I like Alex Finlay books a lot. They are quick paced have interesting characters and story lines and keep you guessing till the very end. This one was no different. Maybe not my favorite but still really good. Who doesn’t like a story about teenage love, a mysterious disappearance and mobsters.

Love his books! Intricately weaves multiple people and their stories into an even bigger story line. There was a nice plot twist that I didn’t see coming. Characters so well developed and told from multiple points of view.

5/5 stars. MUST. READ. I could not put this book down. Finlay has done it again! There are different POVs throughout the 3 Parts this book is divided into, and although each POV contains several supporting characters, I couldn't get enough. Ryan, Ali, Poppy, The O'Leary family all make for great characters and it's quite the web to unravel to see how they're all connected.

Thank you NetGalley for thee ARC! This is one that I will be adding to my library.

One of the most addicting books I’ve ever read. Couldn’t put it down, loved every page. The story just grew better and better each chapter. 5+/5 would absolutely recommend

If Something Happens to Me
by Alex Finlay
Pub Date: 28 May 2024
When Ryan was teen in school, his girlfriend Ali was literally ripped from his arms in a secluded "make out" parking area. The man he described as the abductor, a plain faced man with missing pinkie fingers, sounded so made up, no one believed him. Her body nor her car was ever found and Ryan remained a hounded suspect in her disappearance. So much so, he changed his name, colleges and is in hiding to find some peace. Now, years later, some one has found Ryan and he's missing his pinkie fingers...

Good read with lots of twists and turns.
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Told in three parts, and three different places. From Leavenworth, KS, Philadelphia, PA and Lackford England, three different scenes in these places. Poppy is the star of the book, she is strong and determined!

Five years earlier, Ryan and his girlfriend had a terrible night. Someone pulled Ryan from his girlfriend's parked car, while his girlfriend Ali disappears. Poppy is a young deputy sheriff that looks into solving this five year old crime. Al's car is found and two dead men are inside. As the story unfolds, layers are added from past to present that makes this story interesting.

The plot is intense and keeps the reader turning the pages. This is an easy read and very enjoyable!

Twisted, Perfectly Plotted, Nail-Bitingly Intense! 3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book is set to release 5/28/24.

Another engrossing book from an author I enjoy spending time with. At times when I was reading the book, it felt like I was reading two entirely different stories, as they did not seem connected at first. If you feel the same, just hang on, and it will all come together in the end, as mystery by mystery is solved, and all loose ends are tied together. The timing of this book, as in what is revealed, and when, is impeccable in my opinion. It kept my mind running and trying to figure it all out through the entire book, and I only figured out one small thread earlier than I should have. That was fine with me because I don’t like to figure out a mystery before it is revealed. I enjoy this author and each of the four books that I have read by him and look forward to reading more in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for this advance read copy.

First five star read of 2024? Check!
First preorder of 2024? Double check!

Alex Finlay is an auto author of mine after reading his fantastic debut. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME was terrific. It had characters with depth that grounded the story, fast paced action scenes that made me flipping the pages, and a major twist that made me gasp. Yes, seriously. I sat up, mouth open, shook. SO GOOD!! I wish I could relive that moment over again because it was so unexpected, so out of left field, but made so much sense, tying the entire story together. Do yourself a favor and put this story on the top of your reading list. You won’t regret it! Then when you’re done, read his entire catalogue.

If Something Happens to Me makes a hard-to-put-down thriller. It has the intercontinental action and the fascinating characters cravable in a thriller.
An attacking stranger knocks Ryan Richardson out while on a date with his high school girlfriend. When he wakes, his life has changed. Alison has disappeared, and suspicion rests on Ryan.
Years later, sheriff’s deputy Poppy McGee starts on the search when Alison’s car turns up at the bottom of a lake. What happened to Alison herself is still a mystery.
This is no cold case but a pressure cooker of events that Ryan chases across Europe while Poppy follows leads back home in Kansas. The characters are compelling, and all the connections come together at the end.
The later part of the book, I felt, stretched out the ending. It could have depended less on setting up surprises and wrapping up side characters and more on resonating with the characters who carried the story, Ryan and Poppy.
Four stars to this novel that I hurried through. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this advance read.

Alex Finlay is a reliable 4-5- star author for me, and this latest book was no exception. I flew through this twisty mystery in a single evening. His characters are spunky and likeable and the plot never feels overwrought.

Super quick read. Short chapters, multiple POVs and timeline shifts. Very little character development; it's like a super slick mystery you'd expect on a streamer (it's very much written like it'd be a screenplay someday). One twist got me, the deeper story I didn't figure out but the rest all was predictable if you read this genre. BUT it was entertaining for what it was. 2.5 stars (and a def vacation type of book).

Amazing book! I loved this one. Highly mysterious and twists all around. It’s fast paced as well. Anyone who loves thrillers will enjoy this

Another excellent book from Alex Finlay. Quick read for me as I couldn't put it down. Great characters and excellent use of multiple POV. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Whoa! I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I requested this ARC! What a compulsive, action-packed read!

A bullying incident at a prestigious Prep School goes horribly wrong: the violence (mostly - but not always - off page) escalates, the body count starts to mount and a local mob leader will stop at nothing to get his revenge, no matter how many years it takes to punish the group of entitled teens whose hazing drove his son to take his own life.

You can run, but you can't hide: young Ryan and Alison's lives will never be the same....

Right up until those very last nail-biting chapters, I was unable to fathom how this whole sorry mess could possibly end well.

So, because I don't want to drop any spoilers, I am just going to say that I could not put this book down and will definitely be seeking out other books by this talented author. Finlay's characters (both despicable and endearing) sprang off the page and breathed and battled before my eyes. Well done: 5 out of 5 well deserved stars.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC!

First a few things I liked about the book: (1) the switching of time, place, and perspective was really interesting - I liked how it was all third person but switched whose emotions you were experiencing as it helped give more depth to the characters, (2) the mystery and intrigue was there the whole way while still maintaining some aspects of realism to the story, and (3) I think the pacing of the writing was very good as it kept me interested in what was happening next but didn’t feel rushed with a climax in the last few pages (love a book with an epilogue).

The only thing I think could use some improvement is that the mistakes that the good guys made didn’t have any particularly real consequences, but the bad guys had very real consequences. I also think that there could have been more showing than telling on the motivations of the bad guys - particularly I wanted to know more about Gina apart from her being an extension/motivation for Shane. But these are definitely small bones to pick in light of a very successful novel.

I’d give it a 4.5/5 overall (rounding to 5 for Goodreads purposes). Very enjoyable read.

Phew, what a ride! I have loved each of Alex Finlay’s books and I wasn’t disappointed by this ARC (thanks, NetGalley)! This one had twists and was action packed - definitely worth a read! I’d give this one 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. Give it a shot, for sure.!

I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and action packed.

The book starts when Ryan’s girlfriend mysteriously disappeared in high school. Fast forward years later and Polly returns to her hometown as sheriff. She starts digging into what happened in her hometown so many years ago. A lot of thrillers start with this premise. I wasn’t sure where this one would go but I can say that I was surprised. I liked that the book was told by three separate viewpoints and you are guessing to see where they intersect. I appreciate that this thriller was a lot different than what Finlay has done in his past books. I think you will enjoy it if you like plot based action books.


Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

What a suspenseful, twisting, heart pounding thriller. This book will definitely keep your attention to the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital reviewer copy.

Already having been solidified as an auto-read author, this one sealed the deal even further. Finlay is ROYALTY at writing twists that flow so well and slap you out of nowhere. If I was able to, I would have read this all in one sitting, I was so invested in finding out how everything intertwined. I loved the alternating POVs and didn’t get them confused at all (which is rare for me 😅)

Fast paced with a lot of twists. Some were predictable and others were not. I loved that the main “twist” came about halfway through the book because it didn’t feel drawn out and forced and left the reader with a lot of time to dive in to the after. A unique concept and a lot of different layers to a story!