Somehow, this is the first book I’ve read by Alex Finlay and now I’m prioritizing all the other ones I have on my shelf. This was such a fun thriller - it kept my attention the entire time and I was interested in the storyline the whole way through. This book releases next Tuesday, 5/28/24, and would be the perfect beach/pool read.

One night, as a teen, Ryan and Ali go to a secluded spot. While there, Ryan is pulled from the car by an unknown person, and Ali's scream is the last thing he heard. Five years later, the past has come back to haunt him! Great thriller with lots of twists and turns!

Exhilarating, fast paced story of revenge, friendship and second chances. Ryan is still processing what happened when Allison went missing. It's five years since that fateful night and finally there will be answers. We learn about mobsters, war veterans with close ties, a spunky young deputy sheriff...and how this all ties together. Great story telling.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion and thoughts.

If Something Happens to Me was a fast read with a big twist. My first Alex Finlay thriller was definitely a book to remember. Told for multiple points of view the story takes the reader on a journey to figure out what happened to Allison Lane.
Allison and Ryan were two young kids at one night when she gets kidnapped and Ryan ends up becoming the number one suspect five years later she’s missing and presumed dead and Ryan’s life has never been the same. It was a slower start trying to learn how each of these points of view Connected, but once part one was complete the big twist made me stay up late reading. A fast and easy read, but I wish there were a bit more emotion to me to the main characters. I will definitely be looking into Alex Finley backlist.

This is an exciting thriller about a missing girl, a small police department trying to make sense of the evidence, international intrigue and other mysteries.

I thought it was a great story with some interesting twists that change the way the reader views the story.

Well done!

Alex Finlay shows us that he is a master of the craft. This is a page turner extraordinaire. I read it in one sitting as it grabbed me and didn't let me go until the end. Highly recommend

This book went by so fast. It has short chapters which kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know more. I enjoyed the story and the multiple POVs, and the characters were fun and interesting. I have not read a book before that had the mob in it so that was fun! There were times when the plot felt incomplete or confused me because there was a lot going on, and there were conclusions being made that I don't think some characters should have known about. Overall, it was a fun read, but it did have some holes in the story.

Loved. Absolutely loved this book.

It was a bit at first to figure out all the story lines but then you figure it out and it all makes so much sense.

Really enjoy the authors writing. So easy to get lost in the books. Couldn't put this one down!

Thanks #netgalley for getting me out of my reading slump!

A big thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

This mystery/thriller was just what I needed to spark my drive to read again after a few slow-paced books. This moved quickly and combined several character’s stories, weaving them together in a most interesting way.

I’ve always enjoyed this author’s work and I can’t wait for the next one!

This is my third Alex Finlay book, and unfortunately, it might be my last. I end up giving them all three stars, and I didn’t know why until I thought about it while reading this one and comparing it to the two others I read. I’ll explain more later, but first, let’s get into this story!

Five years ago, Ryan and Alison were two young lovers who were about to make the “lover” part official on a stormy night. They were in Alison’s car making out when suddenly, a man with no pinky fingers grabbed Ryan, and he passed out after being struck in the head. When he awoke, Alison was gone, and so was her car.

After five years of searching, there are no leads until, while searching for a victim of the Missouri River Killer, they dredge the water and find a car - Alison’s car. There are two dead men in it, and Alison’s purse, but her body wasn’t found. Ryan decides to try to find out what happened to her, and if it’s possible that she could be alive. He also wants to clear his name, as many people think he had something to do with her disappearance.

This is the crux of the story, but as I mentioned, I think I finally found out why I don’t care much for these books, despite good storylines and great writing. This book had zero flow, and it lost a lot of cohesiveness by bouncing from this plot to other stories in Philadelphia and France. In the end, I suppose it all came together, but it felt somewhat forced. I also didn’t care for any of the characters - there were too many for the reader to really get to know.

Like I said, maybe this will be my last of this author’s books, or maybe I’ll give him one more try; I’m not sure yet. The writing talent is definitely there, but so far, I don’t care for how these first-rate stories are executed. Three stars.

(Thank you to Minotaur Book, Alex Finlay and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on May 28, 2024.)

Binge worthy thriller. Dual storylines, multiple POVS & short chapters.

Engaging & entertaining, I was totally locked in and desperate to know the ending.
Will absolutely pick up more books by Alex Finlay after this one.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

Synopsis: This story takes us through parallel storylines: one of a mobster getting revenge and one of a high school girl who goes missing without a trace.
Pros and cons: This was one of my favorite mysteries I’ve read! The chapters were short, it read quick and twisty, and when the two storylines finally intersected I was honestly surprised!
The suspense tapered a bit at the end but overall if you are a mystery/thriller lover, read this when it’s released next week!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I always enjoy Alex Finlay’s books. This one was shorter than most at 7hrs but the narration was great and the time just flew. I did find it difficult in the first half to keep track of the different plots/timelines but once they all merged together, things really took off. I won’t say more because that would require a spoiler warning. I’d sum up the experience in two words: Definitely recommend!
Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance audio copy

Alex Finley has quickly become on of my favorite authors and this book is no exception. Is it my favorite? No but that shouldn't be a deterrent. He just has so many great works!

This book started off slow for me but really started to come together around the middle and I was much more in its thrall after!

After reading three of the author's books, he's become one of those "don't miss" writers who, I hope, keeps churning them out as fast as I can read them. This one really doesn't disappoint, although short chapters that flip from scenario to scenario faster than a ping-pong match don't make it all that easy to follow. It wasn't until close to the halfway point, in fact, when everything started to make sense and "come together" for me; after that, it was far more exciting and engrossing.

The story begins as a young man named Ryan Richardson is out in a remote area with his girlfriend, Alison; he's knocked unconscious and Ali goes missing. Although Ryan provided a loose description of the man who hit him, many locals, including the police, suspect Ryan of abducting, and probably murdering, Ali - but the lack of proof meant he was never charged. That doesn't stop the gossip mill from making his life miserable, though, so he takes off for parts unknown for a new start and with a new name.

On an overseas trip with law school classmates, Ryan sees the man he believes knocked him out and took Ali, who he suspects might still be alive. Meantime, back home in Leavenworth, Kansas, Ali's car (actually her father's) is found at the bottom of a local lake with her purse and two unidentified but clearly murdered men inside. Who are they, who did this to them and what is their connection to Ali's disappearance? That's a question newbie deputy sheriff Poppy McGee is charged with answering, and at the outset, it's clear as mud. Just as confusing is Ali's note that somehow escaped water ruin - one with a mystery message that echoes the book's title.

In the midst of all this action, throw in a dangerous mobster who has some kind of vendetta that's somehow related to people in the small town (that one really took a while to figure out). Once all the dots were connected -and there are quite a few of them - there was enough action to keep me on the edge of my seat right to the end. More than that I can't say without giving away too much, though, so I'll just say thanks to the author for yet another enjoyable book and the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Finley appears to be a fan of multiple POVs and short chapters. We begin the novel by witnessing a young couple being abducted from their car. From there we are introduced to the POVs of mobsters, an accountant and my favorite, a young deputy named Poppy, thrust into the action on her first day.

There’s double cross, murder, and murder, and torture, and more murder and exotic locations like Italy, France Kansas and Philly.

His style makes for a fast paced, on your toes sort of suspense and it entertained me from the jump. The characters felt much more developed than those in “What Have We Done” and there’s a twist half way through that I could kick myself for not seeing sooner. Overall, I like the story, but as we approached the ending, I felt less could have been more. I recall having a similar feeling with the other book of Finley’s that I read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If Something Happens to Me is a story told in flashback about a traumatic event that happened to Ryan as he finished high school. We start following his story five years later as he travels to Italy on a law school trip. His past catches up with him and it sends him (and us as readers) on a whirlwind trip around Europe as he tries to figure out what happened. Halfway around the world, a new sheriff's deputy is also trying to piece the story together, and the answers may be closer than she thinks.

I enjoyed how Alex Finlaey wove all the threads of the story together. It was a quick and satisfying read. If Something Happens to Me is another great book by a great mystery writer!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sr Martins Press for an advanced reader's copy of this book!

So Alex Finlay has made it on my automatic read/buy book list!!

This started and I was a bit concerned the 4 separate storylines would be hard to follow or keep up with BUT NOT the case!!! Super easy to keep up with and the moment it all comes together made me gasp!! Such excellently wound together that I DID NOT see coming!

Ending was a bit abrupt for me. But it made sense.

Favorite characters for me were Ryan and Poppy. Liked that the typical happy ever after romance ending wasn’t where this went. But all tied up nicely and no loose ends left. Always love an epilogue!

Great fast paced thriller and definitely recommend!!!

Thanks to the author, netgalley and St Martins Press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own!!

If Something Happens To Me is a fast paced mystery-thriller that has a lot going on (in a bad way).

This one is a hard one for me to review, it was so fast moving and compelling but so many things fell flat.

I feel that the main issue for me was too many POVs. This led to items being revealed by one person and then another character had to be told or find out on their own later in the book. It duplicated a lot of effort and while reading it felt tedious. The amount of point of views also meant that we didn't spend a ton of time with Ryan, who is portrayed as our main character.

It also went in a very different direction than what is alluded to in the summary. This could work for a lot of people but unfortunately it ended up being a plot direction that I do not enjoy in novels.

High school sweethearts Ryan and Alison are out on Lovers Lane one night when Alison is abducted and Ryan is left with barely any memory of what happened. Five years later, Alison’s car is pulled from the lake with two dead bodies in it, and the new Deputy Sheriff, Poppy McGee reopens a case long assumed to be closed.

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME is the latest from Alex Finlay and just as bonkers as his other works.

We’re going international with this one, bopping from Kansas to Philly, to Italy, England, and France, and covering dozens of characters in between!

I honestly tend to really enjoy large cast thrillers (this one was no exception) and seeing how everyone’s stories came together in this story was very fun.

The mystery was intriguing, there were plenty of characters to root for (and roll your eyes at), and the addition of a cypher was an added bonus! I also flew through this one - it’s a quick read!

I did occasionally lose track of some of the storylines and their cliffhangers ( we’re covering a lot of ground in some very short chapters here!), which might have dulled the effect of some of those moments.

All in all, a Finlay read that I think a lot of his readers will enjoy!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: May 28