A Fun Ride

If Something Happens To Me is a fast-paced thriller about a missing girl presumed dead, a notorious crime boss, and a new sheriff in town trying to put the pieces together.

There are three primary narrators: Ryan, once accused of his girlfriend’s murder, and he is now on a law school trip in Italy. Poppy, a young war vet who returns home to Leavenworth, Kansas, to work as the deputy sheriff, and Shane, the head of a major crime syndicate in Philadelphia. A few additional POVs are mixed in.

How the narrators fit together is a bit of a puzzle, but seasoned thriller readers will most likely figure out how the pieces connect early on.

It is best to go in blind. The plot is a little over-the-top, and suspension of disbelief is required, but it is gripping and worth reading. I enjoyed this more than What Have We Done, but not as much as Every Last Fear and The Night Shift .

If Something Happens to Me has all the elements of a solid thriller: action, tension, suspense, and a bit of mystery. The pace is fast, fueled by twists and turns. Most of all, it is fun to read, and it saved me from falling into a reading rut.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

When I started this thriller I was enthralled. It opened with a great hook, it had excellent pacing, and I was drawn to all the different characters.

Unfortunately though, it lost momentum for me and the story had some plot holes that made it difficult for me to invest in the ending.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e-arc of If Something Happens to Me: A Novel by Alex Finlay.

This is a thriller and suspense novel. 5*; one unique aspect is the mobster elements and many twists. (review below synopsis)

Synopsis: "For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.
With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He's put his past behind him.
Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…
Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.
As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own."

Things I liked:
1. Fast paced
2. The writing
3. The MCs

This story pulled me in quickly with likable MCs and many interconnected characters. I couldn't read fast enough to try and figure out who was guilty and who was not. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good twisty thriller. This one has mobs and legal elements as well. It is a great Psychological Crime Thriller.

Going in blind to this one was the best thing I could have done. A fast-paced thriller, unraveling mystery after mystery, Alex Finley does it again sucking you in from line one to the last. Always fun to buddy read with too.

• you can run, but you can’t hide •

👉🏼If something happens to me, please remember me as a kind & happy soul. 🤗

Excellent book that kept me on my toes! Murder, mobsters, and several povs made this a great read! I was surprised by every twist and turn.

This is the first Alex Finlay book I have read and it did not disappoint!

Pros: Totally thrilling. Short chapters that kept you on the edge of your seat.

Cons: multiple characters with a variety of identities were sometimes hard to follow.

This book tells the story of Shane O'Leary, "mob" type man and the havoc he wrecks across multiple states and multiple families. It tells the story of Michael Harper who works for Shane and goes to great lengths to protect his family. It tells the story of Ryan Richardson who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and who seeks answers to what happens that night. As the lives of all of those people crash together, secrets will emerge until you are left wondering how far one will go to protect those secrets.

This was the first book I’ve read by Alex Finley and it won’t be the last. Thank you to Netgally and Alex’s publishers for making it available as an ARC. I couldn’t put it down. I love when a book gives me a jaw dropping moment of surprise and there were a few times I gasped out loud. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but by the end I had them all straight. The mystery of how everything fit together kept me on my toes. The characters were strong and I enjoyed them all. There were a few moments where things came together a little too easily for the characters but I understand, this is fiction. I loved the mobsters and the normal people who ended up getting intertwined with them. Ryan was a great character who showed great strength during his struggles with maintaining his innocence. Poppy and her brother were a great addition to the story. I loved their bonds and the twists that developed as the story went on. Great book. 4⭐️

If I hadn't needed to be at work, I would've stayed up last night the way I did tonight, finishing this book. This may very well be my favorite book by this author. I've enjoyed all of their books so far and I have the feeling it's only going to continue on.

I enjoyed all the POVs immensely. And while one plot point in this book stood out to me as I completed each chapter, I still likes the reveal of it.

Without spoiling anything, seeing some of the characters just go through it and come out kicking butt was great. Seeing mobsters you can empathize with was something I didn't see coming. While all in all I was fine with the epilogue, there was one part that I felt just wasn't fair. Call me a softie, but I wanted a HEA for the character.

Alex Finlay is an absolute master of suspense thriller writing. “If Something Happens to Me” starts with a bang: on a Kansas lover’s lane, Allison and Ryan are saying their intimate goodbyes before going off to separate schools soon, when the doors open and Ryan gets pulled and knocked out, while Allison and the car go missing.

Five years later the action resumes again in Leavenworth, Kansas. Local suspicion forced Ryan to change his name and flee to law school in Washington, DC. Allison’s death was ascribed to a serial killer in the interim, but now Allison's car has been found in the lake, with two dead men in the front seats and her purse containing a book cipher titled “If something happens to me…”. On the case is new deputy sheriff Poppy McGee, recently discharged from the military police, whose brother went to school with Allison and whose dad was in the service with the sheriff. Ryan is currently in Italy with law school buddies and receiving “I know who you are” notes from a man he was told he must have hallucinated. Plus there’s another story — that of a mob boss in Philadelphia whose young son is being mercilessly bullied at school. Somehow that will fit into the narrative, but when?

Finlay builds a page-turning adventure where good guys finally win and the bad guys (who do horrible, gory stuff) get their due. I love Finlay’s writing and plots — I’ll be back for whatever he does next. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No eye colors are described.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Just some postcard perfect cypress trees in Italy.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Finlay has done it again! I usually find that after their break out novel is so impressive, things go downhill after. This is not the case with Alex Finlay, or with If Something Happens to Me. He has created a book so infinitely readable that I read it in one day, forgoing sleep, because I just needed to know how it ends. You won’t be disappointed with this book.

Alex Finlay, writes a fast pace, engaging, and twisty thriller with “ If Something Happens to Me.” It tells the story of Ryan and Ali, and one fateful night when Ali was grabbed from their car. Now, five years later Ryan, is traveling and receives a phone call telling him that Ali’s car has been found with a note in her handwriting, if something happens to me…

And we are off! The story is told in multiple POV’s and moves quickly. The twists are intelligent, the story has the reader engaged and caring about our protagonists. There are a lot of moving parts but they all come together clearly and concisely. Although, the ending was rather predictable, it did not distract from the overall good storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay due to be released May 28, 2024.
I had already read The Night Shift, so I was really looking forward to this one.
Ryan Richardson lived with that awful night for five years – the car door opening, someone tearing him from the vehicle, and his girlfriend Ali being taken.
There is no trace of Ali, so Ryan is the main suspect. He has changed his name and tried to put the past behind him since he knows he is innocent.
Five years later, when Ryan is on a trip with his law school buddies, he receives a call that Ali’s car has been found in the lake. Ali is not in it, but two men are along with a note written in Ali’s handwriting – If something happens to me…
This book was fantastic – I read it in one day. It had so many twists and turns but was still easy to keep up with the characters. From FBI agents to small town sheriffs to mobsters – everyone was involved somehow.
It was definitely a 5-star read, and now I’ll have to go find the other Alex Finlay books I haven’t read yet – definitely put on your TBR list!
.#netgalley #alexfinlay #st.martinspress #ifsomethinghappenstome

This book I thoroughly enjoyed! I would highly recommend this to friends! The whole story with Ryan had me wanting more and anticipating twists and turns constantly. A solid thriller and one I will definitely be to acquire for my physical book shelf!!

This was a really entertaining and fast-paced thriller. I definitely enjoyed the various perspectives and timelines, though at times there was a lot going on. I thought the ending was very satisfying and would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers.

This is my second book read by Alex Finlay (first was Night Shift, which I absolutely LOVED) and it will not be my last. While multiple POVs sometimes confuse me, I found really liked it with this story. I think it helped to move the story along and to understand where all characters were coming from. I enjoyed the pace of the story and the characters were well thought out (whether I liked or hated them). This book had just the right amount of twists and reveals, really enjoyed it!

TW: bullying

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

I discovered Alex Finlay last year and he is now a must-read author for me. As in his other books, the pacing is brisk, the action intense and the characters have you rooting for them. I knew from the beginning that the many disparate storylines would intersect at some point, so wasn’t all that surprised with the big reveal toward the end. This didn’t at all impede my enjoyment as I zoomed through this one in about a day – because I could not put it down!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Our adventure kicks off in Leavenworth, Kansas, with high school sweethearts Ryan and Alison. They're trying to hold on to the magic of their young romance as they prepare to head off to different universities in the fall. Fast forward five years, and Ryan, now in Italy with Georgetown Law classmates, is desperately trying to forget the most painful chapter of his life—the night Alison went missing and the aftermath that followed. Just a few days before his trip ends, a chance encounter with a man straight from his nightmares changes the course of Ryan's life, sending him on a tumultuous journey to find Ali.

In present-day Leavenworth, enter Poppy McGee, a young classmate of Ryan and Alison's, a few years their junior. Poppy's older brother, Dash, played basketball with Ryan and was close friends with Ali. On her first day as a Deputy Sheriff, Poppy unwittingly finds herself back in the thick of the Alison Lane disappearance case. Little does she know, that her initiation into law enforcement will shake up her world like a kid shaking a snow globe.

As with many mysteries and thrillers, there are numerous characters and moving parts meant to throw you off the scent, making you believe in one story only for it to be nowhere near the truth in the end. This story is no different—lots of players and roles in the grand scheme, but when it all unravels, zoom in.

The writing and pacing were absolute winners for me—this book had me completely hooked! Every word on those pages carried weight; there was no fluff or filler. What I appreciated most about the writing was the need to pay close attention to descriptions and dialogue. It constantly kept me on my toes, asking: who's talking? Where are they? Who's present? And, most importantly, what is being said? It's a call to attention that I relished! I loved it. Read it.

This book was definitely different and much needed from your typical psychological thriller experience!
This book is told from alternating POV’s. Ryan, the accused boyfriend of the girl that is missing , but thought to he dead. Poppy, the new Sheriff in town trying to get to know who she can and can’t trust while piecing everything together. Shane, the head of the major crime unit. There are a few other perspectives thrown in. I will say I was intrigued and invested right from the start. This book can get a little confusing with all the moving parts, characters, and storylines that eventually connect. However this book definitely kept me on my toes!! It was a suspenseful action packed thriller of good, evil, and everything in between.
This is absolutely worth the read, but buckle up for a wild ride!

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s Press- Minotaur Books for the ARC!

A fun, action packed ride!

I really enjoy Finlay’s books. He has the amazing ability to fluidly weave different characters and timelines in a way that is easy to follow as a reader.

This book follows the missing case of Alison Lane who was kidnapped while with her boyfriend one rainy night. Everyone was quick to point the finger at Ryan, but he maintains his innocence. When her car is finally pulled from the water years later with two men inside, we quickly learn that this isn’t a simple kidnapping.

Between her determined former boyfriend Ryan, and the new agent on the case, Poppy, the intricate web starts to unravel. There is so much more than meets the eye with this case, and what they thought was buried quickly starts to come to light.

This book is action packed, well paced, with great characters. The short chapters were amazing, and I flew through it in two sittings. Finlay is great, and I highly recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the advanced copy.

Alex Finlay is back with another paging turning thriller! He hooks you within the first chapter. Phenomenal read!