Ryan Richardson has spent five years haunted by the disappearance of his girlfriend Ali after a violent incident. Despite suspicion surrounding him, he's moved on, changing his name and pursuing law school. However, when Ali's car is discovered with a cryptic note inside, Ryan's past comes rushing back. As he travels across Europe in search of answers, he discovers unexpected allies and dangerous adversaries. "If Something Happens to Me" weaves together multiple perspectives in a gripping thriller that showcases Alex Finlay's mastery of the genre. This heart-pounding thriller kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The short chapters, multiple perspectives, and creative twists make for an exhilarating read that I couldn't put down. The fast-paced narrative takes you on a rollercoaster ride across continents, weaving together the stories of compelling characters whose paths intersect in unexpected ways. Finlay's skillful storytelling and masterful pacing make this a must-read for fans of the genre. I was thoroughly entertained and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping and immersive thriller experience. Five stars without a doubt!

A law student fighting with the memories of a traumatic event runs into someone connected to his past while on vacation. The encounter sends running for his life, all while he’s trying to clear his name. Author Alex Finlay returns with a fun thriller that gets a little too intricate in the mostly enjoyable book If Something Happens to Me.

Ryan Richardson is on a trip in Italy with his fellow law school classmates. He’s supposed to be enjoying the fully-funded excursion, but he can’t help thinking of his high school love, Alison Lane. Five years earlier, on what was supposed to be a special night during their senior year of high school, someone knocked Ryan unconscious and abducted Ali. She’s been missing ever since.

As if the event wasn’t bad enough, everyone believed Ryan had something to do with Ali’s disappearance. The harassment continued into college and got so bad that eventually Ryan transferred and changed his name. He’s had a little bit of peace since then—people no longer chant “Killer” when he goes by—but he can’t get away from the memories. He loved Ali, and the thought that he’s essentially responsible for her kidnapping has eaten him up since then.

Back in Ryan’s hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas, Poppy McGee has stepped into the role of deputy sheriff after an unexpected honorable discharge from the military. Poppy never thought she’d be back in Kansas and working a desk job no less, but here she is. On her first day in the station, though, there’s a horrific discovery: Alison Lane’s car is discovered submerged in a lake. Inside are two men and a cryptic note.

Poppy is stunned, but she starts working the case right away. The key to finding Ali is Ryan Richardson, but he’s disappeared. Poppy doesn’t let that hold her back, though. She follows up on other leads and tracks down witnesses who weren’t interviewed before. As she gets through one piece of information after another, Poppy’s patience starts to pay off. For the first time since Ali went missing, the Leavenworth police are making progress in Ali’s case.

In Italy, Ryan comes face to face with someone from the night that Ali went missing and he’s beside himself. For the longest time after Ali was kidnapped, Ryan insisted he remembered a specific person from the kidnapping that no one could find. Yet that man tracks Ryan down in Italy and shares shocking information about Ali’s disappearance. After the meeting, Ryan knows he won’t rest until he finds out the truth. On a hunch, he ditches his classmates and runs off to the UK to find answers.

With Poppy working the case in Kansas, Ryan running across Europe, and a mob boss bent on revenge for another tragedy, it’s only a matter of time before the truth about Alison Lane’s disappearance comes to light.

Author Alex Finlay offers readers a compelling thriller that starts with three separate storylines and braids them into one cohesive plot. Along the way, Finlay surprises readers several times with fun plot twists and will keep the audience turning or swiping pages as fast as they can. Finlay is clearly in his element, and it’s also clear just how much fun he’s having with his plot and his readers alike.

There are places where the book gets a little too complicated. In an attempt to keep all of the plotlines moving at the right pace, occasionally a few too many secondary characters come into the story. One of the key secondary characters makes his presence felt but then disappears for so long that when he’s mentioned again readers may need a few minutes to remember who he is and why he’s important.

For the most part, however, readers will thoroughly enjoy the thriller that Finlay has constructed. The ending is satisfying and wraps up everything in an organic way. Those who want a fun read, especially for vacation, should check this one out.

When local teen Allison Lane went missing, everyone blamed the boyfriend, Ryan Richardson. He was the last one with her, there was no trace of her or her car, and he had a strange story about a man with missing fingers dragging him from the car that couldn’t be proven. Five years later, the missing car is found at the bottom of the lake with two male passengers in the font and no trace of Allison Lane. Many new questions arise. Why was the car not found on previous searches? Who are the two men dead in the front? And where is Allison Lane?

The story is told from multiple narrative viewpoints and across different location settings. I wasn’t sure how they all fit together initially but the multiple character paths eventually intersect. I was quickly captivated but the action and mystery. I was cautious of who to trust and of where the story would go. The chapters are short and easy to read; I was always wanting to read just one more to find out what was happening. This is a quick faced and entertaining read that you can devour quickly!

When I requested this book, I thought I had already read and enjoyed other books by Alex Finlay. When I looked closer I realized I was mistaken. But I will definitely read more of his work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A terrible kidnapping! Ryan is haunted by his missing girlfriend. Alex Finlay has another outstanding story to read. How to go on living under the shadow of suspicion and put the past behind you.
Now, a vehicle has been found, but there are unknown bodies within…

If Something Happens to Me falls squarely into the thriller lane, with a fast past and a multi-POV narrative.

The story opens as law student Ryan is on an Italian holiday with some classmates when he gets a call from home. A cold case he was a suspect in, the unsolved abduction of his high school girlfriend, is no longer cold.

The action moves from a small town sheriff, to Ryan to other characters as well, and the twists and turns keep coming.

A great summer beach read!

My my my - the layers that exist in this one!

This was my first work by this author, and now I want to go, and read their entire back list. I read quite a bit of thrillers, and this book was very well done in my opinion!

I enjoyed the intricate plot, the action, the intersecting paths of the characters. I really enjoyed getting to go through Europe a bit. Reading this one felt like watching an action packed thriller movie.

I found it to be fast paced, and packed with twists. Perfect for readers who enjoy multiple point of views.

It's not exactly a whodunnit book. It was draggy from the second chapter onwards. People on this book just keep on killing someone without any regard for anything as if they are psychopaths. I don't know about the storyline but it fails to deliver the mobster element like the godfather. This was not for me, one of Alex Finlay's greatest work.

Well written and it sucked me in. The plot twist made a lot of sense in hindsight which I appreciated. However, it was surprisingly heavy on mafia culture and cop talk, which isn't fully my jam so 3 stars from me.

This was so goooood! I've never read anything by Alex Finlay before, but I want to change that now! This was exactly the right length to keep it pretty tense the whole time. There was a twist in the middle of the book that I absolutely did not see coming, and another at the end. I really enjoyed the characters, and while not everyone gets a happy ending, all of the stories are wrapped up by the end. I read this in less than 24 hours, and highly recommend if you're into mystery/thrillers. Thanks so much to the publisher and Net Galley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the gifted e-book and audiobook! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Multiple POV, quick reads

This was interesting but also quite predictable. The audiobook was good. The pacing of the book was all over the place. It was a fast, enjoyable read.

One of the best books that I have read this year! I absolutely loved it and recommended it to my sister to read before it was released. I am a true fan of this author.

Compulsively readable! A must-read for summer vacation - I finished this in about 24 hours. Short chapters, compelling story lines, some shocking reveals...come along for the ride!

Could very well be my favorite Alex Finlay book so far! I could not put it down!!
His usual intense and suspenseful. I appreciate the short chapters with cliffhangers.
The first few chapters I was a bit confused how these stories all came together, but in the end they are fabulous. While the three storylines were so different at first, each one kept me fully engaged! This one certainly surprised me at several points, and I fully enjoyed every second of this read!

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 was my first Alex Finley book and they did not disappoint! I look forward to reading more by this author.
I enjoy time jump books and this book did it well. Not too choppy or confusing.

I love each of Alex Finlay's novels and If Something Happens to Me is no exception. From the characters, to the pace, to the story lines, to the very end, Finlay has a remarkable skill for captivating readers and keeping us glued to the page. While I was able to make the connection early on, it in no way diminished the pleasure novel's unfolding. I also appreciated that Finlay did not fall for a predictable romance trap -- which by avoiding, the author added to the complexity of the characters' relationships and development. I highly recommend!

One ight on Lover's Lane turns into a missing girlfriend and a thriller that spans the globe as years later, Ryan races to find the truth about what happened to Ali.

Finlay has a killer knack (no pun intended) for setting a brutal pace in his books and If Something Happens to Me is no different with a breakneck pace that keeps the reader on their toes. Thriller readers, pick this one up, you'll definitely love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one and read it in a couple of days. I recommend this one if you like thrillers, multiple timelines, multiple povs, romance and alot of drama. There is a lot going on in this book but I think it was still easy to follow if you like lots of different story lines. The only reason for not being a five star is the ending isn't what I wanted. It was a great wrap up to story but I wish it would've been different. I think others might enjoy the ending. I definitely want to read more from this author!

This story begins with two people out for a drive and talking about a future, then everything goes black for Ryan, and his girlfriend is missing along with the car he has no idea or memory of what happened and where Ali is. Now years later with a name change and in law school and on a summer vacation in Italy his life is again taken over by that night. The car is found with two bodies inside and he receives a note at one of the stops he was at, he wants to know what happened. The author takes back and forth past and present which keeps the story flowing and slowly answers will be revealed. It is an excellent book with excellent characters.

I knew from the first chapter I was hooked! Another great book by Alex. Definitely recommend.. with this book I don’t want to to give anything away!