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!

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.