You guysss. Alex Finlay’s new book comes out today and if you love investigative thrillers, you have to pick it up!!!

Reading this was so bingeable. The pacing is just right that you get hooked even after just the first few pages! This is my second book by him and he’s definitely becoming a favorite!

For true crime lovers, this reads as if you’re watching an episode from any true crime show so I highly recommend you read it if you love the genre!

Basically we have Ali and Ryan. They were hanging out in a car at their town’s Lover’s Lane when all of a sudden some random guy abducted Ali and left Ryan alive. The car was also nowhere to be found. Making Ryan to be the prime suspect of Ali’s disappearance. He got acquitted but his reputation got tainted (thanks to social media) so he had to leave their hometown to escape all of it. Fast forward to five years since that day, the car suddenly appeared with 2 male dead bodies with it and a note from Ali titled “If Something Happens to Me”…

This is told from multiple POVs that is so effective with how the story flows seamlessly. You do have to pay attention because there is a lot of characters 😂 I did listen to this mostly on audio and I was able to follow it easily!

It has short chapters and fast pacing so definitely a bingeable read!

I swear if you love a good detective, police procedural, cat and mouse thriller, you have to read this!!

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the free audiobook

💭 Are there any new releases you’d be picking up at the store today?? Do you have any book recommendations for me?? I haven’t been to the bookstore in weeeksss so Im excited to stop by later hehe

This book was one I had really high hopes, and I had no idea what happened but I got lost a bit into the story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s suspenseful and twisty, just not my favorite from this author. I read a lot of fantastic reviews, so check it out!

Thank you Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for this complimentary audiobook and gifted copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced suspenseful mystery. All the different points of view/characters were fleshed out nicely and I cared about them. It was fun, suspenseful, and kept me listening. By the way, the narration was stellar! This was one of the best mysteries I've read in a while and I will be looking for more by this author!

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.
If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay is my first book of theirs, and I now want to go and ready more of the backlist! A twisty thriller that was full of surprises. Five years ago, Ryan was pulled from the car where he was parked with his girlfriend, Ali, and he never saw her again. What happened to Ali? And why is the case coming back to the surface now? Narrators Helen Laser; John Pirhalla; Paul Dateh did fantastic work of keeping me engaged in the story, as well.
I recommend this to fans of twisty thrillers featuring missing persons and surprises along the way.

I was drawn to If Something Happens to Me by the blurb and the title, which was fascinating. I love fast paced thrillers with the characters traveling to places, especially those that involve the missing people and the mystery surrounding their disappearance trope. This was my first read from the Alex Finlay thriller book collection and I am happy to say that I enjoyed the book and would be open to reading more from the author.
Ryan Richardson lost his girlfriend, Ali, to an abduction 5 years ago. He has no idea what happened to her, but he can still hear her screams from that night. Though Ryan was not charged for anything (thanks to his good lawyer), the incident haunts him every day in the form of trolls and podcasters who blame his for Ali's disappearance. Unable to take it anymore, Ryan changes his name and changes colleges going to law school. The investigation into Ali's disappearance picks up heat again when her car is found at the bottom of a lake with two dead men and a cryptic note but without Ali. The note sealed in a plastic bag only has the words "If Something Happens to Me..." in Ali's handwriting, adding more mystery to the entire situation. Poppy McGee is a Sheriff's Deputy assigned to the case. It's her first case and she has to get it right. Shane O'Leary is a hitman from PA who also has some connection to this case. How all of them tie together in Ali's disappearance forms the crux of the story.
The plot is fast paced and entertaining with assassins and worldwide chases. I truly enjoyed the multi-cast narration by Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, and Paul Dateh. It was done well and kept me interested throughout.
The only thing I found a little annoying was the author's efforts to make Poppy McGee the "not like other girls" character. The constant judging of "woke" culture or social media usage seemed unnecessary in my opinion.
Overall, this was an interesting, fast paced, mystery thriller. I was able to guess the twist pretty early on, but that didn't spoil the fun for me. I recommend this one to those who enjoy books with assassins, mystery, and plots set in different parts of the world.
Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook. Views expressed are my own.
My rating - 3.75/5 rounded up to 4 stars.

If you are a fan of Alex Finlay, this is one of the author's best books yet. I loved how this story was told through multiple perspectives and trying to figure out how all these characters were tragically connected. The narrator did a great job giving each character their own "voice". In true Alex Finlay fashion, there were many plot twists that I did not see coming, but all made sense at the end. A great story to listen to on my commute!

Thank you NetGalley for this free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed many aspects of this book. I loved the different locations, points of view and timeline. I liked the different narrators for different characters. And I without a doubt loved the first 1/3 of the book. Part 1 was phenomenal.

While the rest of the book I felt didn’t really go anywhere after the twist. I stopped caring about what happened to each character and just wanted the audio book to finish so I could see if the ending redeemed itself. It did not. I wouldn’t not recommend this to someone but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. I’ve heard the night shift by Finlay is amazing and so I am still willing to read books written by him.

Teenagers Ryan and Ali are at a secluded romantic spot when their car door suddenly flies open, Ryan is hit on the head, and Ali (and her car) disappears — for good. Ryan remembers only one detail from the incident: the hands of the man who yanked him from the car. While the police have no evidence to convict Ryan, he's presumed guilty in the court of public opinion. Trying to escape this stigma, he moves and changes his name, hoping he's put this trauma to rest. It seems he was successful, until years later, when Ali's car is found at the bottom of the lake, along with two dead men and an envelope that says "if something happens to me" in her handwriting. Inside is a mysterious code, one that sends Ryan on an international adventure.

"If Something Happens to Me" is fast-paced, with short chapters that make it easy to keep reading just that little bit more. This book will best appeal to those who like action-packed thrillers, and will likely appeal a little less to those who prefer psychological ones. There's a lot going on, with quite a few characters and a couple overlapping themes. I didn't predict the twist, which is always a win, but I did find it a bit underwhelming, and I found the "why" behind it all a bit over the top. Because the twist came somewhset early, midway through the book, I felt the pacing sag as we waited out the inevitable resolution. Still, it was an entertaining read and a quick way to pass the time, and I'm glad to see that many are enjoying it. The audiobook production was done very well and the narration was just about flawless. 3.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Finlay, and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy of my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub date: May 28th, 2024
Shoutout to @netgalley @minotaur_books audiobooks 🖤🫶🏼

Happy Saturday morning y’all! Hope everyone is enjoying the day:)

This book is LAYERED. This mystery novel will require a murder board to keep up haha Lots of twists and side plots that all come together well at the end but honestly, I probably should have taken notes in the beginning (ergo why I’m giving it 3-4 stars because I had a little trouble following via audiobook)

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.’

It was good! Especially if you like mystery novels with complicated plots!

It had me hooked from the beginning !!! I love the story and the characters but I really love the way it is written. It’s an easy read bc it just flows from one view point (or storyline) to another seamlessly ! I highly recommend this and I will be reading others by him !

Enough clues to make you feel like you've figured something out and enough twists to keep you guessing.

Incredibly fast paced thriller about a college kid who can’t shake his past. See, he was there the night his girlfriend Ali was abducted but they never caught the deformed killer. Fast forward to finding her car in the lake - will they finally find Ali out the puzzle pieces together of her disappearance?

This was a great audio version of this story! In fact, I would say the audio would be my choice. Multiple narrators make the story come to life. Both narrators play well together and fit the characters. The transitions between chapters felt a tad rough but it wasn't a huge issue. I did feel the need to speed it up to 1.3x and that was perfect.

As for the story- it was a fun and suspenseful: lots of bad guys and fun settings, which the author has spoken to in his other works. He writes what he knows and his intricate knowledge of the landscape and towns really helps the story feel real. Definitely recommend!

I’ve been a fan of Alex Finlay since The Night Shift, so this was one of my most anticipated thrillers of the year and I really enjoyed it! It was fast-paced, unique and once I started it, I did not want to put it down. As with his previous books, there are multiple POVs that weave together to a pulse-pounding ending. It was intriguing trying to figure out how all the puzzle pieces fit together. I probably would have preferred a slightly different ending, but overall still recommend it. I listened to the audiobook and thought all the narrators did a fantastic job!

Settings: Leavenworth, Kansas, Italy, Tuscany, Pennsylvania, Paris, UK
Genre: thriller
Thank you St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, Alex Finlay, and Netgalley for permitting me to read If Something Happens to Me by author Alex Finlay. Told from multiple POV’s, the audiobook narration by Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, and Paul Dateh was a great way to get readers engrossed in this new thriller, due to their excellent jobs portraying each character’s stories. As with Finlay’s previous novels, the writing is fast paced and contains multiple points of view and multi-layered stories which propel readers through this tangled web of lies across the world in the gripping novel, If Something Happens to Me. Readers must pay close attention as this book can be challenging to follow,

The prologue ignites on secluded Lovers Lane in Leavenworth, Kansas, one summer night when two high school seniors, Ryan Richardson and Allison Lane, are sitting in Ali's father's BMW. A shocking crime unfolds, laying the groundwork for this riveting thriller that is difficult to put down. Readers are swiftly drawn into the intricate plot and characters, spanning across diverse corners of the world, all the while grappling with the haunting question: What actually transpired the night Ali vanished?

Ryan has recently completed his first year of law school at Georgetown, and as a perk for the editorial board of the school’s law review, is traveling on an alumni-funded trip to Italy. After a night out at a local bar, he returns to his room to find an envelope under his door. The note inside says: “I need to see you. Tomorrow, 10 a.m. at the palazzo. I know who you are.” Ryan is stunned, because even though exonerated, he had legally changed his name due to being a suspect in the court of public opinion since Ali's disappearance. His thoughts have never strayed far from Ali or the haunting events of that night five years prior. Could this unsigned note contain an actual clue? Determined to unearth the truth and dispel the shadows of suspicion cast upon him by the police and internet sleuths plaguing him since that terrible night, Ryan embarks on a quest to clear his name and obtain answers regarding what truly happened to the girl he loved. Ryan then receives a startling call from his father, revealing the discovery of Ali's long-missing car submerged in Suncatcher Lake. Inexplicably missed during previous searches, the car contained two deceased men, Ali’s purse, and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…but is devoid of Ali. Then the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.
Poppy McGee has reluctantly returned to her hometown in Leavenworth, KS to take care of her ailing father after the sudden death of her mother. She accepts a position as a new deputy sheriff, hoping her three years in the military police will help her get her groove back. Poppy has known her boss, Ken Walton, Levenworth’s longtime sheriff, since childhood. Her father served with Walton on a bomb squad in Iraq, so she knows that is the real reason the sheriff hired her. When Poppy reports for duty on her first day on the job, Walton tells her she started on the right day because there is finally some excitement in their jurisdiction. During an investigation into a local missing teen and the Missouri River Killer's latest victim, the search unearths a submerged car in Suncatcher Lake: Ali's car. Inside, two dead men are discovered alongside Ali's purse, but no Ali. Who were those men found in the car? Determined to unravel the mystery and entertain the possibility of Ali’s survival, Poppy will stop at nothing to find her. Poppy's character is captivating as she wonders who she can truly trust to reveal what happened five years ago, and she proves herself adept at handling her inaugural case.
It takes a while to get into the Philly story when Shane O’Leary’s POV is told. How was this connected to what happened to Ryan and Ali in Kansas? Shane’s only child, 13 year old Anthony, is struggling with fitting in at his new school. Shane and his wife Gina are thrilled when Anthony is finally invited to a school party with his snobby prep school classmates. Gina has been sick with worry about him since she was the one who selected the prestigious, exclusive academy for Anthony. In return for admission, Shane had to pay for a new gymnasium, so they hope Anthony will make friends. Anthony’s party turns into a humiliating, degradingly violent evening with Anthony as the victim. The bullies don’t know who they truly messed with.
For the initial half of the novel, multiple narratives unfold from various perspectives. While the book's description hints at the central protagonist, it's only through delving into the first half of the story that the intricate connections between numerous characters, settings, and viewpoints emerge. As the overarching plot gradually takes shape, the chapters devoted to other characters persist. Ultimately, all these narrative threads intertwine, but bounce around a great deal. There are a lot of characters to keep straight, and the cohesiveness of their individual arcs was confusing. Told in three parts, some more thrilling than others, all will be revealed as the multitudes of plots wrap up (a little too) quickly in Something Happens to Me. 3/5

Because this is told by multiple points of view and has short chapters, it is fast paced. The 3 parallel plots also lend to the suspense building. Finlay does a great job of merging seemingly unrelated storylines into a clear intersection and bringing it all to a screeching halt. Also, the epilogue did not show the exact ending I thought of when reading the last regular chapter, but it was OK. Overall, this had a nice and twisty plot that kept me reading - even when I had other stuff to do.

I was happy to have the opportunity to listen to the audio of "If Something Happens to Me". I've enjoyed Alex Finlay's previous novels so I was excited to get started on this one too.

I listened to this in just a few sittings. It's one of those audiobooks where I kept stopping what I was doing just to listen closely. I often fall asleep listening to audiobooks, even ones that I really enjoy. Not this one though!

A great storyline with excellent characters! Terrific twists and turns that I never saw coming!

Another hit from Alex Finlay!

5 Stars!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an audio galley of this book for review.

Finlay weaves this story together from several distinctive points of view, across separate timelines, skillfully leaping back and forth to dole out clues and reveal what really happened the night a pair of high school sweethearts were attacked leaving one missing, presumed dead and the other forever tainted by accusations he killed the missing girl. It's an interesting dip into the psychology of crime and a gentle indictment of the media/public which convicts in the court of public opinion whenever a sensational crime gets splashed across the headlines. An enjoyable and quick read.

If Something Should Happens To Me
Alex Finlay

5 years ago Ryan and his girlfriend, Ali were attacked. Ali and her car went missing and everyone thought Ryan had something to do with it. Ryan has hazy memories of what happened, including his girlfriend being yanked out of the car and her screams. Now, Ryan has changed his name and entered law school. While on a Europe trip, his father calls him letting him know that Ali’s car has been found. Inside the car is a cryptic message in Ali’s handwriting saying “If something happens to me…”. Inside the car were two other bodies of men. Now everyone is trying to figure out who these men are and what this note means.

I found this book fast paced, gripping, and relatively easy to follow once we get a hang of who is who. There are multiple narrators, making it easier to distinguish the characters. This thriller book has it all murder, mystery, and twists!

🎧I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a thriller with short chapters, who-dun-it mystery, and multiple POVs.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🎧

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the free ALC in exchange for my own opinions.

#MacAudio2024

A perfect thriller! This story is fast paced and hooks you from the very beginning. You will not want to put this book down.

There are three storylines that are all good that are eventually brought together. Each of the stories have great characters that are slowly developed as the story is told. The story covers five years and travels to multiple locations - Kansas, Pennsylvania, England, France and Italy. The story starts in Kansas when a high school couple are out together - Ryan and Ali. As the author introduces characters it is not easy at first to tell the good guys from the bad guys. There is tension and twists in the story that keep you reading.

I listened and read this book in one day. I love it when I have the audiobook and the ebook so I can keep reading or listening. The narrators of the audiobook did a great job - Helen Laser, John Pirhalla and Paul Dateh.

Read or listen to this book to find out what happens to Ali and Ryan. You don't want to miss this thriller. Plus you need to find out the details about the title of the book.