I absolutely loved this fast paced, intriguing, suspense. Written in short, punchy chapters the book keep me engaged and needing to read on. The shifting focus of the action from chapter to chapter didn’t slow down the read, but rather moved it forward and slowly heightened the suspense.

The book opens with a group of young people surrounding a hole, shooting and killing someone lying in a hole. The story then moves a few years into the future and we watch a series of failed attempts at murder. The rest of the book follows the four remaining members of the group we witnessed in the initial chapter.

Two decades ago, Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Arti, and Ben were student residents in Savior House—an institution that seems to have been lifted out of a Dickens novel. The people in charge of Savior House are corrupt and abusive. As the story progresses we learn that young female student/residents of Savior House simply disappeared. They were not adopted nor were they placed in foster homes. They simply disappeared.

Each of the five students miraculously not only survived Savior House, but ended up in excellent careers. Jenna became a secret agent in a shadowy governmental agency. Arti became a computer software tycoon. Ben became a prominent lawyer. Donnie was a member of a mildly famous rock band. And, Nico worked on a television reality TV show. Not bad for survivors of a Dickensian hellhole! Each chapters closely follows Jenna, Donnie, and Nico as they try to solve the mystery of who knows what they did at Savior House and now wants them dead.

The book has suspense and action flowing through every chapter. As the book progresses we are met with red herrings and plot twists that keep the reader off guard. This is the first book by this author I have read and I must say that I am very impressed! I look forward to reading more.

I am grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review What Have We Done by Alex Finlay. It was a wonderful read!

3.5* A fast-paced and edge of the seat thriller with a killer on the loose trying to eliminate the main characters. Five teenagers have a connection to the the Savior House, a home for orphans. The house was closed because of an abusive environment and due to several kids disappearing. Despite their sad circumstance of upbringing, they each became prominent citizens to some extent although the past haunts them because of their ugly secret they carried.
Jenna, an assassin, wife and mother; Donnie, a Rockstar with a lack of responsibility; Nico, a TV producer running from his gambling debt; Ben, a judge and found murdered; Artemis, a tech geek.
The story is told in 3 POV's with Jenna, Donnie and Nico hunted by a killer. The Killer does have a POV in a few chapters that ties in nicely.
"Three disparate lives; One deadly secret."
The first chapter starts out with a dark scene and later revealed what they have kept hidden in the pits of their stomach. The killer wants revenge for this act and has succeeded to some extent.
It is not my favorite of Alex Finlay's after loving Every Last Fear and Night Shift, but it does keep you engaged and interested. Some could be seen as OTT, but I loved the secret assassin life of the housewife. She is upfront with her husband that she is like the movie character Nikita, which adds some strong scenes to it.
Thank you, NetGalley and St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who loved Alex Finlay’s last novel The Night Shift (it was an immediate five star read for me), this book was disappointing. It read with the flat affect of a run of the mill spy thriller novel.

Though the main characters in this novel have interconnecting stories that lead back to their time together at the group home, Savior House, I only really find Jenna interesting. Nico and Donnie’s stories were not nearly as compelling. Though none of the characters had the development I really longed for while reading that would’ve been the bread and butter of making this a more compelling read.

With that said, I did really love the ending. The pacing was good, the writing was at its best and I really wish this is the caliber throughout the entire novel.

This novel was entertaining enough to keep my attention but not quite up to par with what I’ve come to expect from the genre.

3 stars

⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press in exchange for an honest review!

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is an incredible read. This book captivated me from the start and kept me engaged until the very end. The story is incredibly well-crafted and the characters are incredibly vivid and believable. Alex Finlay has done a great job of creating a gripping story with a wide range of emotions that kept me turning the pages.

Twenty five years ago five kids from Savior House, a group home, committed an unspeakable act. Now one of them is dead and it appears that someone is hunting them down one by one. Reunited by obligation they will have to confront their past to stop a killer.

What Have We Done is a non-stop action thriller that follows childhood friends Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. They grew up in a group home where several of the children disappeared without a trace. An event from their past appears to be the reason that they are once again drawn back together when a killer targets them one by one. I typically love Alex Finlay's novels and although I really enjoyed this one it wasn't my favorite. It's difficult to determine exactly what I didn't love about it but I think my main issue was that as action-packed as it was; it just felt too over-the-top most of the time. This would probably be one of those novels that did really well as an adapted to screen dramatized thriller/mystery. Most of my suspicions were confirmed as the story unfolded and it felt like the characters weren't picking up on obvious clues. Jenna’s character was heavily inspired by some well-known 90’s feme fatal moves and it showed. Despite not being my favorite novel, it was a quick and entertaining read that I think many readers will still appreciate.

This book was high on action and drama, but the storyline felt disjointed to me. The main characters share a secret from their childhood but otherwise seem unrelated and disconnected. It was hard for me to follow and took a long time to get through. It seems more fitting for a movie rather than a book.

It's been twenty five years since Jenna, Nico and Donnie lived at Savior House for troubled teens. One night while living there, something bad happened and they have all been living with a secret. They have all moved on and are all now living decent lives, that is until someone comes after all of them. Who wants to hurt them from their past and what secrets have they been keeping all these years?

I have really enjoyed Alex Finlay's previous books. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, is a well written, action packed thriller. It's told in different points of view, which I liked and it kept my attention. I don't think this was my favorite book of this author, but I did still like it. If you like action type thrillers, this is for you!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared on my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Absolutely stellar thriller! Engaging, flawed characters and a very cool premise - survivors of a corrupt home for children. The cast of characters runs the gamut - an ex-CIA operative, a TV producer of a mining show, and a rock star who now performs on cruise ships. And a murder that occurred many years ago and ties them all together. This one is twisty and no one comes away innocent.

Savior House, an orphanage, is where the relationship of our main characters started twenty five years ago. There they were witness to abuse, bullying, and the disappearance of young girls during their residence.
   The present brings them together because they share a secret that seems to be coming back to haunt them. An event that has weighed on them and apparently someone else who has decided to kill them for what they know. They are all successful adults and haven’t seen each other since they all fled the orphanage but are now connected again against the architect of this fatal scheme.
   The narration flips back and forth in time for each character and how this event of 25 years ago has affected their present lives.  The vacillation of the characters' personal stories forces the reader to slow the reading pace, not what the reader wants to do in this gripping plot.

Loved the storyline and the characters. The emotions really came through the book and you could feel what was happening. Each scene was easily visible and there wasn't anything that held those abilities from coming through. It definitely flowed at a good pace and didn't jump around so it was easy to follow.



I received an advance reader copy for free and all opinions are my own. Thank you for allowing me to read this title.

After reading Every Last Fear, I knew that Alex Finlay would be an author to follow. What Have We Done did not disappoint! The past and present timeline along with different povs from the characters gave great backstory details and the different things the characters were going through in the present. The building suspense kept me wanting more. And while I would have kind of liked to know what happened to a few of the characters at the end of the book, the ending was still not what I expected!

Rating: 4/5 stars
Pub date: March 7, 2023

“Wealth and power can hide monsters in plain sight.”

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico have moved on from their troubled past. 25 years ago, they did something horrible while living together at a group home. Decades later they are forced to reunite when they realize someone wants them all dead. They have no choice but to face their past in order to survive. Will their secret stay buried forever?

This was my first book by Finlay and I’m excited to read more from him. Right from the start this was action packed and had me hooked. Reading this book felt like I was watching a fast paced action movie, I was so stressed out and on the edge of my seat. I don’t typically read action books and I wasn’t sure about it at first, but I actually really enjoyed the suspense. I would say it is more of an action mystery than thriller.

Once I had all the characters figured out, it was easy to read and follow along. I enjoyed how there were flashbacks mixed in with current time of the different POVs, it really added to the story for me. I didn’t care for any of the characters, but I especially enjoyed the mystery of Ben’s character.

The second half of the book was definitely my favorite. The action slowed down and the twists and turns were more shocking all the way through the epilogue. I was holding my breath until the very last page.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the eARC!

This is a great book about 5 people Nico, Donnie, Ben, Art and Jenna who grew up in a group home together and are later attacked as adults. They committed a crime as kids and someone knows but who?

Jenna, Donnie, Benny, Arty, and Nico became friends when they were at a group home.

They learned some things, saw some things, and did some awful things...one in particular.
 
Now all these years later after they are out of the group home and successful, they are being targeted, but why? 

Did someone find out what they did?

Does someone think the group needed to be cleaned up so nobody tells what they did?

Just what did they do at the group home?

We follow the characters and the people that are after them.

It was a pretty rough read because of all the violence and cruelty.

I actually was disappointed in this book...it was difficult to follow and very dark.
 
I really enjoyed Mr. Finlay’s first two books, but this one not too much. 3/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I want to preface this with love for Alex’s previous book The Night Shift, it was a really great investigative thriller which had me shocked at the end, so I was really excited to get this ARC before publication on March 7, 2023.

Now this was definitely a pager turner from chapter one, it was like eating popcorn, I could not stop! So top marks for that. .

However, this was equivalent to a Michael Bay movie, a lot of high action, cheap entertainment. It doesn’t win awards for plot, it was highly implausible, unnecessary additional story lines for flare and a twisty end that tied up nice and neat.

3 stars for keeping me interested but I’m already starting to forget this one. I am still very interested in reading what this author does next because they have the chops, this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

What Have We Done is A crime novel where past lives have put three individuals in the sights of a contract killer. And what a great title!

Jenna is mothering two teenage step daughters, Donnie is a B-list rockstar, and Nico, is a reality tv producer. Why does a professional killer need them dead? Gradually, secrets from their present lives and past come to roost, linking them all to one big, long thought buried secret.

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having bonded 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.
Now ther path intersect once again.

The narrative alternates between the three above mentioned. Oh yes, there are a few additional chapters thrown in from the killer(s)’ point of view. Each character is more than who they seem to be; but they are linked. Jenna, to me was the most developed character and I really enjoyed her chapters the most. Nico and Donnie are good too but Jenna shines.

If you like action, here you go. This is a quite readable and fast-paced. There is also a bit humor interjected throughout. The ending is wild and chaotic, and I found myself wondering why I was tempted to side with the contract killers.

A big thank you to Netgally and St. Martin’s Press for this opportunity.

I fell in love with these characters. At first, I was hesitant having so many narrators, but I was proven wrong. Everyone has complexity and brought something new to each chapter. As for the story itself, I am thrilled to say I was guessing until the end! I continue to really enjoy this author!

Another excellent, though unexpected, novel by Alex Finlay. The story feels a bit scattered at first with multiple plot lines and even a genre that seems hard to pin down. However, the story slowly comes together and is entertaining, unique, and addictive. Highly recommended!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #WhatHaveWeDone which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted e-ARC.

I was such a big fan of The Night Shift and Every Last Fear that my expectations were set high, and this one just felt like a let down. It was book with four very different characters that all shared a secret... but that is it. Nothing big or crazy happens outside of that. It took me forever to read this book, and I think it is because I was never sucked in the way that I was expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of What Have we Done by Alex Finlay.

This was the first book by Alex Finaly that I have read and it definitely won't be the last.

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.

This was a fast paced book that did not take me long to read. I needed to know what was going to happen. Is this story line believable? Maybe parts of it, the lives they each had before and during their time at a group home, even what they have done after. The current time frame not so much, but I still really enjoyed the book and it kept me wondering who the entire time.