This is a wonderfully crafted suspense filled mystery! Told through alternating points of view this story is laid out in such a deceitful (but thrilling) way, that you fall for the misdirection, and curse yourself when what you think you know, you don't know. Well at least I did!

This was exciting and very entertaining. I absolutely loved The Night Shift so I was really excited to get an early copy of this (thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress!), and even though it didn't quite live up, it was still a really fun read.
*Quick synopsis: Twenty-five years ago, four teens were living in an abusive group home where kids kept mysteriously disappearing. Now, one of the four have been murdered, and someone is trying to kill the rest of them. Could it be that something from their past has come back to haunt them?
*
Multiple POVs, short chapters, lots of action scenes, this will absolutely keep you on the edge of your seat. While there isn't necessarily a *ton* of character development (this is very much a plot-driven story!) each of the three main characters has a unique voice and flaws and I enjoyed each of their perspectives.
*
This does require a good bit of suspension of disbelief, and I still have some questions about how some of the plot points came together, but even when I didn't understand what was happening, I was still excited to find out what was coming. And I did like the epilogue, specifically Jenna's part.
*IMO The Night Shift was better, but this was still a fun, very bingeable read!

I enjoyed this thriller that kept me guessing for most of the story. I wished there was further character development as their stories seemed so complex, but we just scratched the surface. It was a tad 'formulaic' in nature so I knew where things were headed but all in all, it was an enjoyable read.

Alex Finlay brings us another great mystery thriller in his newest release. This book has one of my favorite tropes which is when something happens to a group of friends when they're younger and then they reunite years later for one reason or another. Jenna, Donnie, and Nico bonded as teens when they lived together at a group home. The environment was abusive and led to events that would haunt these three for years to come. As adults, they begin to be pulled in when a mutual friend winds up dead and the others are each attacked in various ways. Will they be able to stay alive long enough to solve the mystery of who is coming after them?

Finlay does a great job of building the suspense and keeping the reader on their toes. The narrative switches from one friend to the next so you can never see clearly what is coming next. While this was tricky to track when listening on audio, it wasn't an issue with the print copy. I found each of the characters engaging and their stories unique. I wanted them to win in the end and wasn't sure they would. They have to face their horrid past and you feel for them and dread it right along with them.

If you are a fan of suspense, you will enjoy this book. It has twists and turns with each page that keep you reading since you cannot put the book down. I look forward to reading more from Finlay in the future.

What a wild ride! Alex Finlay has done it again with his latest book, What Have We Done. I love thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you guessing (at least for a good part of the book).

The story centers on five teens who became friends in an abusive group home, who are now adults, and someone is trying to kill each of them. They jointly harbor a secret (hence the title!) from back then, but have each gone their separate ways and have not been in touch for years and years. You gradually learn their backstories and how their lives have evolved and brought them to their current situations. Be prepared for frequent switches between the present and the past.

The chapters vary in terms of POV (point of view) - either Jenna, Donnie or Nico. Their friend Ben is dead and we don’t get a chapter from Arty’s POV. Finlay does a great job with the atmospheric details; I could “see” the group home and the rundown neighborhoods he describes. A particularly creepy section focused on being in an underground mine.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook has a number of distinct narrators who all do a wonderful job: Brittany Pressley; James Patrick Cronin; Jon Lindstrom; Maggie Thompson. I love it when audiobooks have more than one narrator.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

▪️Strong beginning and ending.
▪️A small lull in the middle.
▪️Couldn’t figure out who was behind it.
▪️Lots of action but only surface level character development.
▪️Completely unbelievable.
▪️I enjoy his writing but think I enjoyed his first two books more. This one had a different vibe.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

3.5⭐️

We start in the past... 25 years ago... In a children's home where Donnie, Jenna and Nico were best friends. Something happened. Something dark. And then the home was shut after several other children disappeared and our trio was split up.
Back in the present and they are all leading very different lives. Mostly successful but also troubled by what happened in their childhoods. They haven't met up, or been in contact since the home was closed, but are forced to reconnect when they find out that someone wants them dead... In fact two of their original gang of five have already fallen foul...
Oooo, have I whetted your appetite yet? Well, sit back, buckle up and get ready for one heck of a ride. Albeit a tad over the top larger than life, hence the dropped star. Entertaining though it most definitely was.
As well as being a bit over action packed for what I thought was more of a suspense storyline, I also found it a bit hard to connect to the characters. probably more a me thing than anything bad the author did but I think that might have marred my enjoyment somewhat along the way as I failed to really get behind them.
It does have a lot of good point though. It's quite cleverly funny in places and did make me chuckle along the way. Which I think kept me going. And it did enough to hold my attention throughout - eye rolls and all. But it didn't quite do it for me enough for all the stars. Even though parts were deliciously bonkers.
All in all, not the authors best but a solid read nonetheless if you like your books on the action-packed side. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Dear What Have We Done,
You were so intriguing for me! You had some maybe delicate threads that you brought together. I loved each of the three characters. Jenna was such a unique female character, especially given her history with The Company. I think a whole story about her time with The Company would be fascinating! Donnie and Nico were also so interesting. Iso successful, but so troubled about their past. None of them could escape what happened to them at Savior House and the thing that brought them together. Each one of them were fighting their own addictions and hurts, trying to bury secrets and not succeeding. The way everything was brought that to a head, with so many twists and turns was interesting and sometimes surprising as well. You were quite the thrill ride!

Wow. This was a very action packed mystery-thriller. I don’t think there’s three consecutive pages where something big or action packed wasn’t happening. Definitely kept my interest the whole time, I was dying to know what was going to happen next.

There was so much detail in this book! I applaud the author for giving these characters so much depth. There were so many little things that just made the characters seem more real.

I will say, I found Jenna’s POV to be fairly unrealistic. She’s running around like a superhuman, knowing exactly where she needs to go and what she needs to do in an instant. I understand she has a certain background that helps with this, but it was hardly believable.

The climax lasted too long in my opinion. Everything was getting revealed very quickly, and then more was revealed, and more, and things kept happening, and the whole climax lasted for so long! With the amount of mysteries that had to be revealed, I understand taking a long time to reveal so the reader can digest, however this book revealed things very quickly but still had the action happening. I personally didn’t like that, but some people might like the extended action.

I will also say, I absolutely hated the ending (the very very end). It was totally unnecessary, I don’t see a need for it whatsoever. It brought back a character and added a whole new dimension to the book only to end it like 5 pages later with a very convenient ending. It definitely could have ended before the epilogue, I didn’t get anything out of that ending whatsoever.

Despite these things I didn’t love about the book, it was a very well thought out and unique book that I enjoyed. I do recommend it, perhaps not as heavily as some other thrillers I’ve read recently, but it was a wild ride that I’m glad I took.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book!

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of What Have We Done by Alex Finlay.

Jenna, Nico, and Donnie, once friends in a trauma filled group home, are now grown and making the best of their lives. They have lost touch, but will always remain tethered by what they endured as kids. Now they are forced to have a reunion when all of them are threatened with violence and danger. Jenna is given a hit job that isn't optional, Donnie is thrown over the cruise ship he is working, and Nico is trapped in the mine where he has a reality TV show. It's clear right away that these aren't just flukes, and they are all going to have to work together to find out who is out to get them.

Normally this kind of book is right up my alley, but I unfortunately really struggled with it. I found myself constantly having to repeat chapters. It felt a bit messy, like the transfer between past and present were way too abrupt. I just couldn't get firm enough with the story to really dive in.

I read this author’s debut novel, “The Night Shift”, and was pretty unimpressed by it being a basic mystery story. I decided to give it a try again with their third book, but unfortunately I was equally unimpressed by this one as well.

There were a million characters it seemed, but our main three are:

Jenna, a once-miniature Nikita. As a young woman, she was kidnapped from a group home and trained to be an assassin. She has left that life and “The Corporation” behind, and is now a suburban stepmom.

Donnie Danger is an aging rocker, dealing with demons, drugs and alcohol. His best friend Benny (also from the group home, “Savior House”) had just died at the beginning of the book, and Donnie was taking it hard.

Nico is a reality show producer with a lame show about miners. He also is an alumni of this group home, though he tries not to remember those days.

Here’s the whole book: these three did something bad when they were kids, and now over two decades later, they’re paying for it. There are more characters than needed, the plot was completely implausible, and overall I’m realizing this author just isn’t my style. Three stars for being fine, but nothing notable.

(Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Alex Finlay, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on March 7, 2023.)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of What Have We Done for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into the story due to the introduction of each character but, I feel like it added to the story in the end. You really get a feel for who these characters are and why their actions make sense based on their trauma and past.

This mystery/secret agent thriller is perfect for those looking for adventure, friendship, and a good plot twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wild ride - I binged the entire book in a day and have no regrets. It is fast paced, with some very flawed characters that you can't help but root for (mostly). I could picture most of the book as a movie and it ended quite well (mostly). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fast-paced book.

@alexfinlayauthor’s newest book, What Have We Done Grabs your attention with the first line and holds on to it to the very end with heart pounding twists, short chapters, dual timelines, and multiple POVs. This book kept me up past my bed time to read just one more chapter. It sealed this author in the “must buy” category for me. I highly recommend reading this mystery thriller!

Thank you @minotaur_books and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

Five kids did something bad 25 years ago! And now a sociopathic, set of twin female assassins tries to hunt each of them. The story is narrated in 3 pov. Nico, Donnie, Ben, Art and Jenna are the characters who meet after losing their love ones and end up at Savior House. There is someone killing young girls the kids believe it is a monster also they are being bullied by other members of the house.

Now we move forward into the future Ben a father of a young girl a district Judge who was the smartest of the group is killed. Someone is coming after them and it is up to the four left to figure out who it is and to stop them.

The story character development seemed off a bit but the overall mystery was good. For this reason I have mixed feelings about the story. I don't want to give any more information away about the story.
I do recommend it for its fast pace and the mystery part of this thriller.

Narrated by Brittany Pressley; James Patrick Cronin; Jon Lindstrom and Maggie Thompson which made following each character easier for they had their own voice. I would like to read something else from this author in the future the murder aspect of the story was really good. If you like thrillers with some mystery then this one will be fore you.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of What Have We Done for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions I expressed in this review are my own.

Alex Finlay is a master of suspense and densely woven plots with a multitude of guessing games. I gave this book four stars (well 4.5 but they won't let me do half) because unfortunately he has set a very high precedent for himself with his first two absolutely brilliant novels. This one didn't quite hit the height of the previous two.

That being said, I still plowed through the book in 2 sittings, staying up far later than I should to find out just a little more.

A misfit group of foster kids at Savior House are dismayed to notice young girls are going missing. When the new girl, Jenna, finds out she is to be taken shortly, the other four boys in the group band together to save her. This leads to a grisly solution.

Fast forward many years. Jenna is now a housewife. The bookworm who was always seeking justice is now a respected judge. The boy noodling with the guitar is a former rockstar. The boy who loves computers who they referred to as robot is now a tech genius. The last is a hotshot Hollywood producer of a successful reality show. Someone has dug up the past. Someone wants them all dead. Someone who knows about that they've done.

This book is great whether you are a Finlay fan (I am! More please!) or if you're just being introduced. I strongly recommend this book if you enjoy good suspense.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alex Finlay for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for What Have We Done coming out March 7, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A stay-at-home mom with a past.
A has-been rock star with a habit.
A reality TV producer with a debt.
Three disparate lives.
One deadly secret.

Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were best friends 25 years ago. They grew up together in Savior House, a foster home for teens. They’ve cemented their friendship, forming a bond through the abuse they endured. The home gets shut down after the disappearance of several kids. The three friends get split up.

Though the trauma has never left them, each go on to live accomplished―if troubled―lives. They haven’t seen each other since they were teens but one day they reunite for a single reason: someone is trying to kill them. To survive, the group will have to relive the nightmares of their childhoods and face their past together. Why does someone wants them dead?

Overall, I loved this book! I have a few of his books, but this is the first one I’ve finished. The short chapters are my favorite. It definitely felt fast-paced and full of action and mystery. I don’t want to give too much away, but I loved the growth of the relationship between Jenna and her stepdaughter. I thought the bonding over being chased was fun. There were some lighthearted, funny moments that broke up the high stakes. I wasn’t really expecting that kind of backstory for the characters, so I loved the surprise.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys assassin/secret agent stories!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It takes a bit to get into the story and get all the characters straight but once invested yo u’ll be glad you preserved.. The chapters are well written and fast paced. The characters are diverse and interesting. It’s well worth the read!
Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Alex Finlay for the opportunity to read this ARC

Five friends who share a dark secret from their childhood find their paths crossing once again when each one is targeted to be killed by a female assassin. But the question is, who hired the woman trying to kill them, and why!

I really enjoyed this book! The storytelling was great and flowed so easily making it a pageturner. There were so many storyline going on, with lots of sneaky twists thrown in. Each character was well defined and I found myself liking and disliking each of them at different times. I was definitely kept on edge, and just when I thought I knew who was behind it all, another curve was thrown in. Alex Finlay will definitely be on my TBR list from now on.

4.5 stars! Fast-paced and edge of your seat reading! 25 years ago, a group of friends did a very bad thing. A very bad thing that may have saved them at the time. The kids were orphans, living in a group home called Savior House. Several girls kept disappearing. It was all very hush, hush.
Now 3 of the friends, Nico, Jenna and Donnie, are being hunted for that very thing that happened 25 years ago. Their friend, Benny, a federal judge, is already dead. Any of them could be next if they don't figure out what is going on and who was actually at fault for the missing girls of the past.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for this e-arc.*