I love how all of the pieces fit together in this story. There's a moment when I felt a satisfying click and realized what one story had to do with the other. It's a brilliant plot and reminds me of the multiple moving parts of a great movie or show like Fargo.

If Something Happens to Me For stars Ryan Richardson, a man haunted by the disappearance of his girlfriend when they were teens. He has finally moved on and is in his final year of law school when a mysterious man approaches him. At the same time, in the hometown he fled, his girlfriend's car from years ago is found in the lake. What the police find, lead by the fascinating Deputy Sheriff Poppy and the alternating story of the O'Leary's only adds complexity and depth to the story. Alex Finlay always surprises me with the action and the adventure twists but I love the personal touches that he adds that pull you in so your invested in the characters. His books are always as exciting as a blockbuster but much more substantial and fortifying. I try to read the story slowly to savor but it's truly an up all night kind of tale!

This is the first mobster mystery I’ve read and I’ll definitely be reading more! This book was super fast paced and I loved the multiple points of view. And even though I don’t know much about crime families and how they operate, Finlay writes a very accessible story that anyone could pick up and enjoy.

I'm not willing to call this twisty because if you didn't see what was going on pretty early you should be reading a different sort of novel. I will say that watching it all slot together was as satisfying as bookkeeping coming out the way it aught (which is to say, DEEPLY satisfying).

I really enjoyed this book,I found that the short chapters definitely aided in my ability to breeze through some of the parts that dragged. I feel like there were some things that were just too unbelievable and out there, but still enjoyable!!

Wow, I sure am sleepy. Definitely not because this book was boring and put me to sleep... but because I couldn't put it down and stayed up far past my bedtime reading! I had to know what happened.

What always amazes me is that when big information is revealed and I see there is still another 40% left in the book, I can't imagine what else could happen. However, there was so much to offer in this book! The twists just kept coming! I loved it!

This book has something to offer everyone!

I found this a little hard to rate. I did enjoy the short chapters a lot. It made it easier to read but I find the story a little too far fetched and somewhat comical. Some parts were good, some were too much in my opinion. Overall, I’m glad I got to read it and really appreciate the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC! I was so excited to get this one! I love this authors work! This one did not disappoint! The writing style makes you second guess everything! So so good!!

alex finlay is BACK!!! after the disappointing WHAT HAVE WE DONE, I’m so happy that the king of plot twists and on your toes thrillers has redeemed himself and more with his fourth novel! and it may even be my new favorite!

this was such a fast-paced, heart-pounding story that I binged it in one night because I simply could not put it down until I had all of the answers!! what I love about alex’s writing is that you never quite know what kind of curveball he might throw next, and just when the reader falls into a sense of false predictability, everything changes 🤯

when I first started, I was a bit overwhelmed by the huge cast of characters, especially as I had no idea how they all fit in with each other. however, looking back, it was the perfect way to introduce the reader to the elaborate plot!

while I went into this story thinking it was going to be about ryan trying to prove his innocence that he didn’t unalive his girlfriend, that was only the tip of the iceberg folks!! buckle up for a wild ride!!

thank you to netgalley and minotaur for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: tuscany cabernet sauvignon

First and foremost I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishing company for allowing me to read the ARC version of this book. Thank y’all!

Dont mess with the mob boss’ son. Let that be a warning to all.

In this three person POV novel, we see the events of a suicide of a mob boss’ son and how it effects the lives of the accountant and his daughter. When it turns out that the daughter was in the video that showed everybody bullying the mobster’s son; one by one friends, families and associates start “disappearing” or “having accidents”.

With connections in a small town, it’s up to Mike the accountant to protect his daughter and try to start a new life. But the mob is always one step ahead; at least that’s what they want you to think.

••••

This book had me hooked from the beginning. It showed that no matter how hard you try to run, somebody is always going to catch up to you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!
I always love a good book with short chapters. This way you always have room for just one more chapter. This book will for sure keep you up late wondering what is going to happen next.

This one is a little tough to rate. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. It moved at a fast clip, I was engaged, and I loved the story line. The second half was still good, it just seemed to be a little too much. The good guys always got away unscathed; the bad guys seemed more comical than anything. They aren’t very good mobsters. While I realize this is pure fiction, it seemed just a little too far fetched for me and things just seemed a little too tidy. It was still an entertaining read.

If Something Happens to Me is a VERY slow burn crime thriller. Told in 3 POV’s: Poppy - the local deputy sheriff, Ryan - the boyfriend of the missing girl, and O’Leary (who’s storyline seems like it isn’t at all tied to the other two for the first half of the book). The first 1/3 of this book was so slow and drawn out, I honestly wanted to DNF, but I trudged through. Things picked up around the halfway point, then once again the stories drug on. Because of the 3 POV’s - you’d learn how/why something happened, then a few chapters later you’d re-read it basically as the police are connecting the dots. It got repetitive, and I found myself skimming so much of the second half. 😴 No points of this book had me on my toes just waiting to find out what happened next. The few points that were thriller-esque were predictable and could be seen coming a million miles away. Also, I really didn’t connect to any of the characters. Their dialogue wasn’t engaging in my opinion. This is a big disappointment as I was really looking forward to this book.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

If Something Happens To Me starts with Ryan and Ali making out in their car when the door is ripped open and Ali is kidnapped. Ryan wakes up hours later after being knocked out and Ali and the car are missing.

The story is then told through different POVs including the new sheriff deputy, a mobster, his employees and Ryan. I absolutely loved the premise of this book but unfortunately it ended up just being alright.

I saw the twist halfway through the book coming a mile away (and it was a good one!) but was just simply bored with the story the rest of the way. The ending was good though!

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books !

Alex Finlay has quickly become one of my favorite authors- I picked up this book without even reading the synopsis because I knew I’d love it no matter what. And guess what- it didn’t disappoint! I was up at 5 in the morning while on vacation to see what happened. It centers on Ryan, whose girlfriend Alison was abducted when they were seniors in high school. Fast forward 5 years and Ali’s car is found, introducing us to another protagonist named Poppy who is new to the police department and tasked to take another look at the kidnapping.

I don’t want to give too much away so I won’t go into a lot of detail, but once again Finlay is able to expertly weave multiple storylines into one cohesive narrative. All (well, most) of the characters are likable and understandable even though the pacing is fast, the characterization is strong. There are a couple really good twists that I did not see coming.

Overall, another winner with a fast paced storyline that gives you characters to root for. Can’t wait for his next book! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book I’m exchange for an honest review.

Ryan Richardson and his girlfriend Alison are out on Lovers Lane one night. He is assaulted and left there while she is taken. 5 years later there is still no sign of Alison but a car is pulled from a nearby lake with bodies inside. New Deputy Sheriff Poppy McGee investigates this case uncovering deadly mob secrets.
This was another excellent read from Alex Finlay that I finished quickly. It was full of interesting characters and kept me on the edge of my seat. Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC that will be released May 28, 2024!

This book started out so strong! I was instantly captivated by the mystery of Ali’s disappearance. But I thought it suffered from too many POVs and some of the chapter ended on cliffhangers and by the time you were back on that POV you had moved on. The action was non stop throughout the book and I did enjoy the first big reveal very much.

Alex Finlay has quickly become one of my go-to authors for twisty, suspenseful books. If Something Happens to Me is another classic Finlay book. I really enjoyed the shifting viewpoints, trying to figure out how all of the stories were going to come together. Poppy McGee (because you have to say her full name) is a sheriff's deputy who gets caught up in a cold case of a missing girl; Ryan is the boyfriend of the missing girl who has struggled to get out from the shadow of her disappearance; Shane O'Leary is a Philadelphia mobster and Michael Harper is his crooked accountant. What do their stories have to do with each other? I was able to guess one of the twists but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the novel. A fun ride all the way to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of the book.

This was my first book from Alex Finlay and I really enjoyed his writing style and I liked If Something Happens to Me a lot.

One thing I thought was cool is that he used Leavenworth, KS as a location and it's not too far from where I live. It's rare that Missouri and Kansas are used as locations, so when an author uses them, it always interests me and makes me want to keep reading.

It kept me intrigued the whole way through. I found myself constantly wanting to pick it up to keep reading so I could find out what happened.

This story is told from different POVs and as it goes along, we slowly find out how they all are intertwined together.

I thought the author did a good job at getting each character's story to become one. I was never confused like I can sometimes be when there are a few different POVs/storylines. He did a good job keeping everything going and making sense. I never felt bored or like I might not finish it.

I did predict the twists right before they happened, but it was just a few pages before each was revealed. I have read some thrillers and I figured out the twist way before I 'should have' and that can be disappointing. The fact I did figure out the twists, but not early on in the book was a plus for me.

Overall, I thought this was a really good book. I don't want to say much else, because I don't want to spoil anything, but I really enjoyed it a lot. So much so I'm going to check out his other books.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I thought this was an awesome thriller! There were so many twists and turns, I couldn't predict where he was going to go with the story!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I think I've read all of Alex Finlay's books and enjoyed them, so I requested the ARC automatically. For some reason this book wasn't what I expected it to be, though it still was a quick and engrossing read.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.