What a great book by Alex Finlay! I have enjoyed his prior books and was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint, I finished very quickly.
The main characters all know each other from their time in a group home and during that time together, "things" happened. Those things come to play out years later and the group of friends come to learn the truth about each other in shocking ways.
Full of twists, great quick read.

This thriller opens with five friends bonding over a horrendous act. Unless they are cold-blooded killing teens, they must have a reason for their actions. Fast-forward 25 years, and the friends now have separate lives. Yet, they are also intertwined as they try to discover who's out to get them.
I was sucked into this book from page one. It's a thriller for sure. Each chapter switches between a different person as the story progresses.
But by the second half, the writing was beginning to come undone for me. I wasn't always sure when I was reading past and present. And the big reveals were pretty boring. There were also multiple side stories that never got resolved, which felt unsatisfying.
I appreciate that while there is sexual content, it's not overly graphic. And the profanity is limited to a few characters and not on every page.
I would definitely read more books about Jenna - she was my favorite character and the one I could most relate to.

Alex Finlay's thrillers always have a fresh feel for the genre. In addition to the puzzle and mystery within, there is a human element, people you can connect to and imagine being in their (unfortunate) shoes. What Have We Done isn't my favorite of his books, but has a good pace and kept my interest throughout.

Despite primarily being a fan of literary fiction, I love to get my teeth into a good thriller. This one has all the markings of a page-turner, edge-of-your-seat action, and many twists and turns.

The prologue starts off with five teens firing a gun into a grave, each of them taking a turn to shoot. Who they're killing, or whether the person is already dead, is not revealed. The narrative then begins. Each of the four teens is now an adult and the novel progresses in shifting viewpoints.

All five of the teens were foster children, residing in a terrible facility called Savior House. There is physical and emotional abuse committed by the older children and, unexplainably, girls disappear from the house at regular intervals. No one knows if they're run-aways or if they were taken.

Jenna is now a housewife, enjoying yoga classes and running. She gets a mysterious call from someone connected to her prior life, that of a trained assassin for a 'corporation'. She is told that she needs to kill Art, a tech magnate and a former resident of Saviour House, or her family will be killed. She quickly realizes she's been set up and wants to get to the bottom of things. It looks like someone is after her.

Ben, one of the original five, has become a judge and he has been killed recently. The police have found a suspect but there are still a lot of unknowns.

Donnie is an aging rock star who has an addiction problem. Someone tried to kill him but after the incident he can't remember details because he was in a blackout.

Nico is the producer of a reality show about people who mine in caves. There is an unexplained explosion in one of the caves and he barely escapes with his life. Who wants him dead? Could it be one of the people he owes money to for his gambling debts or is it something more sinister.

All four know that their lives are on the line and Jenna is actively trying to find the reason and stop their pursuer. Or is it more than one person after them? The question is who and why. It must go back to their time at Saviour House but what could be the reason.

This is a first class thriller and I plan to read more books by Alex Finlay. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced review copy.

I absolutely loved the Night Shift so I was very excited to read Alex Finley’s latest work. I think in comparison to that novel - this one fell short. They over all idea gave me It by Stephen King vibes but I did not feel very connected to the characters unfortunately.

Thanks to #Netgalley and #StMartinsMinotaur for the complimentary copy; opinion are my own.

For me, this is an average thriller. The 3 main characters, Nico, Donnie and Jenna (plus 2 others that have much less page time) share an old secret from their days in an abusive foster home. I found Jenna the easiest to like and I feel like I got more of her backstory -she was a more complete character. Donnie and Nico weren't as likeable and hadn't dealt well with the secret or their lives since leaving foster care. The thriller/mystery arrives when, over the course of a week, there is an assassination attempt on all three of them. Jenna has the life skills to figure out what's going on and the strongest motivation to solve it - keeping her family safe.

The story jumps around a bit showing things from the perspective of each of the three main characters which is sort of a lot, but then add in timeframe jumps from their teens and the foster home to the present day - it was a lot to keep straight.

Unfortunately, for some reason, this book didn't grab me - I finished it and felt like the ending was in line with the story. I don't think the storyline or characters are particularly memorable.

"What Have We Done" by Alex Finley is an incredibly gripping and suspenseful book. Finley's writing style keeps readers on the edge of their seat, as they try to unravel the mystery and piece together the various twists and turns of the plot. The author does a fantastic job of building tension throughout the story, and the final reveals are nothing short of shocking. Overall, "What Have We Done" is a must-read for fans of suspense and thriller novels. Alex Finley is an incredible author who knows how to keep readers engaged from beginning to end.

What have we done was an interesting thriller. I really liked the use of the sadistic twin killers especially the one with the cattle gun since that isn't a weapon one comes across very often. The pacing for the story was well done and I was interested for the entire novel. Every character was decently fleshed out and had their own interesting back story that seamlessly entwined itself with the rest of the characters and by only having 5 different people to follow made it easier to keep track of everyone. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys an action packed thriller.

Finlay is a must-read author for me and this latest is a highly effective thriller. Told in multiple POVs, Finlay's three MCs are dealing with trauma and secrets from their childhood so be sure to check CWs. I especially liked Jenna's character and storyline. The shifting timelines, while effective in explaining the characters backstory, could a little bit confusing at times if you're not paying close enough attention. Overall this book's fast paced, action-packed with plenty of twists and turns and is totally engaging.


I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

One of my most anticipated books of 2023 and I got the pleasure of receiving an audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review!! Yesssss!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Where to begin with this one … let’s start by saying this was again highly anticipated, mesmerizing and heart pounding at times Alex Finlay novel! This was all wrapped up nicely in a bow but dropped a star because it felt a little rushed and I would have loved some more character development.

Alex Finlay is a great storyteller!! The audiobook narration mixed with the storyline fit together perfectly! I highly recommend the audiobook!! It’s definitely a binge worthy book!!

Nothing about this book worked for me. A quick summation as to why:

The characters aren't well developed, and they feel like cliches dropped onto the page.

The plot is over-the-top implausible.

I was irritated with all the flashbacks to the characters' teenage years, and the constant shifts in POV characters gave the story a disjointed feel that I couldn't settle into.

I loved Finlay's first book, liked his second, and clearly didn't like this third one. Might be that I'm ultimately not the right reader for this writer.

Well dang. I just really didn’t enjoy this book at all.

I don’t want to bash it but it just wasn’t an enjoyable storyline to me and there was so many characters to keep track of.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE
By Alex Finlay

Review by Valerie J. Brooks

Years ago, a group of kids from abusive Savior House fled the place after committing an act of violence. Twenty-five years later, one of the group, Benny, a federal judge, is murdered. The remaining members find themselves targeted: Jenna, a former assassin and now happily married wife and mother; Donnie, a former famous musician and alcoholic who has been fired by his band; Nico, a Hollywood producer famous for a reality show about miners; and Artemis, a billionaire tech whiz.

Jenna is set up by what she thinks is her former boss to kill someone and, when she finds out it’s Artemis, she doesn’t pull the trigger, putting them both in peril. Donnie is forced over the side of a cruise ship and is saved by a passing fishing boat. Nico survives a mining explosion.

When they determine they’ve all been the victims of these unusual “accidents,” they realize they are not accidents. The common factor in all of them seems to be a pretty young woman with dark hair and killer blank eyes. Plus, an FBI agent, knowing they were accidents, dogs Donnie’s every move hoping for information and the truth about his fall from the ship.

Now on the run, they each try to figure out who this female assassin is and why she’s after them. They haven't seen each other in years but expect to reunite at Benny’s funeral. Donnie, now famous again and in the media because of surviving the cruise ship overboard, is accompanied by Reese who is writing Donnie’s biography. But is he who he says he is? Donnie, a drunk who lives for his rock star status, doesn’t question this.

Alex Finlay has written a nerve-wracking thriller of interconnected lives of orphans who were bullied and disappeared and then as adults are forced to face their past. Moving smoothly in and out of each character’s voice, What Have We Done easily lays down the puzzle pieces of the characters’ past and current lives. Savior House was no savior house, and the time there has pushed Jenna, Nico, Donnie, and Art out of their carefully constructed adult lives after successfully escaping the torment of the place as teens. The past is not finished with them. Once again, they must band together or suffer the fate of their friend Benny.

What Have We Done is a taut, twisty, complex thriller that deals with how the past will never let go, no matter how successful one becomes. For those who love how specific details in fiction can bring a story to life and show so much about the characters, Finlay brilliantly creates a discussion between Donnie and his biographer about the comic world of Calvin and Hobbes. If you’re not familiar with it, you’ll want to be after reading this page-turner of a thriller because it's impossible to put down until the very last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5

This one was okay, I guess. I never really got invested into the story and figured out one of the “twists” long before the reveal. It was almost like the book moved too fast. With the constant switching between the POVs and something constantly happening I felt like I had whiplash trying to keep up. By about the 60% mark I just wanted to be done with it.

The initial premise sounded enticing, reminiscent of the Jason Bourne movies in a way. However, the actual story almost felt too far fetched if that makes sense. In the end I liked the fact that I was able to finish the book quickly (likely due to the short chapters), but I was never invested in the story or characters.

Overall I would skip this one and read The Night Shift by Alex Finlay instead!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like:

💔 tragic pasts
4️⃣ multiple POVs
🏃‍♀️ fast paced thrillers

This was a fantastic thriller from Alex Finlay, just as his last couple have been for me. Fast-paced, interesting characters, and plot. He doesn't typically disappoint!

Listen, I have read all three of Alex Finlay's books released over the past few years. I have enjoyed each of them. Alex Finlay is a must-read author for me, and whatever I thought of this novel won't change that. That said, What Have We Done was a very different novel than his previous two. What Have We Done is much more soap-opera-esque. And while that is not always something that turns me off, it is certainly not what I would have expected from Mr. Finlay based on his previous novels. It was a fun novel with occasionally funny, over the top villains. I loved the idea of these friends from rough childhoods coming back together to solve the mystery of who is trying to kill them (and why) so many years after a mysterious event that shaped them all. The book never lost my attention, but it did make my eyes roll a few times from its sheer eccentricity. I would recommend What Have We Done with the warning that it is not as realistic as what I usually like.

ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ
ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ʙʏ ᴀʟᴇx ғɪɴʟᴀʏ
3.5/5

Summary:
Jenna, Nico, and Donnie were best friends who endured abuse and neglect while they were living in a group home for teenagers who didn’t have parents. The home was shut down after several teenage residents went missing and the three friends were separated. They haven’t seen or spoken to each other since their time at the home but have recently been reunited because someone is trying to kill them. Why? That is the question the book answers through a series of perspectives told by each character. In order to live, they will all have to confront the horrors of their past- a past with a secret that they all share that may just be the reason why someone wants to kill them now.

My Thoughts:
This book was good, but not great. I liked it, but did not love it. It was definitely thrilling, and had me on the edge of my seat several times, especially in the end with the ultimate twist. Overall, it was a fast read for me and I did enjoy it. However, there were a couple of issues that I had with it. There were SO. MANY. CHARACTERS. The story was told from several different perspectives that switched each chapter. At times it was hard to follow and I found myself flipping back to refresh my memory. The plot also resembled that of an action movie, with multiple different things going on at one time and never a solid path to follow. I also felt like the ending left me with many different questions, which I won’t put here to avoid there being spoilers in the review. With that being said, it was a book with a unique story and there were things I did like about the book. Also Jenna is a complete bada**!!

Read this if you like:
-fast paced thrillers
-stories told from different perspectives
-books with A LOT of characters

Trigger Warnings: Childhood abuse and neglect, gambling, gun violence, substance abuse/addiction.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Alex Finlay for a copy of What Have We Done to review!

Finlay does it again. I am a MAJOR Alex Finlay fan and his newest novel didn't disappoint. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and always was upset when I had to put the book down to be a responsible human being. Finlay has an uncanny ability to get your heart racing and have you rooting for his characters at the same time.

25 years ago a group of kids formed a bond at a foster home called the Savior House. After it was shut down, they grew apart, hoping to never see each other again. That is, until someone decides to start killing them one by one. A forced reunion no one wants, revisiting old memories and bringing up the question, what actually happened to the owner of the foster home, will have everyone wondering who is responsible.

Page-turning thriller. By shifting point of view between a group of people, now grown, who knew each other in a children's home years ago, Finlay keeps you going as you need to know what happens to each of them. There are many surprising twists and I really enjoyed them all.

Twenty-five years ago, Jenna, Nico, and Donnie formed a strong bond when they survived being residents of Savior House. After several kids disappeared, the home was shut down and the kids separated. Years later, they are unexpectedly reunited. Someone is trying to kill them. Surviving means reliving the past and confronting the nightmare that was their shared childhood.

As much as I enjoyed The Night Shift, this one just didn’t do it for me. I’m big fan of books with multiple points of view but this one was just very all over the place and I really struggled to keep people/events straight. Typically, I enjoy books set in the present with flashbacks to the past, but the flashbacks in this book came without any warning and I’d end up having to backtrack a little bit. Out of all the characters, I enjoyed reading Jenna’s perspective the most and loved her assassin background. I really didn’t care for the twins, they came off as very cheesy and awkward. Although the pacing felt off for most of the book, the last 25% was good and kept me on the edge of my seat! Just because this wasn’t the book for me, doesn’t mean it won’t be for you. Thank you to Minotaur Books, Alex Finlay, and NetGalley for my gifted e-arc. This book is out now!