Thriller/Mystery

Pulse pounding excitement throughout.

Ryan is trying to overcome a horrific incident from his past - his girlfriend, Alison, was abducted while they were making out in the car. She and the car were never found, and Ryan has had the cloud of suspicion hanging over his head ever since. Recently, the car has been found, but the bodies in the car are two men. The worst event in his life cannot be forgotten - hopefully, he can find the truth - once and for all.

In another POV-Poppy McGee has just taken a job as a deputy sheriff in her hometown. Just as she is getting settled, a car with dead bodies in it is found in the town's lake. Thrown right into the thick of things, Poppy must navigate being the new girl while trying to solve a 5-year-old murder case.

In yet another POV - we get the story of a man forced to be a bookkeeper for a mob boss. Things go awry and he and his daughter's lives are in danger.

How these storylines intersect is both interesting and skillfully woven. Another tremendous thriller from Finlay.

Another great read by Alex Finlay. When Ryan was a teenager, he and his girlfriend are out on a rainy night, and they are attacked and his girlfriend is abducted. Five years later, Ryan has never gotten out from under the cloud of suspicion that his story of what happened isn't true and he has something to do with her abduction. It follows him wherever he goes. Now a law student, and on a trip to Italy, his past seems to catch up with him again as his girlfriend's car is found submerged in their hometown lake with two dead bodies in it. Alex Finlay creates a fast paced, crime thriller that paints a picture of what happened before and what is happening now.

Alex Finlay creates clues for you to follow, based on his multiple POV narration that start to unravel the story of Ryan, Allison, Poppy and many other well created characters. The plot twists in If Something Happens to Me were on point and kept me on the edge of my seat. I think this was a well done, gripping read.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Alex Finlay for the eARC of If Something Happens to Me. Publication Date for If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay was 28 May 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

No surprises here, I enjoyed another Alex Finlay novel! Some of the highs for me included the alternating points of view and the pace of the novel, I thought it was the perfect length. It took me about 50 pages to feel connected with the story. but once I did, I thought the novel picked up and the plot developed well.

I also enjoyed how the novel felt like multiple mysteries mixed into one- sometimes it can be hard to keep track of all of the different twists and turns, but I thought the flow worked.

I look forward to reading more by Finlay in the future.

I read this one in a day. I liked how you don’t know what happened to Allison and how a lot of the characters are connected.

I appreciate the digital copy from NetGalley and the publisher, but I couldn’t wait for Finlay’s newest novel to end. No thrills, dull characters and a blah ending that I skimmed through. Skip this one!!

This was an enjoyable read that kept my interest all the way through. It had a fun twist halfway through that probably should not have surprised me, but it did.

Multi POVs in a thriller are my favourite! I went into this blind, not really knowing what to expect and I highly recommend doing the same.
I liked how there were sub-plots throughout the story which made it so much more enjoyable to read.
thank you to SMP and Minotaur books for my advanced copy!

“𝐎𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭.”

Alex Finlay has become a reliable storyteller for a solid action-packed read filled with mystery. His latest is no exception.

Finlay is at it again, with a prologue that truly has you sucked into the story and propelling the rest of the book: what happened to Ali the night she was taken and why? Although there are lots of perspectives to keep track up, Finlay does a great job at making each distinct. I adored Poppy, the new deputy sheriff - she’s smart, driven, and cares about others, especially her brother, Dash. My only complaint is I would’ve loved to see more of their interactions in the last half of the book, as Dash seemed to just fade away. Finlay also does a great job at building empathy for Ryan, who has tried to sort out his life the past five years and not be haunted by suspicions over Allison’s disappearance. He’s a sympathetic character who has shut people out as he’s tried to move on, and I loved seeing him slowly realize that he has people in his corner to lean on. Even Finlay’s supposedly ‘bad’ characters are multi-faceted; nothing is pure black and white, reflecting many of the people we meet in real life. The reveal of how the three main narratives link together was satisfying, and the short chapters kept the pages turning. Although the denouement needed a bit of suspension of belief, it was still a lot of fun to see it play out.

If Something Happens To Me is a story of vengeance, secrets, fear, and closure. It’s the perfect popcorn thrill ride that has all the elements that would make an excellent movie adaptation. This is another winner from Alex Finlay. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was my third by this author, and he continues to write books that are fast paced and continues to keep me guessing. I enjoyed the many points of view to get many sides of this story, even if it did get confusing at times. I recommend this book to someone who has enjoyed this authors previous work or are looking for a quick easy mystery that keeps you guessing,

I was happy to have the opportunity to read as well as 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 finished 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. The book was well written and the audio was very well performed.

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

Another hit from Alex Finlay!

5 Stars!!

When Ryan Richardson was a teenager he and his girlfriend are attacked on a local love'rs lane. Although wounded Ryan survived but Allison and the car disappeared without a trace. Five years later Ryan is still under suspicion and haunted by that fateful night. Now a law student his world shifts on its axis when he spots the attacker while on a college trip to Rome. Ryan abandons everything to follow him. Meanwhile halfway around the world in his hometown divers discover Allison's car submerged in a lake. The car reveals two male bodies yet no Allison raising even more doubts and concern. Where is Allison? Alex Finlay is adept at penning a fast paced crime thriller and this latest one is no exception. With well drawn characters, cryptic clues, plot twists on a world stage this narrative has much to offer the reader. Told from three very diverse points of view with a fast paced plot I found it gripping and compelling. Although there was a lot of action with characters moving rapidly from place to place with shifts in time I had no difficulty staying engaged. If you are looking for a gripping intense read add this to your to-be-read list.

This book takes so many twists and turns! I went into this one partially blind, knowing only that it is about a man who many years ago witnessed his girlfriend get abducted right in front of him. This is a pretty far fetched book so if that is going to bother you then this may not be the book for you, but I thought it was a really fun ride. I did not see the majority of the plot twists coming and can't wait to read more from this author!

Alex Finlay books always make me physically nervous and tense. 😳 This one was no different. There are a lot of characters (his books all have many characters) but somehow I keep them all straight because he does an amazing job of writing a clear voice for each one. This books has so many different storylines right from the start and I was just waiting for them to finally intersect. And of course they did with the most interesting and unique little twist! I love how fast paced his books are. I always stay up way too late reading them because it’s so easy to say “just one more chapter”. It does require a bit of suspension of belief but that’s pretty common in this genre. I highly recommend this book if you need a suspenseful, twisty, fast paced thriller this summer. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Read if you like:
▫️a lot of characters
▫️mob storylines
▫️short chapters

First time reading Alex Finlay and that was such an exciting and fast paced read! I enjoyed all the twists and turns throughout the story. I definitely need to read this authors backlog.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were interesting and, I thought, multifaceted. There were parts of even the antagonists that were relatable. This is my first read from this author, but I’m officially a fan, and will be checking out the backlist.

Isn’t it exciting when you discover an author who just gets you? One who understands your insatiable need for wild twists, a compelling story, solid characters, and the bloody ripple effect of a bullying incident that spreads from Philadelphia to Italy and beyond? Stories that involve kidnappers with missing pinkies, vengeful mobsters, fallen basketball stars, and anxiety-inducing hot air balloon rides? No? Just me?

OK, to be fair, those last bits are part of Alex Finlay’s latest thriller, If Something Happens to Me, which, in typical Finlay fashion, crams in a startling amount of story, layers, and detail without losing the plot. I really don’t know how he does it. Like, does his book planning process involve a complicated conspiracy wall complete with red thread and character mug shots, à la that Charlie Day meme? Maybe the world’s largest collection of sticky notes? That pill from Limitless? (Yes, the Bradley Cooper movie I think I’m the only one who actually saw?) I digress.

The Night Shift was a five-star read for me, and I really enjoyed his 2021 novel Every Last Fear as well, so I was excited to find that this was another winner. (Remind me to read the rest of his catalog ASAP.) (. . . . just don’t tell the stack of unread books already collecting dust on my nightstand.) I may not have liked it quite as much as the other two (which I’ll get into a little bit below), but this is undoubtedly an author with a gift for weaving a complicated web of intersecting characters, timelines, and motivations.

To be totally honest, I only really had one issue while reading this novel: Ryan. Very sad, very broken, and very — I’m sorry — annoying Ryan.

Ryan has put Ali on such a pedestal that he’s essentially manic pixie dream girl-ed her memory — she wouldn’t waste her time filming fun TikToks like his female law-school classmates; she wouldn’t be so crass as to wear contouring makeup, or show off their outfits on Instagram, like the girls on his trip abroad. She was always too cool for that, too down to earth, too artsy, and no one can compare.

And listen: when your high school sweetheart is ripped out of a car right in front of you, never to be seen again, I get how that would be traumatic! I get how that trauma might linger! Completely understandable. But his casual misogynistic commentary, however banal, about every other woman he comes into contact with? Not understandable. Boo-fucking-hoo your “smart” female classmates took time out of their mornings to do Kardashian-level makeup during their fancy trip to Italy. Grow up, Ryan.

For me, his POV, though initially interesting since it gives us a direct line to the night of Ali’s abduction in the prologue, felt largely inconsequential up until the end. For about 85 percent of the book, he seemed more deserving of side character status rather than one of the main entry points into what was happening. I felt myself itching to skim his chapters, wishing the time spent on him was used to flesh out a certain military veteran’s backstory instead (though I understand why the author avoided doing that). Alas.

I guess I have to respect Alex Finlay for seeing not one, not two, not three, not even four character POVs/timelines/narratives, and saying, “You know what? Not enough.” There’s a hell of a lot going on in If Something Happens to Me, from Ryan’s adventures across Italy, England, and France, to a young deputy determined to get to the bottom of the Alison Lane case back home in Kansas. And as I said, I think the author keeps a consistent handle on things; it never feels like the story gets away from him. That’s also why the book seems to fly by, even though it clocks in at nearly 350 pages. Excellent pacing.

Ryan-related issues aside, If Something Happens To Me is a great summer thriller, with a hook that will especially appeal to true crime fans and a cinematic, action-packed conclusion. Don’t miss it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A totally unputdownable thriller, this book will have you gripped from the very first page until the jaw-dropping final twist. The ending was little bit rushed and far fetched but I would still recommend it.

If Something Happens to Me was a fast paced murder mystery. If you like the ruthless mobster feel of organized crime, you will enjoy this book. I cruised through the chapters while enjoying a few unseen twists in the plot. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Catch them if you can.

This started off so well and I didn’t want to put it down. However, there started to be too many characters and it started to get confusing who was who and which characters were connected. Other than that, this was a really good story with some interesting twists! I normally don’t really enjoy stories like this, won’t give any spoilers, but this one was a pleasant surprise and the different layers intertwining made it much more interesting! I would definitely recommend everyone to read this if you like mysteries and different characters being connected in multiple ways and it all wraps up in the end. I look forward to reading other books by this author!

We follow multiple point of views in this mystery...bad guys, cops, victims...we see all their sides of the stories! It makes for a very interesting book!
I found some turns expected, but some not...and as soon as I thought things were solved they were back in trouble again!
An exciting ride to figure out what happened, who did it and even where is the victim really?