I would definitely add this to your TBR for a fast paced, puzzley summer read! Alison was taken and murdered 5 years ago and her boyfriend Ryan is blamed. There’s no proof, so he’s released and now he’s just trying to move on with life. But when her car is finally found at the bottom of a lake with two dead bodies inside, everyone is asking questions. This is told from multiple perspectives and they all add pieces of the mystery so that it comes together beautifully in the end. I could not put this down!

This was the perfect binge read! I was in the mood for a good thriller and I've been dying to read Finlay's newest after loving his last two books. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME was twisty and action packed. I couldn't wait to find out what happened and how all the different storylines tied together. The different points of view were all very interesting but I really enjoyed the new sheriff Poppy's point of view as she tries to piece together what happened to Ali years later. This one is definitely a worthy read this summer and would be perfect to binge next to the pool.

I recently finished reading this captivating and suspenseful book. The characters are well-developed, and the beginning immediately draws you in, making it nearly impossible to set the book aside until you've reached the end. I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work!

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME
BY ALEX FINLAY

* multiplie POV
* 3 storylines
* Short chapters
* Fast paced story
* Lots of characters

I loved this story, it was a fun read.

Highly recommend this book.

Thank you to #stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC copy.

Good book, it was slightly confusing at first how it started but I finally caught on to what was going on. This book definitely pulls you in and then you can’t put it down,

This was pretty good! My first by Finlay. If I had to describe it in one word: bingeable. Finlay does that thing I love where the chapters are super quick and it’s really easy to just keep turning pages.

I think there’s a bit more action in it than I tend to like? So if fast paced, action heavy plots are your thing I would highly recommend this. Theres also a crime element. Again, not always my favorite thing but it worked here. The action is written well and isn’t dragged out too long.

I loved the jet setting/globe trotting feel. We see several European countries as well as a couple American cities.

I thought the characters were likeable for the most part and easy to root for.

I think my only gripe is maybe the ending? There’s nothing wrong with it really, there were a couple stylistic choices I think I would have preferred to go a different way.

Otherwise a well done book and fast paced palate cleanser. I have no complaints.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Thanks for the arc @minotaur_books!
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When Allison Lane goes missing, her small town is never the same. Five years later, her car is found in the lake, but she’s not in it and some strange men are. Deputy sheriff Poppy is on the case, and she follows clues that lead to mobsters, cover ups, and long buried secrets.
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💭 Thoughts 💭
I didn’t love this one. There were a lot of characters and points of view so it got a little confusing at times. There was a good twist that I didn’t expect, and when all the threads connected it made sense.
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⌛️ Favorite Moment ⌛️
Allison left a note in her car that was created in a book code. Using numbers for the page, line, and word her high school boyfirend was able to decode it!

I really enjoyed this new release by Alex Finlay ! It’s fast-paced, and I thought the different characters and storylines really tied together well in the end ! The plot really had me engaged and wanting to find out how everything connects ☺️ Highly recommend !

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed If Something Happens to Me. It was nicely paced, the characters and the plot were engaging, and the ending was pretty surprising. This does have some heavy topics in it, ex: bullying, teen suicide, etc, so be warned if these are issues for you. There is a decent amount of misdirection, and it's enough to keep you guessing throughout.

Over the course of three novels, Alex Finlay has quickly established himself as the go-to author for propulsive and escapist summer reading thrillers. His 2024 release, If Something Happens to Me continues this tradition and capitalizes on his skill at writing twisty plotlines with fast-paced prose.


Ryan Richardson is the central character in If Something Happens to Me. Five years ago, Ryan’s girlfriend, Ali, was forcibly taken from the car where she and Ryan were having a romantic evening. Ryan was violently hit over the head and only remembers fleeting moments of the scene and vehemently denies any involvement in her disappearance.

Unfortunately, the authority’s focus and public opinion was not in Ryan’s favor, turning his life into a living hell. Ryan makes the choice to change his name and distance himself from the horrible memories. Until one day, on a trip in Italy, he gets the news that Ali’s car has been discovered submerged in a lake not far from where the kidnapping occurred. In the car, two dead bodies and a note in Ali’s handwriting saying “If something happens to me…” As if that weren’t enough to open old wounds, Ryan sees in the distance, within the Italian crowds, the face of the man he only briefly remembers seeing that fateful night when Ali vanished.

Was he right all along?

Meanwhile, a new sheriff’s deputy in the small Kansas town rocked by this case finds herself on the front-line of a murder investigation—albeit not the one anyone was expecting. And a mobster in Philadelphia is confronted with a tragedy of his own, one that just might tie all the pieces of this puzzle into one unbelievable truth.

Alex Finlay uses multiple points of view to propel readers through this tangled web of lies. Short chapters and a writing style that virtually casts a spell over readers make If Something Happens to Me a one-sit read. The term summer blockbuster was created for works like this—compelling enough to lure readers away from other activities, but light enough to not require intense concentration.

Alex Finlay deploys some literary slight-of-hand in his telling of If Something Happens to Me. It’s a technique that has been used—to varying degrees of success—several times in recent years, but fortunately here, the speed at which readers consume the novel help to make this decision feel closer to inspired storytelling, rather than a manipulative tactic designed to create a false shock.

One thing that is often overlooked in the analysis of the works of Alex Finlay is the overall moral and message each of his books holds. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the action and adventure of his twisty plots, that one can miss how each book contains a solid basis of true emotion leading to growth potential. In If Something Happens to Me, it seems the lesson is that everyone makes mistakes, and we can either condemn people for them forever or we can give them a chance to learn and evolve from those misguided choices.

What is abundantly clear is that picking up an Alex Finlay novel is never the wrong decision. This is a talented writer who knows the type of book he excels at writing and consistently provides that his many fans.

was pleasantly surprised by the one. A few of the twists really caught me off guard and I was not expecting them. Love that from Alex

Another Finlay book that I really enjoyed! I felt like I was watching a James Bond crime movie, hooked and fast paced. Highly recommend if you are in the market for a crime thriller that had some fun twists.

Whoever said if you're seeking revenge dig two graves-one for your enemy and one for yourself.

It's been a long time since I literally could not put this book down. A twist midway thru, the setting in Kansas City where I live. Always a great way to connect to a book. However, it was not only the setting but the whole story line. Plot and character driven is what you get with this.

Five years ago, a young couple is jumped on the banks of the Missouri River. The young girl Ali is taken and her boyfriend is ripped out of the car and knocked unconscious. Now a native to Leavenworth, Kansas - 40 miles east of Kansas City, Missouri, (home to the Kansas City Chiefs) is assigned to the case when the missing car is found at a local lake. With two unknown men found in Ali's submerged car, Poppy is making a new start after an honorable discharge. She is now working for Leavenworth police department assigned to the case. Ryan has left Leavenworth and is now in Europe and Ali was never found. With the case reopened, Poppy is getting mixed messages and finds that something more personnel is about to be revealed.

The first half the book, the narration is set in Leavenworth and Poppy reopening the case. There seems to be another thread with the mobster in Pennsylvania and a family tragedy. A tragedy that connects all the characters together and of course thickens the plot.

A special thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Love this book! Fast paced and well written. I couldn't stop turning the pages. Alex Finlay is one of my favorites and for good reason!

This is my first Alex Finlay book, but it won’t be my last! I found this incredibly addicting and finished it in two days. The story is fast-paced and the chapters are just short enough to keep you going, even when you should probably be doing something else. There are multiple POVs and a large cast of characters, but I never found them overwhelming or confusing. How the characters fit together is a bit of a mystery and the plot does require some serious suspension of disbelief, but ultimately I found the payoff satisfying.

This was my first read by Alex Finlay, and I was not disappointed! I’m running to read his backlist. He was obviously blessed with a gift of weaving a complicated web of intersecting characters and timelines without losing the plot, and the short chapters made the book fly by! It also helped that I didn’t want to put it down.

If you enjoy suspense and are looking for a good thriller to quickly binge, grab your popcorn and buckle up!

A fast paced thriller involving a cold case and small town mafia. Alex finlay has written and easy and enjoyable read with this novel.

Poppy is working on the case when they pull out the car that belonged to Allison when she disappeared all those years ago. She doesn't believe that Allison boyfriend had anything to do with it. Can she get to the bottom of this case?

Grab a copy for a perfect beach read that will keep you hooked!

Thanks to St martins press, NetGalley and Minotaur books for this ARC

Wow! This was my first Alex Finlay book and upon finishing it, I immediately added several more to my TBR list. This thriller had me on the edge of my seat turning pages. The twists and turns were unexpected and the cast of characters were memorable and well developed. When I read a thriller I want to be surprised and I want to get to know the characters and them to have depth and Alex Finley delivered.

Ryan and Alison were high school sweethearts until the tragic night that Alison was taken right in front of him. Things in their small town had never been the same since that night. Fast forward five years and Ryan receives a phone call that changes his life and sends him on a mission to rectify what happened on that stormy night many years ago. "If Something Happens to Me" is full of puzzle pieces that perfectly fit together to tell this thrilling story.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Finlay is one of my favorite authors and this one was so good! It’s told from 3 different points of view and in typical Alex fashion when I finally connected dots between the 3 my jaw hit the floor. It was fast paced and engrossing throughout. I would definitely recommend if you like thrillers about the mob and unsolved mysteries!

Throughout this book I felt a strong sense of nostalgia and regret for Ryan, who lost the love of his live Alison on a stormy night in Lover's Lane. To add to the injustice, Ryan is at first deemed a suspect in her murder.

There are mobsters and internet trolls and an accountant with a moral dilemma. And don't forget the guy with the missing pinky. There's a deputy with the unfortunate name of Poppy (really, the name made it hard to take her seriously!). There are things happening in multiple parts of the the world, from Kansas to Pennsylvania and England, Italy, and France.

Finlay is determined to keep you on your toes, though, because you know these disparate locations and people will eventually converge. How and why are the beauty of this book, which reaches its conclusion through a series of twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for another thrilling arc by Alex Finlay!