I really enjoyed Alex Finlay's upcoming book, "If Something Happens to Me." The abundance of cliffhangers kept me eagerly turning the pages, making it a thrilling and suspenseful read. While the plot may require some suspension of disbelief, the book was really fun, and I could easily see it translating into an exciting movie. The constant suspense had me on the edge of my seat, making this book truly addictive. A must-read for anyone seeking an engaging and gripping story!

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because I’ve enjoyed Finlay’s thrillers in the past (although weirdly they don’t seem to stick with me…maybe because I didn’t write full reviews). I had wanted a palate cleanser from too many mysteries, but the book I started wasn’t doing it for me, so I went back to my old standby - a fast paced popcorn read. This is fun, but it’s not really doing anything new with the genre. I found the perspective switching a little frustrating, in part because the chapters are SO short, but also because there’s a twist. I didn’t feel like the style was necessarily hiding a poorly structured story, but it bugged me for reasons that are hard to explain without giving too much away.

We have a couple of main characters – there’s Ryan Smith (formerly Richardson), whose girlfriend Alison Lane disappeared five years ago. They were together that night, and all Ryan remembers is being pulled from the car by a “monster” (the only identifying thing he can remember is that the guy had the world’s most generic face…and no pinkies), and then waking up alone in the grass the next morning. Both his girlfriend and the car were gone, and of course Ryan was the prime suspect in her murder. Except no one ever found her body. We see all of this in the standard mystery prologue, and then jump ahead five years. Ryan is just finishing his first year of law school, and he’s on a trip to Italy with his classmates. They don’t know anything about his past and he’d like to keep it that way, but he’s starting to get close to Nora and wonders if maybe it’s time to let someone in. But then he gets a mysterious note in his room, hinting that someone knows who he is…and they want to meet up.

Our other main character is Poppy McGee, the freshly hired deputy sheriff in Leavenworth Kansas. The same town where she grew up, and also the same town where Alison Lane disappeared. On her literal first day on the job, Alison’s car (or rather, her father’s car) is recovered from a lake. A lake the local police definitely searched at the time. Even stranger - although some of Alison’s stuff is in the car, her body isn’t, but there are two dead men in the front seat who were clearly shot, meaning they were dead when they went into the lake. Even stranger, although the car has been in the lake for five years, somehow some of Alison’s stuff was salvageable, including a note with “If something happens to me” written on the envelope.

There’s another plot happening in Philadelphia with a dude named Shane O’Leary, who is clearly part of the mob (when we meet him, he’s chucking a guy into some body of water…a river, a lake, I forget). He has plenty of money, enough to buy his son’s way into a super fancy private school, but not enough for his son to be well liked. It’s unclear how much his wife and son know about his other activities, given that it’s definitely a family business. It seems like his wife is willfully ignorant? Like, she knows he has connections and their money isn’t exactly clean, but the less she knows, the better? There’s also Michael, his accountant, whose daughter Taylor goes to school with Shane’s son Anthony. Shane wants Michael to talk to Taylor about making Anthony feel more included. She’s 14, so it goes over about as well as expected, but she does insist that she’ll at least talk to the kid.

So all of these plots are switching back and forth - we have Ryan in Italy and Poppy in Kansas both dealing with essentially the same set of circumstances - Alison’s car has been found so the formerly cold case is now red hot. Even without a body, it’s assumed Alison was murdered, and her murder was pinned on a serial killer (the Missouri River Killer or MRK) after some of her hair was found in his tent. And then MRK was shanked in prison, so everyone just…forgot about the case? (there does end up being a reason for this) The problem is, for the first 60% or so, Shane and Michael and their respective families may as well be in a completely different novel. We’ve got this cold case with new clues and then this mob guy and his accountant and their kid drama. I knew eventually we’d find out how all these things connect, and we do, and things that seemed like plot holes ultimately make sense, but it takes a LONG time for that to play out. I feel like people might get frustrated with that pacing.

Book Review: 4.5 / 5
This is my first Alex Finlay book and I LOVED it! I'd seen Night Shift floating around booksta last year but somehow never got around to it. I requested this ARC because the premise just sounded so intriguing and safe to say I think I'm gonna have to go back and read his others!
This book had so many layers and I felt like I was reading 3 stories in one. What started as your traditional murder mystery turned into a mob drama and it was sprinkled with exciting travel destinations and warped timelines. I thought it was executed brilliantly! I also felt like the heart alive in each character was something that thrillers don't often have - we usually get to know thriller characters at a surface level, maybe cracking the surface on their fears/anxieties because that plays into the plot, but I felt Finlay's characters all had such dimension and personality.
Loved it! Pick this one up when it comes out May 28, 2024

Alex Finlay is one of my must-read authors. His books are good pager turners with a twisty plot and crafty characters. I enjoyed the characters a bit more than the plot for this one with both the ending and book title slightly eh for me. Great book cover! His first two books were my favorites and I liked this book more than his previous one.

I feel all of his books would make for a fast-paced streaming event so hope we see something get done soon!

Thank you to both Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Quick, excellent, easy to follow. The time and identity twist might be predictable to avid suspense and thriller readers, but I was not anticipating it and found it to be well-executed. Finlay also does an excellent job building empathy and understanding for Taylor, despite her role in Anthony's death.

I loved this thriller and keep thinking about it. It was perfectly plotted and the pace never lagged. Two things still on my mind 1) I think this could be a great movie and 2) the author could turn this into a series with Poppy since she’s law enforcement.

This is the second book I've read by Alex Finlay, and I loved it as much as the first, aside from one predictable twist. I enjoyed the characters (in the way they were supposed to be enjoyed), and the multiple settings. It was a quick and absorbing read. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I love a good mystery and oh man the missing girlfriend and then finding the missing car a good time later opening up the case. Thats so cool well not cool but such a good plot start like will he find out what happened or wont he. I loved how i just wanted to know what was going on. Alex Finlay has been a favorite author for me for a long time. The descriptions of Tuscany made me want to pack a bag and fly there today. i give it 5 stars like I always do with this author.

This is a really enjoyable, winding narrative that's set five years after an abduction that had a ripple effect on the lives of several people. Though the book ostensibly follows Ryan, who hasn't been able to shake suspicion after his high school girlfriend is kidnapped while they were out together, its focus extends to a cast of characters from Kansas to Philly to Italy and beyond, with its story threaded together in a really compelling way.

I just finished reading "If Something Happens to Me", by Alex Finlay. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This is my first time reading this author. I went into this story blind. Sometimes I read online reviews or summaries before starting a book, but not this one. This is a story about a fairly new Officer, Poppy is asked to look into a mysterious dissapearance of a young girl named Allison, when the car she was abducted in is found in a nearby lake but...she isn't in it. The story also includes Allison's dad, her boyfriend Ryan and Poppy's family. Then there is the mysterious hitman Shane O'Leary and his family and we don't get the connection at first until we do and then the story takes off...

But I think I've said too much...this book is awesome. It is a fast paced adventure involving alot of characters and is told in parts so that the reader doesn't lose track.

What I loved about this book was that it was so seemless in its transition between characters and plots. The author chose the perfect time to make revelations in the novel to make it interesting and suspenseful and surprising.

There were a few loose ends that I had questions about...but it certainly didn''t take away the impact of the story and its resolution which was awesome and necessary and totally satisfying. All the characters were flawed, except for maybe Ryan who I just wanted him to be happy.

All in all, a great book. Five out of five stars. A must read for lovers of this genre.

Happy Reading everyone

Fantastic book, could not put down and devoured it in one sitting. This may be my favorite of his. FInlay does an amazing job capturing you from page one. Ryan and Allison are the perfect couple until she is kidnapped in front of Ryan's eyes. Ryan gets blamed for her death and changes his identity. Shane O'Leary a mobster in Philadelphia is introduced and you see how his own family tragedy ties into the mystery. A new sheriff deputy Poppy is put on the cold case to solve the Allison Lane murder and she is feels everyone in her small Kansas town is a suspect - the sheriff, her brother and her father. Finlay does an amazing job piecing these stories together. His short chapters with many twists and turns have me saying just one more chapter until the book was over. This story is going to cause a major book hangover.

I have just read If Something Happens to me, by Author Alex Finlay.

I have read several books by this author, and do enjoy his style of writing.

This new novel was a fast pace, easy flowing Mystery Thriller.

The characters were well developed and interesting, as was the storyline.

The story starts off with a young couple who one night are in a car, and in a private moment their lives change as Ali is taken in an abrupt manner.

We are taken to Italy and the Uk in the future as the story and details develop.

A very good book that I would recommend to fans of a good paced book that keeps one's interest to the end.

Thank You to NetGalley, Author Alex Finlay, and St. Martins Press/Minotaur books for my advanced copy to read and review.

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
#minotaur_books
#alexfinlayauthor

Sometimes when a book has multiple points of view it gets very confusing.. unless your Alex Finlay, who wrote a masterful novel using multiple points of view that only made the story that much better. When Ryan and Ali were on a date and Ali gets taken Ryan’s life becomes unrecognizable. The story continues following Ryan, who is in law school and while on a trip to Italy spots the man who took Ali. While Ryan chases down this lead back in Kansas new deputy Poppy McGee is assigned to Ali’s case when her dad’s car is found on the bottom of a lake.
Overall this was a wonderfully written book and had some nice twists in it. I can’t wait to see what Finlay writes next. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

As soon as I received notice of this book, I immediately started reading. I’ve enjoyed this authors past books and was looking for something that would grab me and be a great binge read. This book didn’t disappoint! 😊

If Something Happens To Me is a mystery/thriller with a captivating story and unexpected twists. The story revolves around Allison’s abduction during her senior year, with her boyfriend initially investigated. The case remains open until five years later when Allison’s car emerges from a lake, reigniting the investigation. A new Deputy Sheriff discovers hidden complexities, spanning multiple families. Allison’s disappearance was just the tip of the iceberg.😳

Highly recommend going into this book blind. Narrated from multiple perspectives. At first, it’s unclear how they are related but it all comes together perfectly. Suspend disbelief and savor the suspense - it will keep you hooked until the final page! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy for review from @stmartinspress. Scheduled for publication on May 24, 2024 this one is destined to be a hit. Make sure to add it to your list!

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#bookrecommendations #alexfinlay #ifsomethinghappenstome

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Alex Finlays latest novel, for me, further solidifies his reliability as an author. And what I mean by that is, I KNOW I’m in for a great read when I open one of his books. I have never been disappointed by his stories, and that’s a very rare thing to find!

In this novel, we follow the story of a girl named Ali who disappeared five years ago. Her boyfriend, Ryan, was initially suspected but has since been cleared. That doesn’t stop the cloud of suspicion that follows him, even on a trip to Europe with some of his college friends. Back home, new evidence is emerging. There’s a new deputy on the case, determined to uncover the truth.

Mark your calendars for May 28th! And be sure to pay attention to all these characters. I would say I’d love a character list/guide at the start of Finlays novels, as it can be a lot of keep track of. It would be helpful to have a reference for those moments when I’m like “wait, who is this guy? Who is he related to?” But either way, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC!

Ali and Ryan, high school sweethearts about to graduate, are parked in a secluded area when they’re accosted by a stranger, who drags Ali out of the car and knocks Ryan unconscious. Ali and the car are never found. Now, five years later, Ryan gets a call that the car, with two dead men inside, has been recovered from a lake near the spot Ali was taken, along with a cryptic note saying If Something Happens To Me. And so begins this wild ride that will throw you for a loop! The plot goes in a direction you won’t see coming, and the breakneck pace will keep you totally engaged. It’s a fast read, and you’ll have to roll with the somewhat implausible plot, but it’s a fun read, totally enjoyable. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“You’re a big guy, why didn’t you put up a fight? How could someone just take her?”

If Something Happens to Me is dying to be made into a film and it needs to be directed by Martin Scorsese! This was an intense international ride from Philadelphia and Kansas all the way to Italy, England and France.

Ryan and Ali are high school sweethearts spending the evening together at the local “lover’s lane” when suddenly a man with missing pinky fingers bashes Ryan over the head and yanks him from the car. Ryan hears Ali’s screams as the car speeds away and she’s taken. With no car and no Ali, Ryan is suspected of killing her.

Years later, Ryan has changed his last name and is vacationing in Italy with his law school friends when he gets the news that Ali’s car has been found…with two dead men in it, but no Ali. Then a note is slipped under Ryan’s hotel room door, “I know who you are”, with an address to meet the mysterious sender.

This story is jam packed with compelling characters aside from Ryan including Poppy McGee (my favorite), a newly appointed deputy sheriff, who spent the last three years in the army and Shane O’Leary, the head of an organized crime family who is worried about his teenage son. All of these characters feel fully fleshed out and complex, along with the people in each of their lives who are also integral pieces of the puzzle.

Alex Finlay knows how to write an explosive edge-of-your seat action packed thriller! At one point I was surprised, which is hard to do and I have to give kudos where it’s due. That little “aha”! moment and the break neck speed of the pacing made this a five star read for me. I’ll be digging into Finley’s backlist for sure.

Thank you Alex Finlay, Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

If something happens to me is about two high school sweethearts who have their whole lives together ahead of them. They are planning their future and their long distance relationship as they embark on separate college journeys, when their future gets ripped away from them in what appears to be a violent kidnapping.

This book gripped me from the first chapter, I was immediately invested into their relationship and even though I had an idea of what was going to happen, I found myself holding my breath as events unfolded.

To then find that Ryan was not only suspected and outcasted by his small home town, but also holding on to his deep feelings for his missing girlfriend many years later, I knew that no matter what happened I would be backing our MC.

Ryan is on a school vacation 5 years later. He has reinvented himself. Nobody knows who he is or what happened to him. Out of nowhere he gets a call that will change his life, and from then on events get crazier and crazier.

I absolutely loved the twists and turns in this book. I was a big fan of the MC and really wanted the best possible outcome for him.

It was a lot of fun watching things all come together and seeing all the secrets come to light.

Thank you to Alex Finlay, NetGalley, st martins press and Minotaur books for an advanced copy!

This was an enjoyable thriller, with a sympathetic main character, plenty of action, and twists and turns. While I don’t feel this was Alex Finlay’s best (“Every Last Fear” and “The Night Shift” are excellent and not to be missed), it was still a good read and a atmospheric engrossing thriller.

What a ride!
This was my first Alex Finlay book and I loved it!

This book is fast paced, intense and has so many twists!

I really enjoyed the multiple characters and how the story came together at the end. It was so smart!

It was very entertaining, and hard to put it down.

A quick read and gripping!
I highly recommend.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Coming out on 05/28/2024