he comes to consciousness deep in the bowels of the coal mine. He knows he’s going to die but where there’s life there’s hope.

He’s never been so happy to see rats. Scurrying, dirty, disgusting varmints that will unquestionably tear his flesh down to the bone if he dies. But for now, they’re a welcome sight: They’re alive. There’s still oxygen.

The circumstances are mysterious, but it’s no coincidence that Jenna, Donnie, and Nico have been targeted to die. Fortunately, their assassins can’t close the deal: all three survive and eventually find their way to each other. They know the attempts to kill them will continue and they’re desperate to figure out why it’s happening. Does it have anything to do with the murder of their Savior House friend Benny? He was the best of them—kind, a seeker of justice, and intelligent beyond his years. A graduate of Harvard law, at the time of his death, Judge Ben Wood was a leading candidate to be an appellate court judge. Is his death the catalyst that triggered the killing attempts? Who was the fifth teenager at the pit those many years ago? To answer those questions would unfairly unravel a complicated, surprising plot.

“What Have We Done is both an edge-of-your seat thriller and a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story.” Beginning with his nail-biting debut Every Last Fear, Alex Finlay continues to enthrall readers. He’s an author to be reckoned with; it’s impossible to stop reading his latest thriller.

4 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

This by far has been my favourite release from Alex Finlay and had a lot of twists (one I was suspicious of and was correct on). I like how the story starts out with seemingly no connections between the main characters and then slowly we get more backstory. I really don't want to say anything else, since I tend to briefly scan thriller blurbs on the back because I find it more fun to read.
Currently reading the ARC of the next release and its interesting so far but it has a lot to live up to.

The group of characters in this story meet at a place called Savior House, a group home for teens where there is bullying, secrets and missing girls. It fast forwards to these teens as adults who have to confront their past when someone winds up dead. This story is full of twists and turns and is action packed and fast paced. It is somewhat hard to follow at times with so many characters and is a bit out there at times but overall enjoyed this book, preferred on audio which was well done.

This was just okay for me. I think the writing is really good but the characters were kind of one dimensional for me. Even though they weren’t great people all around, I found I was indifferent to their individual plights. Obviously I loved the premise because Finlay is great for thrillers but this one didn’t resonate for me like a typical Finlay novel would.

This is a fast paced, captivating thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. It has an engaging plot with well-developed characters that created an immersive experience. It had twists and turns that made it hard for me to put down. The chapters are short which also engages me more, as you want to continue to find out more. It's a well crafted story that delivers on excitement and suspense. This is the third novel by Finlay that I've read, but I will read whatever he comes up with next

This book was just the book I needed during our Disney vacation. It was fast paced and intriguing. I was invested in the outcomes of the characters. And it drew me in and made me want to spend time reading it when I came back to the room exhausted. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this novel. I look forward to continuing to read Mr Finlay's books in the future.

"What Have We Done" by Alex Finlay had an interesting premise, with a reunion of three childhood friends brought together by their shared traumatic past at Savior House. The storyline switches between the characters' current lives and their harrowing experiences at the group home, creating a mix of thriller and emotional drama.

While the setup was promising, I found the execution to be somewhat lacking. The characters felt a bit cliché, and their motivations didn't always feel authentic or fully developed. The narrative moved at a decent pace, but some plot twists seemed too convenient, and it was difficult to get invested in the characters' struggles. The tension I hoped for in a thriller like this just wasn't consistent throughout.

Overall, it was an okay read—entertaining enough to finish, but not particularly memorable or groundbreaking. I’d recommend it if you’re looking for something quick and don’t mind a few predictable turns.

25 years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico become best friends in the abusive group home they were all living in. After the group home was shut down they hadn't seen each other in years. Despite not seeing each other in so long, a crime they were all a part of and swore to keep secret comes back to haunt them.

Each character in this book has a giant, almost comic book personality, with careers ranging from rock star to assassin. The narrative shifts between each character and the premise is an interesting idea, even if overused.

Unfortunately, I didn't love this as much as I had hoped and as much as I had loved previous Alex Finlay novels. For me, one of the most important parts of a book is the characters. I found these characters to be not necessarily likable and also not as realistic and lifelike as the characters in Finlay's previous novels. I didn't love the story or the writing as much as before either, it didn't feel the same as when I read his work before and this time I actually had to push myself more to finish this book whereas before I couldn't put his books down.

Don't get me wrong, I think Alex Finlay is a talented author (I even have a signed copy of his debut novel) and this book will have its audience, but it just wasn't for me. This book is more so for those who enjoy cheesy action movies, in my opinion, which isn't a bad thing.

I will still be eagerly awaiting Alex Finlay's next thriller!

Thank you to Alex Finlay, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for this ARC.

Okay, this one was awesome! Something bad happened a long time ago and it’s finally coming back to haunt the kids from Savior House. I really liked the individual perspectives from each character, although I liked the fmc the best. I love that we got to see a lot of variety in how the characters coped with growing up in foster care. There were many levels to this mystery that kept getting unraveled at perfect times. It was very fast paced and entertaining. A tad unbelievable in parts, but I don’t think that made me enjoy the book any less. It was a quick read and I loved the cat-and-mouse game.

Alex Finlay is pretty great at writing a taut, twisty thriller and this is another excellent example of that skill. I was very invested in the characters and their connection both then and now and was blown away by the outcome because I really didn't see it coming. I can't say much more because there's a lot going on in this story and it all weaves together, but spoilers definitely take you out of it.

This author always takes me on a roller coaster ride through his books. This book was no different, it was action packed from the very beginning.

I loved how there was a whole cast of characters. The way story of them came full circle was perfection. I couldn’t wait to learn the back story of each of the characters.

Overall I enjoyed every minute of this book. I had the hardest time putting it down because the ending of this chapter had me wanting more. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book right from the first chapter. The action was well-paced and engaging throughout, and I didn’t feel like there was anything unnecessary or irrelevant. While I did anticipate the twist to some extent, it still managed to surprise me. I was eager to uncover the events that led to the characters' reaping. Even the final chapter was incredibly gripping. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Alex Finlay, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an eARC of What Have We Done!

Rating: 3 stars

What Have We Done is a fast-paced mystery following three adults who lived at a foster house called "Savior House" as children. Someone has put hits out on all of them and they need to figure out who it is before their numbers continue to dwindle.

At first, I found this book a little hard to follow. There are three main perspectives, but we also occasionally get the viewpoint of the hit-women as well. Once I figured out which character was which, the story began moving quickly and kept me on the edge of my seat. I had a few theories about who put out the hit, but the theory that panned out was the one I was hoping was wrong.

I do think we needed more of the backstory of the foster kids. I don't think we had enough information to comprehend how traumatizing the experience was for the kids. We just hear that they were bullied and some kids went missing - traumatizing in itself, but there weren't many details about either of the experiences.

Overall I did enjoy the book and would like to read more from the author.

What Have We Done is my first Alex Finley novel and a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of guilt, redemption, and the consequences of past actions. The novel follows a group of friends whose lives are irrevocably altered by a tragic incident from their youth, and it explores how this event haunts and shapes their present lives. Finlay’s writing is taut and suspenseful, skillfully weaving multiple perspectives and timelines to build a compelling and twist-filled narrative. While the intricate plot and character development are engaging, some readers may find certain elements predictable. Overall, a thought-provoking thriller that offers a tense and emotionally charged reading experience.

I am always such a fan of the past coming back to haunt characters - it one of my favorite thriller tropes. The journey you take when you're learning about the characters in the present, while flashing back to their past and how those moments brought them to their current situation is such an enjoyable experience. Absolutely loved this read! I was given a copy of this story to read; but thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing for the chance to read!

Thank you to Net Galley, Minotaur books, and the author Alex Finlay for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I thought it was fast paced.

It is told from three povs.
Jenna, the stepmom, who was recruited and trained by a secretive corporation as an assassin
Nico, a reality show producer with a gambling problem
Donnie, a famous rockstar with an addiction problem

The three of them along with two others, Ben and Art grew up in a children’s home known as Savior house. The five of them did something bad as kids and twenty-five years later, they must face it,

This is my second book by Alex Finlay, and my favourite so far! I loved the multiple POVs of the 3 main characters and the "hit woman". It was super fast paced and held my attention. I started it as an audio listen while driving and found that I couldn't wait to get back into my car so I finished it very quickly on my Kindle.

It was a bit predictable (I did see the twist coming) but I really enjoyed the different characters. Alex Finlay is now and auto-buy author for me.