You can’t outrun your past. Twenty-five years ago, five teenagers kill the man who runs Savior House, the group home where they have the misfortune of living and whose name is a misnomer. They believe the man, Mr. Brood, is responsible for the disappearance of multiple female residents of the group home.

The five teenagers have built successful lives for themselves, although Donnie’s addiction to drugs and alcohol has dimmed the luster of his music career and is about to cost him his band, while Nico’s gambling addiction, attitude, and commitment issues have cost him his fiancée and left him unsatisfied despite being the executive producer of the hottest reality TV show, which is about West Virginia coal miners. Jenna has a nice life now, but she had a rather unconventional career to reach this point and cannot be assured that it will not have consequences later. Artemis is a tech billionaire and would seem to be the most successful of the group, but his money cannot make up for what is missing in his life. Ben was arguably the most successful, with a federal judgeship and a loving family.

However, Ben is murdered, and attempts are made on the lives of the other four. Because of the nature of the murder attempts and the aftermath, it takes a while before Nico, Jenna, and Donnie learn about the attempts on the lives of the others and realize the common denominator is events from a quarter century earlier. This will eventually lead them back to the Pennsylvania backwater of Chestertown.

The story alternates between the past (events at Savior House) and the present, with the present chapters alternating between Jenna, Donnie, Nico, and the contract killers. The contract killers are an unusual and sadistic duo, with one killer favoring a rather unconventional weapon for torturing and killing targets. The story has plenty of surprises, including who is responsible for the events of twenty-five years ago coming to light and who hired the contract killers. I liked that Ben, who uncovers the truth first, but does not live to talk about it, leaves literary clues to help the others uncover the truth.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

There were some very cool aspects of Alex Finlay’s latest novel. Great characters (Jenna was my favorite, but Donnie deserves respect) and a pretty solid storyline. I liked the whole troubled childhood/foster home weirdness that was the setting for the characters upbringing.

The whole mystery of who is out to kill the main characters was well done as well as the side characters (the twins were great and scary), but this is where I felt a little shorted story wise. The reasoning for the cover up is understandable, but having a little more substance in the story would have been nice. It’s there, just a little overshadowed by everything else that was going on.

The ending was satisfying though. There was some good stuff happening and a decent enough twist to redeem the storyline a bit. Overall, this was a good novel with a lot of suspense and an overall solid story arch. Some more clarification (or cut out some of the less important details) and it’s 5 stars.

Alex Finlay - auto buy author!

He’s back with another thriller surrounding a group of very different adults who all spent a portion of their teen years living in a group home for orphans and broken homes. What do a rock star, a tech billionaire, a reality tv producer, a judge and a retired hit woman have in common? A 25 year old secret at the bottom of a hole. And a pair of bloodthirsty hit women on their trail to clean it up…

One sitting read. 🤯

I hate giving two stars, but I couldn't get into this one. The story is from multiple POVs and it's just messy, and unoriginal. I feel like the author told us the story, instead of showing us. I found that I really didn't care what was going to happen with these characters.

The story follows three people who lived together in a group home 25 years prior. Their past is sneaking up on them. There's so much potential here but unfortunately it just falls flat. Hopefully you all will love this more than I did!

Thanks @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced copy for my honest review.

Alex Findlay has written a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will read more books by Findlay and recommend it to my friends.

4 friends meet at a group home where several girls disappear. Years later, someone is targeting these 4 friends and they want to figure out why after all of this time has passed.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! What Have We Done is a story about five friends who endured unspeakable horrors in an orphanage-like home when they were younger and are bonded over one night they can never take back. 25 years later, it is clear that someone is out to get them, killing one and coming very close with two others. I thought that Finlay did an incredible job keeping the reader on their toes - I never knew what to expect and I couldn't trust a soul. I appreciated the ending, because everyone deserves the life for which they have wished.

This was a fast paced suspense focusing on a group of friends who did a bad thing. Chapters flip flop from multiple points of view, as well as timelines. While at times, there were a lot of characters to keep straight, the plot kept moving and all the pieces of the puzzle came together.

While I prefer the author’s other works to this one, the action and story did keep me hooked until the very end. I enjoyed the multiple POVS and flashbacks, however, I would liked of spent more time in the past and learning more of what went on then. The twins are probably the most inept assassins I’ve ever read about but I suppose it would of ruined the story if they were actually good at their job 😉

This is an assassin story.. Not sure I expected that top of plot based on the description. Jenna, Donnie, Nico and others became bonded to each other when they lived together in a horrific group home “the Savior House”. Events in that place tied them together for life and are the reason their lives are thrown back together 25 years later. For a mystery/thriller/suspense story to work for me I need at least one of these things:: interesting characters, fast paced plot, compelling mystery or puzzle . Unfortunately this didn’t meet these criteria.
I liked Jenna a lot. If the POV had been just here, this might have worked better for me. I cared about her present day and her past. I really just did not care for Donnie or Nico’s stories. This was just a hot mess with too much going on. Too many main characters . Wasn’t sure if I was supposed to care about the past our present. With flashbacks to the past plus alternating chapters from many POV I just couldn’t engage.

If you like action movies, assassins or over the top stories; this might be for you! I wanted this to feel more like the author’s previous novel. Definitely different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of What Have We Done in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty five years ago, something dark was happening at Savior House, a group home for orphans in Chestertown, Pennsylvania, and several girls went missing. That is, until five teens—Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Arty, and Ben—found a way to put a stop to it. But now, in the present, someone seems to seeking revenge on those five. Ben has been murdered, and attempts have been made on the lives of the other four. Will they be able to figure out who’s hunting them down, and why, before it’s too late?

As is Mr. Finlay’s style, the story in What Have We Done is told by shifting narrators, mostly in the present but with occasional memories to relate moments from the past. The alternation of narrators does a nice job of slowly revealing little morsels about what happened, the characters’ various secrets, and the occasional red herring. The writing is strong, and the short, staccato chapters propel the story forward.

That said, What Have We Done didn’t work for me as well as Mr. Finlay’s earlier novels. What happened in the past was largely predictable, and the one piece of it that wasn’t predictable was never adequately explained. What was happening in the present was far too dependent on debatable choices (especially the one that put the whole story in motion), and several unrealistic characters (Jenna, Haley and Casey).

What Have We Done has an interesting premise (though not necessarily an original one). But I think the story sacrifices some emotional depth and logic, and leaves some complicated ideas unexplored, focusing instead on creating lots of action sequences. It’s not a bad book, just a bit underwhelming. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I'll be honest, I saw Alex Finlay's name and immediately requested without even reading the blurb, which is totally my fault. The whole premise of this book is not one I really enjoy... It was DEFINITELY action/adventure which I know some people love, but I don't. Not loving the genre is not a reason for a lower star rating (imo), so my reasoning for that is down below.

I want to start by saying I LOVE this author. I mean hello, I requested this without reading the blurb 🤣 I have absolutely loved his other two books, Every Last Fear and The Night Shift. I was SO excited to read this one, and while I did enjoy it quite a lot - I did not love it. I felt that the writing was a bit chaotic and hard to follow, especially with all of the random flashbacks happening. I think 'chaotic' was the point, however that's not really a style of writing that I enjoy.

I do think MANY people will love this one! Thank you for my gifted e-ARC.

I'm going to call this one an Action Thriller in the vein of the TV series, Alias, with Jennifer Garner playing Sydney Bristow. If that is your jam, this is the book for you. Lots of implausible action to propel the storyline of a group home called Savior House and the teens that ran from it 25 years earlier. The body count rises as do the amount of villains that get more outlandish as it goes. A quick read for those that want to jump on the ride.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to my early copy. All opinions are mine.
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3.75 rounded up. Held my interest and the twists were good. Just felt a little long. But was fast paced and engaging enough that I stayed up late reading every night.

New author to me and I liked parts of this book - but sometimes the subject matter was a bit too heavy. I'm not usually a fan of books with multiple perspectives but in this book it worked better than some. The action kept the book moving and made it a good read. I will definitely read this author again and look forward to the next book. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins press for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another fast paced and entertaining read from Alex Finlay! Twenty-five years ago a small group of children did something horrible. Now as adults they are being reunited because someone is trying to kill them.

I enjoyed this from start to finish. It’s action packed and hard to set aside once you start reading! Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.

Thankful to have had an opportunity to read this book! I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Following each of the characters separate stories chapter by chapter and how it all came together in the end made this book both suspenseful and interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. Alex Finlay is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Looking forward to what he comes up with next!

3.5 rounded up. 5 teens have a secret and have done their best to live life and not think about that night. 25 years has gone by and it now seems to be coming after them, attempting to end each of their lives, who is behind these attacks? Does have some over the top story lines, very twisty and told from 4 different perspectives that flow pretty well without causing confusion. Not my favorite by the author but definitely worth a read!!

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins press for my advanced electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review!!

ARC from NetGalley.
Not my favorite. Could not get connected enough to finish. Seemed too unrealistic for my preference.

Wow! This book was such a wild adventure. From the minute the first character was introduced the story took off and didn't slow down until the very end. I loved how the characters were explored from their past to their current lives and how those experiences shaped who they are as well as how they responded to the current threat in their lives.

I had no clue who the mastermind behind the situation was until it was revealed in the book! I also loved the strong female characters.