was plesantly surprised by this one. There was a few twists I did not see coming and they caught me off guard. Love that from Alex haha

I really enjoyed Alex Finlay’s newest book, If Something Happens to Me.

The story begins with Allison being pulled out of her boyfriend’s vehicle. Her car and her are never seen again. Ryan is the suspect for the disappearance of Allison, but there’s insufficient evidence to prove him guilty. Fast forward five years later, he is currently in Italy and has a new name. He gets a call from his father that Allison’s car has been found.

Meanwhile, Poppy McGee, is a new police officer on the force when a car is found submerged in water. In it they find two men and Allison’s purse with a note in it that says, “If something happens to me.”

Back in Italy, Ryan sees a man that seems to be following him. He has memories of this man being involved in Allison’s disappearance. He begins chasing this man over the country to try to find answers.

Not only do we have chapters in Ryan and Poppy’s POV, but also Shane O’Leary, a mobster. How do all of these characters connect to one another? What happened to Allison?

I really enjoyed this story. I really did not see one of the twists coming. I love the short chapters, the alternating point of views, and the feeling of not knowing what was going on. Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for this advanced reader copy.

This was just ok for me. I think I would have preferred to have read it instead of audio to be honest. Good, solid thriller, just not for me as audio..l

Normally I would back slowly away from books with any type of mafia or gangs in them, but I didn't catch that there were those elements in this novel when I grabbed it. It was an interesting enough plot, but it jumped from different character perspectives and also in time, and by the time it all started coming together, I was more annoyed than interested and just wanted to find out how it ended.

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. The audio was also really well done with 3 different narrators as well. I would definitely recommend if you like thrillers about the mob and unsolved mysteries!

Alex Finlay has proven himself as a tremendously talented author, delivering intense and twisty tales. This book is no exception!

Having lived in Kansas for 30+ years, I was instantly hooked and greatly enjoyed all of the Kansas references. It made it all the more fun of a read to relate to the various references!

The story follows two timelines that merge to show the broader picture and tie the mystery together. From beginning to end, the action was continual. Anyone who can tie Leavenworth, KS to Italy to the UK in a thrilling and enthralling manner deserve 5 stars in my book!

I was fortunate to both read and listen to the book; both are available now and I highly recommend getting your copy as soon as possible!

I quite enjoyed this book and it was my first Alex Finlay read. I had the privilege of reading the ebook as well as listening to the audiobook. I flew through it in one sitting because I HAD to find out what happened. It kept me engaged throughout. I will say, I preferred part one the best. It started off strong, introduced characters well but just gave enough to keep you guessing. I particularly enjoyed the separate POVs and how they were all eventually intertwined. The man hunt search around the world is not something that typically "ticks my box" but it was still really enjoyable. The premise of the book was great and unlike anything I've read before. I would certainly recommend this as a physical read, an audiobook, or both, like I did! Lot's of twists and turns!

My only critique would be for the audiobook version. I found that the Voice Actor that read O'Leary's character, was incredibly distracting when he would read dialogue meant to be in a female's voice. It almost sounded like a caricature voice (unintentionally) mocking what a woman would sound like. I found it incredibly distracting. The other male voice actor did not have this effect when he read dialogue belonging to a woman. He just shifted his voice slightly enough to know that a different person was speaking, but not in a high-pitched impression of a woman. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Alex Finlay for sending this ARC AudioBook of If Something Happens to Me, narrated by Helen Laser; John Pirhalla; Paul Dateh in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I got hooked right from the start with this one! Interesting characters and some fun twists. I would definitely read more by this author. The narrators were great as well.

I ended up not finishing this one so lll just rate it a 3 star and move on. Sometimes books just don't work for you and unfortunately this one did not.

If Something Happens to Me was my first Alex Finlay book, so I wasn't sure what to expect. There was a lot I liked. The prologue immediately had me hooked and captivated to read on. I was equally intrigued by each POV, and the chapters are blessedly short, which made for a quick read. I also like the ending and the decisions Finlay made for the characters. I can't say more without spoiling the story. My overall issue was that Finlay lays out everything for the reader in such a fashion to make the twists very obvious. The narrative structure also led to pacing issues. While I enjoyed it enough to read more from the author, I won't rush to do so.

Audio Notes
I thought each narrator did a good job. Each POV is easily identifiable and effortless to follow.

The is my first book to read/listen to from Alex Finlay and I can’t wait to pick my next one. The narration of this book was fabulous and kept me very engaged. I was so curious about the real story behind Ali’s disappearance. Between Ryan’s perspective and then Poppi as she searches for the answers the truth unfolds.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review!

Oh my, this one was WILD!! And I LOVED IT!! I have now read all of Finlay’s books and I’m a huge fan, this was on brand with making you think it will go one way and then whipping you with a twist and off you go in a completely different direction with zero time to recover. It is exactly how I love a thriller to be and it wrapped up in such a satisfying way. The audio was perfect and it held my attention from start to finish. If you have not read Finlay then fix that now, and start with this one, it is just fantastic.

I feel like I was pretty hooked and invested in this story right away. The different characters really pulled me in. Though listening to it on audio I occasionally got confused about who’s POV we were in. There were some good twists I didn’t see coming and others I did. Overall I liked the story and how it played out. The epilogue at the end wasn’t super fulfilling for me and I felt a little disappointed there wasn’t more to it.

At this point, Alex Finley is pretty much a must buy for me. This book had me from the beginning and kept me interested through the end. There were times where I couldn’t figure out what was coming next, and they were times that I was pretty sure that I knew it was coming next, but it was still written in such a compelling way.

Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the audiobook. #macaudio2024 (Available now)

Italy: Ryan is on a trip with law school friends but is still haunted by his girlfriend, Ali’s, abduction five years earlier, which left him unconscious and her car missing.

Pennsylvania: A mobster and his accountant deal with business in typical mobster fashion.

Kansas: On her first day as the new Deputy Sheriff in her hometown, Poppy McGee (best character name ever) takes tip calls when Ali’s car is pulled from the lake, and a note is found in her purse.

Perfect length (7+ hours), solid pacing, short chapters, and fun mini-cliffhangers: this was an enjoyable summer thriller. I hadn’t read this popular author before, and now I know to seek out his backlist.

The female narrator was great (which is a relief since I have HAPPILY NEVER AFTER lined up to read soon, and she narrates that one, too). However, the two male narrators did NOT work for me. I can’t put my finger on it, but something about their delivery was lacking.

This was my first Alex Finlay book and wow, what a ride! Multiple POVs, the plot twists, the morally grey characters that I came to love and enjoy! This book had it all! I'm still deciding on whether I wanted the same ending, but until then I plan to pick up another Alex Finlay thriller and enjoy the next ride!

This was a fun ride. I wasn’t particularly invested in any of the characters, but there were enough pieces of the puzzle that I kept reading to see how it would all come together. It was an interesting, fresh take on a thriller. I just wish the characters had more depth so that I cared more about the stakes.

Five years ago, Ryan Richardson and his girlfriend, Alison, are assaulted; at least, Ryan was assaulted. He sees a man abducting Alison before he passed out. Naturally, he is an immediate suspect and despite never being charged, his life afterwards is in shambles. Eventually, he changes his name and disappears himself. Now he is in Italy with some fellow law students when he is approached by the same man that abducted Alison - a man who police didn't believe existed. But he is very real, and he is in hiding. The man eludes to the fact that Alison might be alive.

Meanwhile in Leavenworth, Kansas, Poppy is new deputy at the police station. It's only her first day when some true crime bloggers find Alison's car in the lake. However Alison is not in the car; but two dead men in suits are, along with a note in Alison's handwriting. On the front of the note, it says: "If something happens to me."

Then we meet mob boss Shane O'Leary. Shane and his wife experience a horrible tragedy, and both are seeking retribution...

This is my third Finlay title and I really enjoyed the others but this one fell a bit flat for me. The story seemed so disjointed flipping back and forth and by the time I figured out how everything was linked, I didn't really care anymore. It's not a bad story; just not really for me. Normally I read a book in 1-3 days; this took 2 weeks because I kept dragging my feet. It won't deter me from looking for other Finlay titles though!

"If Anything Happens to Me" by Alex Finlay is a pretty solid thriller with plenty of suspense and twists. The plot is engaging and kept me hooked with its unpredictable turns and the compelling mystery at its center. Finlay's ability to craft a suspenseful atmosphere is commendable, and the pacing is generally brisk, ensuring that the story moves along without dragging.

This is a 3-star read for me because there are multiple points of view and timelines that felt like a bit too much to try and follow. There are so many storylines intertwined that the character development felt lacking, making it hard to fully connect with the characters or center myself in the story. I will say that once I hit the last 30% of the book, I finally (kind of) understood the author's decision to include all of these. Also, while surprising, certain twists seemed a bit too convenient or improbable, which took away from the story's realism.

Some of my problems with this may have been related to listening to the audio version. The narrators were absolutely fantastic, but I think this storyline lends itself better to a physical read.

Despite the few issues I had with the story, "If Anything Happens to Me" is still an enjoyable read, particularly for fans of the thriller genre. It provides enough intrigue and excitement to keep readers engaged from start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Alex Finlay for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

There are many storylines happening here, but I was captivated throughout. I loved the layers, and discovering that Ali was the daughter of someone working for the O'Learys was a great twist.