Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the E-ARC.

I wanted this book to be so much more. I devoured Alex Finlay's first two books and was ecstatic to get an advanced reader's copy. Unfortunately I just couldn't get through this book.

The book centers around three grown adults who previously attended the orphanage called, Savior House as children.

The book primarily takes place in the present and rotates POVs between the characters of Jenna, an Angelina Jolie tomb raider step-mom, Donnie an alcohol drinking rocker and Nico an executive producer for a reality coal mining tv show.

I managed to get through 30% of the book and finally DNFed it. When a book takes place in the present with an implication that the past had something horrible and frightening happen the readers need to care and be curious to want to know what took place. Give us a reason to keep turning the pages. There was a small passage in the first chapter which implied that the group was around a grave but the overall description didn't cause me to feel anything. While reading current passages of Donnie, Jenna and Nico in the present I never cared what the possible event happened from the past.

Jenna's plot line was very fast paced and was the most interesting. I liked her character as well as her newly formed step-family. The passages with Nico and Donnie didn't hold my attention at all. I needed the author to give me a POV from a character from the past, perhaps Artemis or Annie to give me clues of what sort of tension was building up in the past.

The overall plot was inventive. The execution was a disappointment.

Oh man I was on the edge of my seat from the first few minutes of this book!!

I swear I literally had anxiety at times in this book waiting to see what was going to happen!! Constant suspense until the very end!

I enjoyed Alex’s book The Night Shift and this one was so good too!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St.Martin's Press/Minotaur, and Alex Finlay for an ARC of this book!**

Alex Finlay has easily become one of my go-to mystery/thriller authors in the last couple of years. Though this is only his third book, I felt like I had a solid list of Finlay hallmarks to look for when picking up one of his books:

*short, snappy chapters
*a TWISTY, corkscrew "did that really just happen" type of plot
*multiple POVs...but more importantly, characters that are not only well-developed but SPRING off the pages

Well...when it came to this book...I wished I was holding a physical copy...so I could keep flipping back to the cover and make SURE it was the same Alex Finlay I'd grown to know and love...because this B movie, action film style novel bears little resemblance to the high bar set by his two previous books.

The premise centers around a group of friends who met many years ago at the Savior House, a group home specially designated for teenagers without parents. This trio of pals consists of Donnie, Nico, and Jenna. 25 years later, they are all living wildly different lives; Donnie is an aging rockstar, battling the bottle and struggling to remember (and relive) his glory days, Nico works as a TV producer on a reality show based in a mine but struggles with demons of his own in the form of a gambling addiction, and Jenna has left her days as a trained gun behind to be a wife and mom to two stepkids.

They haven't spoken in years, but this group remains bound in an inextricable way: they are all holding on to a terrible shared secret from one night, long ago. But as the past begins to creep up in a terrifying way, the trio realizes that one decision may have destined them all for the same deadly fate...but can they figure out just HOW their secret got out...and WHO may be hot on their heels...and aiming to kill?

At first, I tried to get very invested in Finlay's characters, since in his previous novels this was not only enjoyable, but EASY to do. With this book, however, there was so little to go on in terms of believability that I had trouble seeing the characters as people from the real world. This isn't necessarily a deal breaker in fiction, ESPECIALLY in a popcorn action thriller such as this one...but for Finlay, it felt like such a dramatic letdown from the talent displayed in his first two books. An aging rock star with an alcohol problem, for example: basically a stock character. Finlay COULD have given him depth and layers, but instead, Donnie acted EXACTLY how you'd expect him to act...not very compelling to read.

The closest Finlay came to a character that defied expectation on some level and felt a bit 'more than meets the eye' was in Jenna, and for a while, I thought I could sort of throw my attention into her story line and let that hold my interest. But after a while, her section of the story fell so far into action-movie territory that I had trouble not only believing it, but staying engrossed. This became a recurring theme: the plot itself was so straightforward in many respects, that I kept wondering why Finlay was telling us so much, so soon.

I almost wished there had been more detail overall about the events in the past and the relationship building that happened at Savior House rather than such a heavy focus on the 'cat and mouse' style chase from the present that dominated most of the narrative. The sections that WERE set in the past, however, were sometimes difficult to distinguish too, and this was yet another area where some editing (perhaps adding Now and Then or the year at beginning of chapters) to help differentiate and clue the reader in would have been helpful.

Though this book has Finlay's trademark short chapters, when I saw this book had EIGHTY FIVE, I honestly just began to dread how much was left to go. Rather than flying through the pages, the short chapters in this one just seemed to emphasize how much was left to read and felt borderline interminable by the end. The plot itself also met a reasonable(ish) conclusion, but I wasn't left feeling satisfied or on an adrenaline-fueled high like I have been in the past reading Finlay's books...rather, just tired and feeling like I needed a nap.

I'm not sure if the absence of Agent Keller was the nail in the coffin of What Have We Done, but I think it's safe to say it couldn't hurt to bring her back for Finlay's next book and give that a shot. But rather than What Have We Done, I think a more fitting moniker (in reference to Finlay and his plan for this book) would have to be "What Has HE Done?"

3.5 stars

While I loved The Night Shift, this book was a totally different story. I enjoyed the multiple POV’s once the story took off but found myself confused in the beginning trying to make sense of it all. The story focuses on a group of kids who form friendships while living in a foster-care style home with a man named Mr.Brood. Tormented by his son, Derek, the group bands together at the same time as girls begin to go missing from the home. An event takes place involving all the main characters that tie them together forever. We get flashbacks to their time at the home 25 years ago and what’s happening in the present.

We have multiple characters, so let me dissect them one by one:

-Jenna: she’s a bad ass who was trained to be an assassin at a young age. Very Jason Bourne meets the old TV show, Nikita. She has since retired from the profession and has married a nice tax attorney with 2 young daughters. Trying to live her life as normal as possible while managing being a new step-mom, she finds herself slipping back into her old routines once she is forced into a hit job that she abandons when she realizes the target is her old childhood friend, Artemis.

-Artemis- he’s now a tech billionaire but once he was a shy, nerdy kid who was ruthlessly picked on at the home. He is not a very prominent character in the story but he is said to be very smart and calculating by the others. Arty informs Jenna that he thinks Derek is out to kill them all and start to work together to figure out why.

-Nico- Nico was abandoned by his mother after his father lost his life to the O’Leary mob group. Nico was in love with a girl named Annie while at the home, but Annie goes missing along with a long list of other girls and he is forever affected by it. He now has a gambling addiction and recently has taken a job working on a tv show that revolves around miners and was lured into a cave that was detonated, trapping him inside. Luckily he escapes but finds himself drawn back to the town where the event 25 years ago took place.

-Donnie- the rockstar of the group, he finds himself partying and boozing his way through life. That is until he is forced by a mysterious woman to jump off the cruise ship his band is playing on. Miraculously, he survives the plunge into the ocean and is rescued by a nearby boat. Finding out in the hospital that his best friend of the group, Benny, has been killed, spurs him into action and leads him back to the town of the event.

Ben/Benny- he’s the only character of color and a judge who we don’t get to hear from. He is dead in the story, believed to be murdered by someone he put away as a lawyer years ago. Ben shows up though in flashbacks and as a voice inside Donnie’s head. They were best friends and Ben leaves behind a message for Donnie prior to his death that helps the group figure out what is really happening to all of them in the current situation.

While the story is definitely a wild one, it was very hard to believe any of it. Between Jenna’s unreal skill set and the events that take place and reveal the true person behind the threats to their lives, it’s all just too unbelievable. While I loved the mystery and clues unraveling, I was shocked to say the least about the reveal. I definitely will keep reading Alex Finlay’s work as I think it’s outside the normal thriller books, but this one fell a little flat for me.

A fast paced, action packed, popcorn thriller that had one of the strongest on the edge of your seat intros I've read in a while. It lost a little momentum mid way but the ending was very strong and satisfying. I especially enjoyed Jenna's character and would love to read her prequel story. A great choice if you need to get your heart pumping but you're too lazy to do any actual exercise! A great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this eARC.

I was very intrigued by the beginning and set-up of the characters in this book. Three people with a connected past all befall unusual circumstances where ultimately they are being chased and sought after to be killed. Sounds fun right? The ultimate race/chase for your life!

As the reader, we are flashed back and forth in time without and dates on the page, so it did get confusing at times keeping the many characters straight amongst the time period. Then the book continued to what felt like a non-stop action movie where the action took the plot rather than the history and storyline.

I ended up feeling pretty meh and underwhelmed by the book. One of those that started out with a lot of promise but petered out half way and limped to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the e-copy of this book.

I wanted to like this book, but I struggled to maintain interest throughout. The concept was interesting enough, but the plot felt strung out and laggy.

I enjoyed the heck out of The Night Shift, but this title missed the mark for me. I typically am a fan of multiple POV and timelines, but this felt disjointed to me. I found myself getting distracted easily reading this, but I think the plot itself was decent. May be better as audiobook or in final print/digital form

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Surprising amount of assassins. 5 stars for a DNF as I cannot comment on the overall quality of this book

This was such a fun fast paced thriller. The different perspectives kept the story line moving quickly. Leaving me at cliff hangers, I would have to read until I found out what happened to whoever was in trouble! The story line was a little far fetched, but it wasn't so unbelievable that it was distracting. I thought it was the perfect thriller to get me out of my reading slump. I always enjoy what Alex Finlay writes! I'm looking forward to his next one!

“𝑶𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆.”

To quote my friend Dennis (@ScaredStraightReads): “is it possible to have mixed opinions about a book and still enjoy it?!”; I think the answer is yes!

For the last three years, I have anticipated Alex Finlay’s newest thriller and this one was no different. Finlay once again does multiple perspectives so well, allowing you to get into the heads of three former siblings in foster care at a place called Saviour House: Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. It’s fun to discover all of their connections from living in Saviour House and wondering why someone wants to hunt them down hunt them down. Nico and Donnie are a bit whiney and it took me a while to connect with them, but Jenna is a pure badass. Her association with The Cooperation reminded me of something out of a James Patterson novel or the second season of the tv series Revenge. The prose is propulsive and well constructed, and I found myself very quickly turning the pages. I did miss the subtly and tension of Finlay’s other thrillers; this one is pure over-the-top action and is most definitely unbelievable. At the same time, I felt like that is part of its charm? The last 20% had some really good reveals in typical Finlay fashion. If you can imagine it as an action film, it offers a lot of entertainment.

What Have We Done is a story of hiding from the past, friendship, bravery, revenge, and betrayal. It is a cat and mouse thrill ride that is a pure popcorn thriller. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of What Have We Done by Alex Finlay. I really enjoyed Every Last Fear so I was excited to read another book by this author. This book is told by three different main characters and frequently bounces between the past and present day. The last part of the book was addicting and hard to put down. However, it could have been a little clearer and left some room for a more satisfyingly ending. I would certainly keep Alex Finlay on must read list

While I enjoyed this one, to be up front it was probably my least favorite of Alex Finlay’s books.
I think fans of Jason Borne or Jack Reacher will enjoy this one. It was very action packed with that kind of over the top badass action. I would also kinda describe the characters as over the top too.
It was fun! Just maybe not my typical cup of tea.
I will say the ending was great though. The whole last few chapters were so twisty I couldn’t figure out what was going to happen next.
So maybe the typical mystery/thriller reader might not love this one action fans will!

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay is an explosive thriller about three orphans from the same foster home as teens, with a secret from their past that is haunting them twenty five years later. Jenna is a stay at home mom, she has a voting husband and two step daughters she adores. Nico is a reality star with a hidden gambling problem that is catching up to him, and Donnie was the rocker from a decade ago with a drug and alcohol habit that he can’t seem to shake. As teenagers, the unlikely trio all lived at Savior House, until the group home was shut down after reports of kids disappearing under mysterious circumstances. It was also a time when the trio, plus two other teens, did something so bad, they swore to keep it a secret forever. But someone knows about their past, and they are now trying to kill them, a quarter of a century later. They must now come together once more, after all this time, to figure out who has dug up the nightmare they thought they left behind, before they each end up dead.

This was a tough one to get through. I have read other books by Alex Finley, and absolutely loved them, I feel this wasn’t his best work. The characters lacked something, they weren’t very likable, but Jenna’s story peaked my interest most. I was confused often, not really seeing where the connection was, especially when the contract killers were exposed. The ending picked up, there was a lot of action, and a twist with a surprise ending, that I enjoyed. Some of this was predictable, but most of it was just meh. I’ll still keep Alex Finlay on my list of favorite authors, and chalk this one up to a one-off.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and Alex Finlay for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book starts off like an action movie and I was entirely into it. I accepted that yes, this would be unrealistic and far from life and I loved the story until the 60% mark. After that, something happened, and the whole thing became a mess. The revealing twist was weird, to say the least, there were so many better ways to handle the situation (but of course then we wouldn't have a book).
Overall, this is not a bad book to read between heavier reads, it was fun and full of action. However, it all felt too easy, and messy, and had me roll my eyes so many times.

This was my first book by this author. I will say I felt as though this was your average thriller. Medium paced with a description that hooks a reader but a story line that has little plot twists. Everything was much expected in this story and the plot twists (assuming it had any) were very much expected. Still the story was overall good and I would recommend to other readers.

Findlay did it again! Decent pacing, unique characters, and twists and turns. I would have finished this much faster, but life got in the way. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Minotaur books for the gifted ARC of this one!

Overall I really enjoyed this book! I loved the back and forth between past and present. It kept the book so interesting. I also liked the multiple point of views. This was unlike any thriller I’ve read before and I liked the group home background. It made it that much more intriguing.
The narrators for this audiobook were fantastic! I always really enjoy books read by Brittany Pressley - she does such a good job!
Overall I definitely recommend this book!

This was a fast-paced thriller that actually gave me a satisfying ending!

Alex Finlay brings us What Have We Done where four old friends are reunited after 25 years… the reunion being their failed assassinations.

They soon learn they have become targets due to a secret of their past. The story alternates between past and present with multiple POVs bringing forth the horrors of their childhood in a group home for foster children.

I read this book in less than 2 days. It’s fast paced and intriguing. The characters are interesting and multifaceted. I would recommend this to those looking for their next thriller novel.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher St-Martin’s Press and the author Alex Finlay.
I was so ecstatic to be approved for the latest novel by this author. I really enjoyed the mystery, the characters, the crazy dilemma they were in.
How your actions from your past affect your future. How it traumatized people.
Overall a good read.
Recommend