If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay is a fast passed thriller with lots of twists and turns. Many that I didn't see coming and some that were predictable. There are multiple story lines happening and you have to use the information you get in each one to try and figure out how they are all interconnected. At times, I wasn't sure how each of the story lines would connect, but it did and I felt it was well done.

The book starts with Ali and her boyfriend Ryan going to a place called Lovers Lane. Ali ends up being taken from her fathers car and Ryan is hit on the head and pulled from the car. Everyone thinks Ryan was the one who took her but he maintains his innocence. While overseas on a school trip, Ryan sees the man he thinks he remembers from the night Ali was taken. Back home in Kansas, Ali's dad's car is found in the lake and this leads to lots of questions and new mysteries to solve. The main question is still, what happened to Ali?

This is the second book I have read by Alex Finlay. I look forward to reading more books of his.

Read this book if you enjoy:
* fast paced mysteries
* Quick read
* Corruption/ criminal underworld
* multiple story arcs
* diverse settings
* short chapters

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. If Something Happens to Me will be published on May 28, 2024.

This is an enjoyable mystery. It begins with the abduction and apparent murder of a young woman and the resulting derailment of her boyfriend’s bright future when suspicion falls upon him. Who took the girl and why? Those are the questions meant to keep readers guessing. On the whole, the answer is surprising.

Author Alex Finlay has given us a well-plotted novel told from the alternating points of view of his three main characters. His “good guys” are interesting and likable. His “bad guys” are scary (but not as believable). His settings are well-drawn and diverse, ranging from Kansas to Philadelphia to D.C., to Italy, France and England. There’s a decent amount of suspense and adventure. There are scenes of violence, but I did not find them excessively lurid or gruesome. And it’s a fairly quick read consisting of clear prose and short chapters.

I did think that some of the reveals were a bit predictable or not as surprising as they might have been. And Mr. Finlay might have delved a little deeper into Philadelphia and the criminal underworld he was attempting to portray.

Nevertheless, I found “If Something Happens to Me” solidly entertaining, earning a rating of 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Alex Finlay, and publisher St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books for providing me with a complimentary ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

This was a great read by Alex Finlay. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me wanting to know what was going to happen and how things were going to turn out. Some of the twists I saw coming but most of them I didn't.

Ryan Richardson has beat himself up for 5 years since he and his girlfriend at the time were out one night and she came up missing. Ryan got knocked in the head and didn't remember anything. He was hypnotized to see if it could bring back some of his memory and the only thing that really came of it was the flashes of seeing a guy with no pinkies. Everyone things that Ryan is making this up and blame him for what has happened to Ali, but Ryan has been looking for clues and trying to remember things from that night since it happened.

When Ryan goes on a trip with his college law class, he never expected to see someone that has been only in his imagination until then. Ryan decides to take matters into his own hands and follow the guy and see where it takes him. Ryan is taken on a ride that he never expected would happen. He gets answers for himself and others. It was fun getting to go along with Ryan while he figured things out.

Poppy has just gotten discharged from the military and is living with her father while she gets back on her feet. Poppy is working for the local sheriff's department and is not sure how she is going to like it but from day one, she hits the road running and doesn't look back. Her brother Dash is around a lot and has some information for his sister that he really doesn't want to tell her but knows that he has to.

There are a lot of characters that have a role in this story and the way they are all connected will have you asking yourself, "What?" I think this story was very well thought out and keep you interested from beginning to end. There was never a lull in the story for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are. my own. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed it.

The intervening stories kept me interested on how these three stories linked, besides the major two. The characters were interesting and the plot kept me reading. I felt so bad for Ryan, and I wanted to give him a hug.I did feel for other characters along the way, I felt like there was something on the edge of my brain until, it clicked. The whole thing being just one big tragedy with one underlying problem.

Alex Finlay has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors. I requested this book just because he wrote it, without reading anything about it. I loved this book. The characters are all so well thought out. The story flows and has a great pace. I’ll continue to one-click Finlay’s books because they NEVER disappoint.

This was an interesting twist on the classic whodunnit. Lots of characters that are quite suspicious to keep you guessing. Multiple POV makes for interesting narrative.

I've enjoyed previous books from Alex Finlay and wasn't disappointed by this one. It was a fast-paced thriller and was told from multiple points of view. At first, some of them seem disconnected, but they slowly weave together, and the twists in the story are done well.

Oh my gosh, hello favorite book of 2024. This was my first read and wow. The bar is set high for any future books to come.

This started off amazing. I kind of went in blind and had no clue what to expect. But wow. It started off insanely addictive and didn’t let up. Maybe it was the short chapters. Maybe it was the alternating POV that had me wondering where the hell this all came together. But when it did around 60% I literally went “oh, hell yeah!”

This was a wild ride. I wish I finished it in a day, but sadly, I had responsibilities. I loved every character. Poppy. Ryan. Alison. Michael. O’Leary could kick rocks but that storyline was devastating—however, I was still on Alison’s side because kids do stupid shit.

Ahh I can’t wait for everyone to read this. It’s gonna blow up. I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t enjoy this. Pick. It. Up. Asap.

Thank you forever and ever NetGalley and the publisher. Alex is a kickass writer and this book is my new favorite.

Alex Finlay has become an automatic read for me and this latest work doesn’t disappoint! I enjoyed the varied view points and multiple locations. This was a unique thriller and would highly recommend for everyone to pack on their summer vacation.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!

My favorite author is back with another excellent, action-packed thriller! Mobsters aren't my favorite thing to read about, but Alex Finlay made it enjoyable. I actually even liked Shane and Chaz. There are a lot of POVs in this book, but they all come together brilliantly! The characters are likable, the action is non-stop, and the twists keep coming. I highly recommend this book, as well as all of Alex Finlay's books! I already can't wait for his next one!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Expected publication is May 28, 2024.

Alex Finlay has become an instant read for me! I dove into this one completely blind and what a ride! Finlay did a wonderful job of weaving multiple storylines together so seamlessly. I found myself so engaged no matter which storyline I was reading! Excellent character devlopment all through the book and the fast-paced plot kept me wanting more!
So grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Will be recommending this to my reader buddies!

Alex Finlay knows how to write a thriller with plenty of suspense. The characters, plot, multiple POV, and short chapters drew me in. His writing style made it easy to keep track of the characters and see how they all have a connection as the story builds.

Thank you NetGalley and St, Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What. A Book. Alex Finlay is one of my favorites in the area of thrillers/mystery/suspense and he did it again! This book is movie-worthy. I wish I could give it more than five stars on here. All lovers of this genre should pick this up pronto!
I read this in a day because I could not put it down. This was the perfect way to start my new year! It has me wanting to pick up another of his books.

Another phenomenal thriller from Alex Finlay! I loved the different perspectives and how the plot was carefully pieced together. The characters were so well developed that I emphasized with each’s plight and understood their motivations. If Something Happens To Me has all the twists and turns and high-speed action I’ve come to expect from Finlay. An exciting and fast-paced read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Alex Findlay's thrillers. This one was slightly less graphic than his others but I did like the interconnecting stories coming together. Overall a solid read 4.5 stars in my book!

Oh, I was all in on this one.

This is a fast paced and exciting read. The twisty bits work well and our characters are vibrant.

I will admit that my favorite character – and one I was utterly and completely sympathetic to – was one I probably shouldn’t emulate. No spoilers here – I will just say that I understood their fury and rage.

I loved our characters, worried for them, and simply didn’t want to stop reading.

Great read!

• ARC via Publisher

This was such a fun and fast-paced thriller! After a true crime podcast finds the car of a long-missing girl submerged in a lake, a chain of events is kicked off that impacts a whole cast of characters around the world.

It's a quick read due to the short chapters that alternate between different POVs and typically end in some twist or revelation. Honestly, this is the perfect absorbing vacation read. My only small gripe is that I wish there was a bit more character development to ground what is a pretty bonkers and wild story.

I highly recommend this and all of Alex Finlay's other books. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a way to kick off 2024 with a great read! At the core of this fast paced, action packed thriller is a story of how far parents will go to protect their children, of loyalty and obligation, and deep grief. I have enjoyed all of Finlay’s novels so far and loved this one as well. The characters were nuanced and I found myself rooting for all of them somewhere along the way, even though they were often on opposing sides. I figured out both surprises but it didn’t spoil anything for me as there was still so much to unfold. I really appreciate when novelists are able to accurately depict the human condition of good and evil as not polarizing or finite, but a part of each of us. I gobbled this up in two days and am already eagerly awaiting Finlay’s next thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader’s copy. All opinions are my own.

This book is brilliant. Although there is a huge cast of characters, this book is equally focused on plotting. It is fast-paced and riveting.

While high schoolers, Ryan and Alison, are spending an evening at Lover’s Lane, Alison is abducted and Ryan becomes the main suspect. Though Ryan eventually is cleared of any wrongdoing, his life becomes absorbed in the crime and he has flashbacks of that night and finds it hard to move on. Years later, when Alison’s car is found submerged in a lake, the case gains traction and Ryan is once again pulled into the investigation.

The action never stops and the twists keep coming. This is my favorite Alex Finlay book and I eagerly await his next. If you love thrillers, don’t miss this 5-star gem of a novel. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.

There was absolutely nothing I did not love about this story! After I read The Night Shift by Alex Finlay I was instantly hooked! This was an unputdownable type of thriller from the very beginning when you are drawn in by a romantic night in lovers lane gone wrong. You ask yourself what could possibly go wrong? Five years after the mysterious events that still have Ryan questioning if his high school sweetheart is alive or dead new evidence is brought into question when Ali's car is found at the bottom of a lake bed with two mysterious bodies inside.

After 5 years Ryan is trying to make a life for himself under a new name until he receives a note that brings him right back to where he was the night at Lovers Lane when his whole world went dark. This book takes you all over the country with different points of view that tie in beautifully and Alex never misses a beat with all the different characters and tying their lives in together. Who doesn't love a mystery with a side of mafia and family/friend bonds that are unbreakable?

If Something Happens to Me will easily be one of my top 2024 books for this year!