This was a great thriller about the cold case of a missing girl, her suspected murderer/boyfriend, a newbie small-town deputy sheriff, and a single-parent mobster in another part of the country whose paths collide when new evidence surfaces. I really enjoyed this thriller by Alex Finlay, I think it is my favorite by this author so far. This was fast-paced with interesting characters and kept my attention the whole time. Once the pieces start to come together and you learn how the paths of the main characters all intersect, it becomes even more page-turning. This was a fun ride and I highly recommend this title and am already looking forward to Alex Finlay's next book! Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay is a fast paced thriller with multiple character POVs set in different parts of the world. Right from the start we are thrown into a gripping story that gets your heart beating. Two high schoolers (Ryan and Ali) are in a car in a secluded area when Ali is ripped from the car and Ryan totally blacks out. Ali is presumed dead and of course fingers are pointed towards Ryan. Fast forward 5 years and the car that they were in is found in a lake with two dead bodies inside. Neither being Ali's. What transpires is a pulse pounding suspense thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Alex Finlay is one of those author's that I have loved from the beginning. He is plot driven but gives us interesting characters that push the story forward. I loved the fact that we got short chapters making the story read quickly, but also keeping your attention. Then we have each character in a different corner of the world all working towards finding answers or concealing them. With the audiobook performances, those short chapters were even better and quickly pulled me in each time I had to put the audio on pause. The performers really kept me captivated.

If Something Happens to Me is a solid thriller that never stops. There is action and suspense at every corner and puzzle pieces to be put together by the reader. While I had a soft spot for Ryan and what he went through as a teen, it was sweet deputy Poppy McGee who I really loved. She had some great witnesses she brought to the case and I enjoyed following her as she put her everything together.
This is a fun and entertaining book with twists I appreciated. Can't wait to read what comes next from Finlay.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Finlay and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was another amazing story from Finlay; it was action packed with twists that you don’t see coming. This was a cleverly written story with all the storylines connecting perfectly find. I loved it overall and I would 100% recommend!

The beginning of this one had me a bit confused because so much was going on & there were so many characters being introduced I felt like I couldn't keep it straight. Everything definitely came together & now I understand why it was set up like it was!

This book had multiple moments where my mouth was hanging open because I did not see the twists coming AT ALL. Once I got into it-- I just couldn't stop!

Hometown mysteries were girls go missing & the boyfriend being the suspect gets me. The only problem is that the boyfriend was cleared & now the man that haunts his dreams, the man that took his girlfriend all those years ago, has found him.

Read this one if you're into: hometown mysteries, the past coming back to haunt you, mobsters, & twists that you never saw coming

Ryan and Ali were high school sweethearts preparing for college. Until one night while parked at a lover's lane, Ali is ripped from the car by a mysterious man missing his pinkies and Ryan is knocked unconscious. It's now five years later: Ali was assumed to be killed as she never reappeared and Ryan lived under suspicion as being the perpetrator. The past has now caught up with Ryan while on a school trip in Italy. Ali's car was found submerged in a lake back home and in it was a coded note to Ryan, "If something happens to me..."
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I really enjoyed this one. There's a lot going on in the beginning with a large cast of characters, perspectives, and locations. But after I got all that straightened out, I was able to really get into the story. Because of this, I won't say it's fast-paced so it's one of those books you'll have to be patient with, but it paid off for me in the end. The secrets and twists are slowly unraveled which keeps you wanting more. The characters were a bit two-dimensional for me but the twisty suspenseful plot and mystery were enough to keep me interested. Be prepared to suspend belief at times but overall it was an entertaining quick read. I suspect this will be a top Summer thriller! ☀️

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
• multiple POV and settings
• slow-burn twisty mysteries
• crime thrillers
• short chapters
• books with a mob element

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Ryan and Ali were two high school kids in love. One day, they are hanging out when they are both attacked and Ali is never to be seen again. Ryan now lives with the regret he did not do anything on top of being the number one suspect. But 5 years later when he is abroad, he runs into someone he never wanted to see again.. the man who attacked him and Ali. Can Ryan find out what really happened to Ali?

I read this book in one sitting! I was so wrapped up in the story I could not put it down. I loved Part 1 but when the twist is revealed (was kind of obvious for me but I read a lot of thrillers) it kind of lost the momentum from there. I did still rate this 4/5 stars because I enjoyed the crime part of the book and was wondering what exactly was going to happen! I liked the different storylines and how they all came together. While I did find the end to be meh, I enjoyed the rest of the book!

I would recommend this if you like thrillers, crime thrillers, multiple storylines, and fast burn thrillers. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this work. All opinions are that of my own

I read Night Shift by Alex Finlay so this was my second foray into his work - I went in not having read the synopsis which was kind of fun to go in blind.

If you can suspend a little bit of disbelief and just go into this with an open mind to the world and scenarios this author created - then you will really enjoy this. Some of it seemed far fetched but I was bought into the characters and the plot right away so huge kudos to the author.

This book is broken into a few "parts" and features multiple narrators. I listened to the audio and am so happy it was a full cast recording because it did help me keep the narrators clear. I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook!

I was a tad confused in Part 1 as to the timelines and how all these characters fit together - but that, I believe, was the point and when everything finally did come together and the puzzle pieces started fitting, it made the experience so enjoyable and I found myself getting "OH!!!" out loud when I would fit the puzzle piece in place.

This is not like a fast paced, page turning thriller as I expected but more of a slow burn, character driven thriller and I definitely enjoyed it. It may be forgettable as time goes on just because I read a lot of books but overall, I really enjoyed this listening experience and look forward to checking out more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley & MacMillan Audio for this advanced listen in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was so good that I flew through it in a day.

This kicked off with some action and it felt like it never really let up. The multiple POV was easy to get into, and keeping all the characters straight wasn’t hard, especially since they’re so different from one another. The chapters are pretty short and would usually leave off on a cliffhanger, and both of these things made this book easy to binge. I was so caught up in the mystery and wondering where the story was going to go, and there were multiple twists that had my jaw hanging open. The end especially had me on the edge of my seat, and I liked the way the epilogue tied things up.

This was my first book by Alex Finlay and now I’m going to rush to read his others!

Whew! Another engrossing, unputdownable, pulse-pounding thriller from Finlay! I was hooked in right from the beginning and flew right through this one. If I’d had the time I absolutely could have binged it in one sitting. I didn’t see the twists coming and it was such a wild ride! Short chapters and multiple POV are two of my favorites and this one had them both. 🙌🏼 I also loved how everything wrapped up so neatly in the end. Finlay has become an auto-read author for me and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Thank you so much Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the early digital copy.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay is an intense and thrilling novel that offers short chapters from three points of view that help set the pace for the whole book. You can’t stop reading, all of the action keeps you reading “just one more chapter.”

I appreciate a true suspense novel that takes my breath away and makes my heart pound in anticipation.

Synopsis:

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He’s put his past behind him.

Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali’s car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

Out on May 28

I have been a reader of Alex Finlay's previous books but he's never been a must-read author for me. This was another quick and entertaining read that didn't leave much of an impression. While I enjoyed the story and the action, I felt like it was executed poorly. Too many location settings, too many characters and multiple POVs made it hard to keep everything straight. The writing style trended into the over-explaining territory, "saying" instead of "showing." I'll probably read more of Finlay's books but this one won't land on any of my top lists.

One night, during his senior year in high school, Ryan Richardson’s life changed big time when his girlfriend, Ali Lane, and the car they were both in are abducted, with Ryan being flung out and left behind. Afterwards, Ryan falls under suspicion for Ali’s disappearance (especially from internet trolls and true crime podcasters) — so much so that he eventually changes his name a he tries to put it all behind him. After he begins law school and is on a summer trip to Italy with a few of his classmates, Ali’s car is found at the bottom of the lake in his hometown. Instead of Ali’s body, inside are the bodies of two men and a mysterious note in Ali’s handwriting. And, the tale begins, one told from various points of view and involving a few different storylines replete with a good share of twists and turns, until all is neatly tied together at the end. I have enjoyed other novels by Alex Finlay, and this one was a great addition to the others I have read. All in all it was a very enjoyable read that definitely kept my interest and the pages turning!

A lot of characters. I didn't love the amount of twists; it made it unbelievable and hard to follow. Overall a decent read 3.5 stars, but not his best.
Thriller lovers will enjoy though.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

It took me a bit to wrap my thoughts up on this one. I thought I had it figured out early on, but dismissed my theory because one tiny detail was missing for it to fit. In the end, I was freaking right.

I really enjoyed this one!

Five years ago Ryan Richardson’s life was turned upside down when his girlfriend, Ali, was ripped from their car and never seen again. For five long years, he’s been blamed for her death even though her body was never found.

Now Ryan has changed his name moved to another country and has put his past behind him, until Ali’s car was found submerged in a lake not far from where she disappeared. When her car was towed out of the water, two men were found inside that investigators discovered were shot before being submerged inside the vehicle. The trunk was empty except a small makeup bag that contained a cryptic letter in Ali’s handwriting that said “If Something Happens to Me.” Young sheriff Poppy McGee is having trouble cracking the cryptic code, so she calls the one person who knew more about Ali than anyone else in their hometown, Ryan Richardson, and with his help they crack the case wide open.

This was such a fun read! It was thrilling, fast paced, action packed, twisty, and I inhaled it within two days. I never would have guessed the biggest turn of events, and just when I thought it was over…there was so much more to be discovered.

I’m giving this book a 2.5 star rating. First off, I’m thankful that I got an opportunity to read this ARC! Some things I did enjoy about this book were the way it all connected at the end of the story. I also liked that there were different voices for the characters & that enhanced my experience. Some things I didn’t enjoy were that I felt like the story was jumping from place to place & I felt like there were new characters always being added to the story, it felt kind of difficult to follow. Even though I rated this book a 2.5 star, I still plan on reading more books from this author! I definitely suggest you read it yourself and decide if you like it or not.

I have read multiple books by Alex Finlay and have enjoyed all of them. This was an obvious choice to read!
I liked the short chapters and edge of your seat twists and turns. I paired the ebook with the audiobook, which enhanced my reading experience. The multi-cast narration was excellent!

THIS BOOK WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! I read it in nearly one sitting at the airport. Definitely one of Finlay's finest. He is certainly emerging as another go-to suspense writer. I hesitate to share any of the plot points for fear of an accidental spoiler. Suffice to say I was eagerly flipping to find out what happened next. The book takes place in multiple cities, each alternating in chapters. I would get engrossed into one subplot and move on to the next chapter only to have to keep reading to get to what happened next (and I mean that in the best way possible).

This book was a wonderful white knuckling suspense novel and I highly anticipate more from this prolific up and coming writer. Every book I have read by him has been great and I do hope there will be more to come. A cannot miss if you love plot twisting suspense!!

My very heartfelt thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Excellent read.

I was a little put off and confused by multiple POVs but everything came together beautifully. I really enjoyed this book and once it got going, I could not put it down.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced copy! I really loved The Night Shift by Alex Finlay so I was excited for this release.

This book was fine, I don’t know if I’d recommend it to others. It was a fast paced (maybe too fast paced?) read and a kept you wanting to know what happened next.

It seemed like it moved too quickly and didn’t give you the opportunity to really get to know any characters enough to root for them. There was a lot going on always, by the time the main twist happened it didn’t pack the punch it should have because of all the characters and you didn’t know what time line you were in. It also felt like there was a lot of telling instead of showing.

All of the pieces came together at the end but the main conflict was over in a flash that was very underwhelming. Didn’t care about the epilogue because you didn’t get to know the characters well enough.