WHAT HAVE WE DONE
*pub date: 3/7/23

Boy oh boy did this book CREEP ME OUT. We follow a variety of characters after they all have a hit out on them. A suburban house wife, a Rockstar, a tv producer, and a politician all have a hit out on them, but they aren't successful. Why is this hit woman going after them? What do they all have in common? We have a non-linear time line, with a few unreliable narrators, and a few weird and creepy weapons. In trying to solve who is coming after them, and why, we look at their dark past and see what they had done.

I loved The Night Shift, and so I was excited to read this sophomore novel. I don't have the same feelings for this novel, but it was interesting and I would recommend it to others! It kept me guessing until the end. But it should have some trigger warnings attached to it. (sexual assault)

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.25⭐

Featuring ~ multiple 3rd person POV, 3 part story, flashbacks, child abuse, torture, trafficking

Jenna (assassin), Donnie (rock-star) & Nico (TV producer) were in the foster care system and living in the same group home when they were teenagers. They all share a secret that you get a glimpse of in the prologue. Flash forward 25 years and someone is out to kill them.
The Twins have a few chapters that kept the story moving along.

I like the fact that Jenna was an assassin, which had some bad@ss moments, but she did some Spiderman stuff and I was like really with this.
Donnie was okay, but a bit of an alcoholic.
I was not a fan of Nico at all.
The twins were just bat poo cray cray.

I am a big fan of multiple POV, but in the case of this particular book it made it slow moving for me. There were flashbacks, but I don't think they were done seamlessly ~ I prefer a heads up that one is coming. Yes, it was still action packed, but no, I was not on the edge of my seat. Will I still read Alex's next book, yup probably so.

I was lucky enough to receive a kindle copy and an audio copy to review. Either were perfectly fine.

Narration:
Brittany Pressley, James Patrick Cronin, Jon Lindstrom, Maggie Thompson ~ 8 hours 47 minutes ~ all did a lovely job

This third novel by Alex Finlay starts and ends with a bang. Nico, Jenna, Artemis, Ben, and Donnie were five friends who all lived in the same group home as kids and have since lived with a secret. When someone blackmails, then murders Ben, and Jenna is coerced into attempting to take out another member of that group. When two other members of the group are nearly killed, they look for who is the mastermind.

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. Finlay also does a great job of making you feel something for his characters, whether you like, dislike, or feel disappointed in them. I enjoyed seeing the plot unfold from different viewpoints as well. It was east for me to keep up with both the present and past storylines. Some suspension of belief is required. Overall another excellent book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, author Alex Finlay, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Everybody has a past, which is clearly evident for old foster siblings Jenna, Nico and Donnie. Especially when somebody is trying to murder the three of them. It becomes apparent early on that this has something to do with an act that the three of them with their best friend Benny took part in 25 years ago, but who is behind the attempts on their lives?

This book is an absolute thriller. One of those stay up at night way past your bedtime types of books because you just want to figure out the next twist and turn. This was my first Finlay book, and will certainly not be my last. . I enjoyed the character development of these obviously very deeply troubled individuals. I felt the author did a great job piecing the story together through flashbacks and the three main different points of view. I think that is what made this book most successful, because the reader figures the plot points out a bit at a time, which made me hooked on the story! I loved tearing through this one, and highly recommend it for all readers who enjoy action packed pages and shocking endings.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this fantastic book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Anyone who has ever wondered if the past will come back to haunt them will love What Have We Done as much as I did. The multiple narrator format works perfectly. Each character has a unique voice, and how they all tie together and their backstories kept me frantically flipping pages. What Have We Done has a little more action than past Alex Finlay books, and I already can't wait to see what's in store for his next book! Thanks for the opportunity to review early!

“You don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg. You break its wing, rest the blade of the axe on its neck.“

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) As children in foster care, a group of kids become bonded because of the conditions they live in. Many kids go missing and abuse and neglect is common. Years later as adults, they are forced back together as each is being targeted for death.

Full of intense scenes featuring the past and present, Finlay brings you into a story that will keep you guessing. We get to know each mortally flawed character. Their past and their current lives are colliding and they’re doing everything they can to avoid it. There is mystery throughout and characters to both love and hate.

I guessed a few aspects but was surprised by quite a bit. The climax was done well and had me entertained throughout. My only complaint were a few scene jumps that made me need to back track a bit to keep up. For instance, in one scene I was convinced a person was dying only to have the character show up a few chapters later and be out of mortal danger and recuperating. What? I wanted those details! The scenes that were “skipped” made me feel like I was missing out on the good stuff.

3 stars

This was my 3rd book by Alex and my least favorite so far. It moved pretty slow until the end. The characters weren’t necessarily likeable, and I figured the who dunnit by 1/2 way thru. It also seemed really implausible but that’s not too big of a deal. None of this will stop me from reading his next book though.

I really enjoyed this audio and could not put it down. It was a great book and I did not see the twist coming!

What Have We Done
4 stars
A dark Syrah goes perfectly with this non-stop thriller.

A huge thanks to @netgalley @alexfinlay and @publisher for the ARC of this super-fun thriller.

I read The Night Shift last year and loved it so I was SO excited to dive into this one! Frankly this was the perfect book for me at this moment #moodreaders
It was super fast from the first page
Multiple POV kept me guessing
Short chapters that were easy to binge
And it was just so much action, that I was just totally here for!

Was it a little over the top? Sure. Did I mind? Not at all! Haha This was a super fun, easy to read, thriller that I think would be a great one if your busy or in a reading slump! Totally would recommend and can’t wait to read some more by Finlay!

Read if you liked:
No Exit
Blindspot

Loved this book! So good! So many different characters with their own stories but the same secret. The suspense kept me going all the way until the end.

Read if you like: Multiple POVs, short chapters, fast-paced reads

Wow. This was not what I expected it to be but I loved it. It's nothing like his previous book I read. This is less a thriller and more like an action movie. I spent half this book thinking "what is happening?!" This had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It had a bit of a slow start but that was my only issue. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin's Press for the gifted e-book ❤️

▪️REVIEW▪️

What Have We Done ~ Alex Finlay

▪️QUICK TAKE:
* Genre: thriller
* Pages: 368
* Pub Date: March 7, 2023
* Gist: cat and mouse times 3

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico met as teen residents of the Savior House and have spent their adult lives trying to forget their traumatic past. However it seems like it has all caught up with them as someone tries to kill each one of them in separate attempts.

What transpires is a coming together of these old friends to try to get to the bottom of what is going on - why does someone want them dead and how is it related to the other residents of Savior House that have also been hunted down?

This book is the perfect example of why high expectations can be such a problem. After reading The Night Shift, Alex Finlay became an auto-buy author for me. I have told everyone who will listen to read his books. So when I heard of a new release I Could. Not. Wait. This one fell so short for me - I found it to be a total mess! Characters and storylines were introduced and then dropped to be mentioned later again in total confusion. Some of the elements were totally outlandish and came out of nowhere. I felt whiplash the entire time I was reading.

Now please know - I am still a devoted Alex Finlay reader and I will still recommend his books, just maybe not this one. He is a talented thriller writer and I devoured his first two books! I’ll consider this a blip on my reading radar.

I was so excited to read this book as I loved The Night Shift last year. However, I was not a fan of this book. There were a lot of POVs and a lot of different stories, timelines and back stories. None of the characters ever fully developed because there were way too many of them. I did enjoy the twins story. They were insane. It was hard to get completely through this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for access to this ARC.

I've heard it said you can never outrun your past. Sooner or later, it will come for you - as the three main characters in Finlay's What Have We Done learn. What do they have in common? Twenty-five years ago, all three were orphans, living in a group home called Savior House that existed as a so called safe place for parentless children. However, the safe haven it should have been came into question when several kids went missing without a trace over time. Before the imminent closure of the home, a bonded group of three - Jenna, Nico and Donnie along with two others - enter the dark woods surrounding Savior House to bury a deep, dark secret, each swearing to never speak of it again. The home soon closed and the children are sent to different areas of the country to live with foster families, leaving their past and each other behind. In present day, each one lives a somewhat productive if problematic life . . . until the day their secret past escapes and catches up to them. Now one person is dead, and the others reunite to figure out who knows their secret . . . and why are they stalking them?

What Have We Done is a tension laden thriller, most of which is narrated by three characters: Jenna, a housewife with unusual deadly skills; Nico, a reality television show producer with some dangerous connections; and Donnie, a famous rock star fighting a losing battle with an addiction. Interspersed among the chapters narrated by these three characters, the villain's voice is also heard. A brisk pace drives this highly readable story forward through a twisty plot line that kept this reader turning pages. Alternating timelines allow readers to dial in on events in both the past and present as they attempt to put the pieces together to figure out the identity of a killer before time runs out. I found some of the past renderings to be even more intriguing than the present.

The action in What Have We Done is literally non-stop and brimming with a multitude of unique plot twists. Finlay's utilization of shorter chapters and alternating points of view are highly effective in keeping readers slightly off kilter as they race toward the climax. There comes a point where the plot line becomes a bit over the top, calling on readers to suspend belief and allow their imagination to carry them away to fiction/fantasy land. I'm actually okay with that as I believe most of us can use a little escapism fiction in our lives from time to time - especially when it holds you hostage from start to finish.

Alex Finlay has become one of my favorite authors when I'm looking for a complex crime thriller to get lost in for an evening. I almost always find myself totally immersed in his books, frantically turning pages seeking answers. While What Have We Done isn't my favorite offering from this author, it is a highly entertaining, addictive thriller that most will find hard to put down. I look forward to what's coming next from Finlay as he's become one of the must-read voices in crime fiction today. I highly recommend What Have We Done to fans of suspense thrillers and crime fiction.

This page-turner releasing right in time for spring break belongs front and center on airport bookstore shelves. It's a perfect plane read.

Alex Finlay, who has written legal thrillers under his real name (Anthony Franze) and two mystery thrillers under this pseudonym, further displays his versatility in this action-fueled one—my favorite, in that regard, since "The Island" (the stepmoms could be friends).

Readers of his previous novel will note similarities in premise ('90s murder connection), themes (trauma; broken spirited; brotherly love . . . even twins ha ha), and style (multi-narrative; short, cliffhanger chapters; the best damn references and descriptions! IYKYK). A scene near the end seems to pay homage to an Ira Levin classic.

I haven't watched the "Nikita" series, or read the "Orphan X" series mentioned by the author in the Acknowledgments (which moved me even more than the Epilogue), but this tense story of consequences, betrayal, and redemption should appeal to readers who like to exercise their three-pound organ but don't want to strain it while on vacation.

That's what she said.

---
CW: bullying; alcoholism; gambling addiction

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the digital advance reading copy!

What Have You Done may simply be my favorite Alex Finlay novel to date. The story was fast-paced. It felt like there was a new twist at every turn, and the characters came to life on the page. Jenna was by far my favorite character. I mean, really, all the characters were so multi-dimensional.

I don't really know what else to say except I definitely recommend this. If you're looking for a read that you won't be able to put down, definitely add What Have We Done to your list.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

"Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down—after the disappearance of several kids—the three were split up.
Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished—if troubled—lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.
To survive, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their shared past—a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.
It’s a reunion none of them asked for . . . or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives."

My Thoughts:
This story is told in my favorite format, multiple POV's with past and present timelines. I thought that Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were so well fleshed out and relatable as they tried to protect their present lives from the past. I devoured this book, it pulled me in from the very beginning and took me on an edge-of-my-seat ride full of twists and turns. This is the first book that I have read from @alexfinlayauthor and I can't wait to dig into his backlist!
If you are looking for a fun book that will grab your attention with lots of twists and turns and not let go - this is the one for you!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress, @minotaur_books, and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

This book was gripping from the start: fast-paced and full of action. The multiple perspectives provide a tangled web that takes time to unravel and keeps the reader guessing until the very end. If you're an Alex Finlay fan, this one will definitely be a favorite!

This book is about a group of kids who grow up in a group home together. It tells the story of where they are now as adults, as they try to figure out who is trying to kill them and why. There are likeable and unlikeable characters, some really creepy bad guys, and some taut intrigue.

But what I really like about Alex Finlay is...he goes there. His descriptions of Washington, D.C., a town he knows well are solid and full of tongue in cheek commentary. He also riffs on famous politicians and public figures in the spotlight, for example, "These rich dudes who have more money than they'll ever need, but waste it on flying into space or buying more companies or mansions."

Every Last Fear was my favorite Finlay title, but this one is not far behind!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance reader's copy.

The three main characters knew each other many years ago when they lived in the same group home. While they went their separate ways, they have been brought back together to their home town. Someone is targeting them, what started out as a group of 5 only has these 3 remaining, but who can they trust or is the only person they can trust themselves?

Loved this one! Thank you netgalley, the author and publisher for my arc!