If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay is an intense and thrilling novel that offers short chapters from three points of view that help set the pace for the whole book. You can’t stop reading, all of the action keeps you reading “just one more chapter.”

I appreciate a true suspense novel that takes my breath away and makes my heart pound in anticipation.

Synopsis:

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He’s put his past behind him.

Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali’s car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

Out on May 28

I have been a reader of Alex Finlay's previous books but he's never been a must-read author for me. This was another quick and entertaining read that didn't leave much of an impression. While I enjoyed the story and the action, I felt like it was executed poorly. Too many location settings, too many characters and multiple POVs made it hard to keep everything straight. The writing style trended into the over-explaining territory, "saying" instead of "showing." I'll probably read more of Finlay's books but this one won't land on any of my top lists.

One night, during his senior year in high school, Ryan Richardson’s life changed big time when his girlfriend, Ali Lane, and the car they were both in are abducted, with Ryan being flung out and left behind. Afterwards, Ryan falls under suspicion for Ali’s disappearance (especially from internet trolls and true crime podcasters) — so much so that he eventually changes his name a he tries to put it all behind him. After he begins law school and is on a summer trip to Italy with a few of his classmates, Ali’s car is found at the bottom of the lake in his hometown. Instead of Ali’s body, inside are the bodies of two men and a mysterious note in Ali’s handwriting. And, the tale begins, one told from various points of view and involving a few different storylines replete with a good share of twists and turns, until all is neatly tied together at the end. I have enjoyed other novels by Alex Finlay, and this one was a great addition to the others I have read. All in all it was a very enjoyable read that definitely kept my interest and the pages turning!

A lot of characters. I didn't love the amount of twists; it made it unbelievable and hard to follow. Overall a decent read 3.5 stars, but not his best.
Thriller lovers will enjoy though.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

It took me a bit to wrap my thoughts up on this one. I thought I had it figured out early on, but dismissed my theory because one tiny detail was missing for it to fit. In the end, I was freaking right.

I really enjoyed this one!

Five years ago Ryan Richardson’s life was turned upside down when his girlfriend, Ali, was ripped from their car and never seen again. For five long years, he’s been blamed for her death even though her body was never found.

Now Ryan has changed his name moved to another country and has put his past behind him, until Ali’s car was found submerged in a lake not far from where she disappeared. When her car was towed out of the water, two men were found inside that investigators discovered were shot before being submerged inside the vehicle. The trunk was empty except a small makeup bag that contained a cryptic letter in Ali’s handwriting that said “If Something Happens to Me.” Young sheriff Poppy McGee is having trouble cracking the cryptic code, so she calls the one person who knew more about Ali than anyone else in their hometown, Ryan Richardson, and with his help they crack the case wide open.

This was such a fun read! It was thrilling, fast paced, action packed, twisty, and I inhaled it within two days. I never would have guessed the biggest turn of events, and just when I thought it was over…there was so much more to be discovered.

I’m giving this book a 2.5 star rating. First off, I’m thankful that I got an opportunity to read this ARC! Some things I did enjoy about this book were the way it all connected at the end of the story. I also liked that there were different voices for the characters & that enhanced my experience. Some things I didn’t enjoy were that I felt like the story was jumping from place to place & I felt like there were new characters always being added to the story, it felt kind of difficult to follow. Even though I rated this book a 2.5 star, I still plan on reading more books from this author! I definitely suggest you read it yourself and decide if you like it or not.

I have read multiple books by Alex Finlay and have enjoyed all of them. This was an obvious choice to read!
I liked the short chapters and edge of your seat twists and turns. I paired the ebook with the audiobook, which enhanced my reading experience. The multi-cast narration was excellent!

THIS BOOK WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! I read it in nearly one sitting at the airport. Definitely one of Finlay's finest. He is certainly emerging as another go-to suspense writer. I hesitate to share any of the plot points for fear of an accidental spoiler. Suffice to say I was eagerly flipping to find out what happened next. The book takes place in multiple cities, each alternating in chapters. I would get engrossed into one subplot and move on to the next chapter only to have to keep reading to get to what happened next (and I mean that in the best way possible).

This book was a wonderful white knuckling suspense novel and I highly anticipate more from this prolific up and coming writer. Every book I have read by him has been great and I do hope there will be more to come. A cannot miss if you love plot twisting suspense!!

My very heartfelt thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Excellent read.

I was a little put off and confused by multiple POVs but everything came together beautifully. I really enjoyed this book and once it got going, I could not put it down.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced copy! I really loved The Night Shift by Alex Finlay so I was excited for this release.

This book was fine, I don’t know if I’d recommend it to others. It was a fast paced (maybe too fast paced?) read and a kept you wanting to know what happened next.

It seemed like it moved too quickly and didn’t give you the opportunity to really get to know any characters enough to root for them. There was a lot going on always, by the time the main twist happened it didn’t pack the punch it should have because of all the characters and you didn’t know what time line you were in. It also felt like there was a lot of telling instead of showing.

All of the pieces came together at the end but the main conflict was over in a flash that was very underwhelming. Didn’t care about the epilogue because you didn’t get to know the characters well enough.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my eArc of “If Something Happens to Me”. This was my second book by Alex Finlay and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fast paced and very interesting. The character development was spot on and the mystery wrapped in suspense was chef’s kiss!

Read if you enjoy:
•twists
•chasing all over the world
•multiple POV
•different storylines coming together
•action/mob
•short chapters

This was my first Alex Finlay book and it definitely won’t be my last! This one had me hooked & I am a SUCKER for short chapters. While I did predict a lot of the twists, I really enjoyed how everything was intertwined and tied up nicely at the end. The lack of shock did knock the stars down a smidge, but overall I really liked this fast-paced multiple POV thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 05/28/24!

Fun and fast-moving popcorn thriller with multiple POVs. I enjoyed trying to figure out how all the pieces of this story would fit together. While this didn't have me on the edge of my seat, it was a solid suspense novel that I will recommend! I think that readers who enjoyed The Night Shift will love this one.

Alex Finlay is, hands down, one of my favorite authors. As soon as I see a new book, I instantly pre-order and I anxiously wait. I always know I'm going to get a well-plotted mystery, something that keeps me on my toes. I'm going to get well-done, complex characters and a story I can hardly put down. And this one is no exception, it's such a good read!

This one is a little different than Finlay's typical mysteries. This one is a little more witness protection, FBI, and mobsters than other reads. I was instantly drawn in right from the first chapter. A horrible decision, kids making a horrible choice, and lives are change forever.

I really appreciated the unique characters, each voice was really easy to follow because they were so different and well-done. The mystery was a race - it's broken up into 3 parts and I couldn't get through them fast enough. The ending was a shock, somehow I never put the pieces together. Loved the final twist. It will be interesting to see if we have the start of a series or if the next one will be something new again. Either way, I can't wait to read it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Finlay is a master at a twist as I did not see one of the biggest ones in this book coming. If Something Happens to Me is the story of a five year old missing person case and how it breaks open again when the missing girls, Ali's, car is found at the bottom of a lake with not her, but someone else in it. I enjoyed this story for the most part, more so reading it myself since the narrator for Ryan threw me off track though I wasn't really convinced by the ending. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read and enjoyed two of Alex Finlay's previous books, "The Night Shift" and "Every Last Fear," so I was looking forward to another good psychological thriller with "If Something Happens to Me." I wasn't disappointed. If anything, I think this is Finlay's best book yet.

Five years ago, while Ryan Richardson and his girlfriend, Ali, were at a secluded place, Ali was abducted. Both she and the car vanished that night, and Ryan became a person of interest in her disappearance. Ryan was never charged, but the suspicion and notoriety has haunted him. Now a law student with a different name, Ryan's past comes back to haunt him when Ali's car is recovered from a lake with two dead men in it, but still no trace of Ali, just a coded note with the words "if something happens to me" on the envelope.

Newly appointed sheriff's deputy Poppy McGee is assigned to the task force attempting to figure out who the two dead men are and what is in Ali's note. As Poppy digs into the old case about Ali's disappearance, she doubts the quality of the investigation and suspects a coverup--but why?

The story, told by several characters simultaneously, combines a classic psychological thriller and a twisty, suspenseful murder mystery. Finlay deftly intertwines the characters' lives with plot twists into a seamless story of love and revenge. It is a fast-moving and engaging read that never disappoints. 5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is May 28, 2024.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio + Minotaur Books, for the gifted copy of If Something Happens to Me {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Trope: Missing Girl
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 5/28/2024
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

Dang it! I desperately wanted to like this one. I started it on my Kindle and was feeling meh about the storyline, so I started the audio. While the audio was entertaining, there was just too much going on. It was fast-paced and twisty, but it almost pulled me in too many directions, ultimately making the plot too far-fetched and unbelievable. Because I am who I am, I figured out where the story was headed from a fairly early point, but I didn't enjoy the path the author took to get there. 

💨 Fast-paced
📝 Multi-layer story
🔀 Twisty plot
🗣️ Multiple POV

⚠️ Torture and extreme bullying of a teenager

My opinion on this book might not be popular, but that's the beauty of reading, not every book is meant for everyone. If you're a fan of high-octane, action-packed stories, then If Something Happens to Me might be your cup of tea.

BOOK: If Something Happens to Me
AUTHOR: Alex Finlay
PUB DATE: 5/28/2024 by Minotaur Books
PAGES: 336
RATING: 4.5
GENRE: Mystery & Thriller

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley, Alex Finlay & Minotaur Books for gifting me this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: Alex Finlay writes another unputdownable novel that comes out May 28th! From the very start, this is a compulsive, action-packed story – full of mystery and of course… a cliffhanger! I had to keep reading to find out what happened to the female main character! I kept guessing throughout the book to see how all ends would be tied up! With many twists and turns, this made for an excellent thriller! He sure knows how to write them!

Happy Reading!

“Ryan is outside on the wet grass. The car is gone. And so it Ali. ”
Here are reasons to read the thriller book:

Kidnapped Girl - Ryan wakes to find his girlfriend Allison gone
Submerged Car - and 5 years later, Allison’s dad’s car is found, but she is not in it
Deputy Sheriff - Enter deputy sheriff Poppy who starts looking into the case and finds a message left from Allison
Boyfriend - But Ryan has moved on in his life, until an unsuspecting visitor compels him to find the meaning in her message

This book was on my most anticipated list for the month. The story is broken into 4 parts, and in the first we follow a few different stories, and it’s a little unclear how they connect. But at the end of Part 1, I exclaimed “Oh Dang!” and then I couldn’t put it down. It’s fast paced and extremely entertaining. While it’s not my favorite Alex Finlay book, it is a book that pulled me out of my mediocre reading month!