Another fast-paced winner from Alex Finlay. This book has three intertwining narratives, multiple locales (for satisfying cat and mouse games and chases) and twist after twist, as we have come to expect from Finlay. It even has an unlikely suspect missing both pinky fingers and a dying message left in code. Basically Hitchcock meets The Fugitive.

A satisfying and quick read because you'll be turning the pages or listening to the audio as fast as possible to find out what happens next. There's intrigue for miles, great characters (my favorite is Poppy), and excellent audiobook voice acting. You don't want to know too much about the plot going in, so try not to read spoilers.

Alex Finlay is an automatic read ASAP author for me and has yet to let me down. A fun, thrilling and suspenseful read!

It’s Poppy McGee’s first day as the newest deputy in the sheriff’s office in her hometown when a car is pulled out of the lake. It reopens a five-year old cold case when Ali Lane was abducted while parking with her boyfriend, Ryan. Now Ryan’s trying to move on with his life, on a trip in Italy when his past finds him.
This is a mystery with mobsters, murder, action and lots of twists. It’s super entertaining!

An Intriguing Case With An International Scope

Two high school seniors, Alison Lane and Ryan Richardson, parked on Leavenworth’s lover's lane. Tomorrow, they will leave for different colleges. A sudden rainstorm disrupts their plans as they exit the car to enjoy their last evening together. They return to the car, but when Ryan wakes up, he is alone. The car and Alison are gone. He recalls a crash and a blow to his head. Thus, a chilling cold case unfolds from this fateful evening, filled with suspense and mystery.

This novel’s main storyline has three major threads. The first centers on Richardson, who was initially accused of murdering Alison Lane. He leaves, trying to establish a new life. Richardson primarily narrates this thread. Deputy Sheriff McGee narrates most of the police investigation thread. This investigation starts on her first day on the job, and she comes with baggage for why she left the military. The last thread was a mystery thread that centers around a crime boss's and associates' actions in Philadelphia. This thread’s tie-in takes a little while to become apparent. I did not find jumping back and forth between these threads and various narrators confusing, and I had no problems following this storyline. There are many twists and turns, red herrings, and the basic storyline that quickly captured my interest. I was compelled to read into the night, and this novel was a fast read for me.

The backgrounds of Richardson and McGee are a bit light but are adequate to provide a basis for their actions. However, their actions and thoughts truly define them, and these aspects are rich and compelling. Several characters undergo extensive character development in the crime boss thread, greatly aiding in understanding their actions. This depth of character development fosters a strong connection between the reader and the characters.

Some aspects that can cause some readers to stop reading are present in this novel. Intimate scenes are only mentioned in reference. Rude and vulgar language is present but context-appropriate. The worst of this trifecta is violence. Much of it is actively described, but most is associated with the criminal element thread. The violence is comparable with Primetime TV police procedurals. I found my e-reader’s Internet access of value while reading this novel. Much of the Richardson thread occurs in Europe in some out-of-the-way places. I liked highlighting a location and jumping to the Internet to find where they were.

The issue with this novel that rubbed me the wrong way was that Deputy Poppy McGee seems to be taking many actions without consulting the Sheriff. I liked how the author wove a story with over a dozen characters into a captivating story. There were not any loose ends at the end of the novel. I was happy and sad with the ending.

I have read this author’s last three standalone novels. He is one of my Must-Read authors. I enjoyed reading this novel and recommend reading it. I am looking forward to reading further novels by his author. I rate this novel with four stars.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version through NetGalley from Minotaur Books. My review is based solely on my own reading experience of this book. Thank you, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

I enjoyed this. Lots of twists I didn’t see coming but extremely difficult to follow the multiple different story lines. Would be 3.5 stars for me if I could give half stars.

If Something Happens to Me is the Jason Borne-esque book of the year!
This book offers multiple POV's with many storylines weaving throughout.
We start with high school sweethearts being ripped apart by mobsters, and we are then transported into a world of crime, dirty law enforcement, loyalty, mind games, and murder.
Broken into three parts, this book is a whirlwind the entire time. After part 1, I had an inkiling of where things were headed and how each person was connected, but in part 3, we are thrown for a big twist that comes out of left-field.
There were times I was a bit lost as to which character was with which group of people, but Alex has a way with words that quickly helped right my ship and steer me back in the right direction. That was half the fun - many characters, many layers, many mysteries all made for a quick paced, engaging read!

This one was just ok for me. While there was one slightly unexpected twist, the rest was somewhat predictable once I got the 1904029 story lines sorted. Which is the other thing that I didn’t really enjoy—there was just SO much going on. For me, it felt kind of cheesy almost. I did, however, really enjoy the audio. Having a cast just makes the experience more immersive, in my opinion. Overall, this wasn’t a bad book and I’d give the author another shot. But it just wasn’t really for me.

A solid suspense with lots of twists, but still easy enough to follow. I didn't connect to any character in particular, likely because there are many, but they were all likeable and well-written.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Oh Alex Finlay, how do you craft these stories so masterfully? I am in awe of the way this story came together and how many layers and pieces there were to keep track of. But with the multiple characters, storylines, POVs and timelines, I didn’t find it difficult to keep track of it all. There were numerous twists that I never could have predicted and elevated this story so much! It was such a fast read, I couldn’t get enough of it! The quality and complexity of the characters and stories were extremely elevated. I really enjoyed this one and think it’s the best book I’ve read by Finlay yet! He continues to surprise me!

3.5 stars

This is fast and exciting, with short chapters and alternating POVs, and I really enjoyed how some seemingly disparate storylines came together. I ended up just below 4 stars because, while a fun read, it wasn't anything particularly memorable, and I didn't really understand why everything came to a head at the time it did and not 5 years earlier. (Also SO much trust was placed in a woman who had been on the job for like 5 minutes)
*
That said, it was still fun to read, so a great option if you're looking for something exciting that you don't have to think too much about.

This is only the second book I’ve read by Alex Finlay. I really enjoyed Every Last Fear, so when this one came available, I knew I wanted to check it out. The book summary is pretty worthless and just introduces how the story started. Alex, a law school student, is in Italy on a school break with some friends when he spots the man, he has been seeing in his nightmares for the past five years since his Leavenworth, KS high school girlfriend, Ali, went missing and he was accused of murdering her. All he remembers from that night was seeing a man (not his face) with missing pinkys on both hands.

What the book summary doesn’t mention at all are the other storylines. There is the brand-new Leavenworth Deputy Sheriff, Poppy, who is assigned to man the tipline after the Sheriff’s department finds Ali’s car from the night she went missing. also,e is also the former FBI agent, Jane, who worked Ali’s missing person case five years ago and who tells Poppy that the Sheriff is hiding something. Lastly, there is another storyline of a Philadelphia mobster, Shane, whose son, Anthony, was so bullied at his previous school that they moved him to private school in another school district. It’s not long before Anthony is being bullied in the new school.

The story flips back and forth between the three storylines and between Ryan, Poppy, and Shane with several chapters from Shane’s accountant, Michael. From pretty early, I began to suspect what may have happened to Ali and Ryan as well as Shane’s son, Anthony. But then, I’m thinking, it can’t be this predictable, can it? No, not the same writer who shocked me in Every Last Fear. Yeah, Finlay is just leading the reader astray with red herrings. By the halfway point, my suspicions are all over the place and I’m having a hard time connecting the dots of what I do think.

All I know is that by the end, Finlay will certainly lay out the shocking finale. Deep into the second half, the storylines begin to merge. The title of the book becomes a link in one of the storylines. The finale is explosive (literally) and, of course, that shocking end I was expecting. I flipped back and forth between the ebook and the audiobook, and the narrators, Helen Laser, John Pirhalla and Paul Dateh, were great and really added to the thrills and suspense of the story.

The characterization for most of the MC’s were pretty well developed; I wish a couple of the ensemble characters were more developed, but I guess that would have given away too much of some of the twists. The pacing was great; fast-paced and action-packed. The storyline was confusing in some parts and that was due to some unreliable narration, but the ending was great! I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.1 and will be rounding down to a 4star rating. I want to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #IfSomethingHappenstoMe

Blazed through this one. Short, quick chapters kept me really engaged. Loved the timeline, and the characters. READ THIS BOOK!

A good old-fashioned thriller - fast-paced and engrossing, There are multiple POVs and locations, but I didn't have trouble keeping track of the plot and characters. And although there was nothing completely innovative here, the author brings the story together in a satsifying way. I would gladly read further if this becomes a series and would recommend it as a fun, summer read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MinotaurBooks #StMartinsPress for a free copy of #IfSomethingHappensToMe by Alex Finlay. All opinions are my own.

Fun. Fast paced. Twisty. Fast read. Multiple povs. Ryan and his high school girlfriend are saying their goodbyes before heading off to college when someone flings the car door open and snatches Alison. Five years later, a new detective is on the case and things get -crazy. There are a lot of characters in this story and lots of different povs. Of course, they’re all connected in some way. The story picks up around 100 pages in and buckle up! It’s gonna be a wild ride! Trigger warnings should include violence, bullying, stalking, kidnapping, murder, torture, , self harm and suicide.
Thank you, NetGalley! This was a great read!

If Something Happens To Me by Alex Finley The book has multi POVs all surrounding the missing alley. She went missing the night before leaving for university and the only eyewitness her boyfriend Ryan says a man with no pinkies took her but no one believed it and you guessed it he was accused of the murder. The only issue is her body has never been found and it is five years later and someone has found her car submerged in the local river in Leavenworth, Kansas. They have two dead bodies in the car neither one being Alley. We also meet Poppy McGee her dad used to be the sheriff at the time and now she is a deputy sheriff and it’s her first day and with no real duties they ask her to go through the tips for Alley‘s disappearance we also meet Michael a single father to Taylor who lives in Philadelphia and works for an Irish gangster name Shane O’Leary his son Anthony goes to school with Taylor and due to bullying he wind up committing suicide. Current day Ryan is in Italy with fellow law students who all work on the Harvard newspaper”?” He receives a note telling him he knows who he is and to meet this anonymous person the next day at a local tourist site. Eventually all the POV‘s crossed and one way or another and it makes for an astounding read although I was left with questions. First of all let me get this off my chest so you’re telling me 11 year old Ziggy whose mom refuses to talk ill about his murder dad allowed him to not only read but do a podcast at eight years old about True Crime and his podcast is solved three cold cases… Really? That seemed so far-fetched to me but that is just one small part of the book. I do have questions about a lot of the other parts of the book but I will refrain as to not get anything away just know this book is long but very twisty and be warned they do have eye rolling moments and somethings just just seem too coincidental. Having said that I still recommend this book as it kept me glued to the pages and I didn’t want to put it down except for the few rolling moments and incredulous storylines I still absolutely think any thriller or mystery playing would love the sport.

High school sweethearts Alison and Ryan are out one night when they are attacked- Ryan receives a blow to the head which knocks him out and Alison goes missing. Fast forward 5 years later- Ryan is a law student at Georgetown living under a new name, when a mysterious man from that night resurfaces along with many questions surrounding that horrific night....

This story is fast-paced with short chapters that will leave you at the edge of your seat waiting to see how all of the different parts fit together. This is a clever mystery told in 3 parts and alternating between different settings, characters, and timelines. Definitely a twisty and unpredictable thrill ride!

Thank St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, Alex Finlay, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads: 5/5/24-https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6468489349
IG: 5/5/24- https://www.instagram.com/the_books_we_love_/

This story was amazing at keeping me on the edge of my seat as I was reading. So many twists made this story different than most of what I have read before. Truly a great read. Highly recommend

I generally enjoy Finlay's thrillers. Always look forward to reading a new one, but this one just didn't measure up. Too many characters, too many story lines. It was a mess. It didn't take long at all to figure out what had happened and then i read all the way to the end to try to justify my selection for choosing this ARC. I did get the feeling it might have been written for series script.
Any way, I was very disappointed in the book.
No stars. Ok, 1 star.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, fun read that you can binge in a day, this might be the book for you.

The story starts with teenagers Ryan and Ali as something terrible happens to them. Then we fast forward five years and follow three different storylines. We have Ryan, who is in Italy as part of his law schooling. Ryan is still coping with what happened five years ago. Back in Kansas we follow Poppy, the deputy sheriff, as new information comes forward about the Ali case. Lastly, we follow mobster, Shane, and his accountant, Michael, in Philadelphia. At first I had no idea how the third perspective was related to the other two, but it becomes apparent about halfway through the book.

The short chapters and shifting perspectives made this a very captivating, quick read.

The lastest thriller from Alex Finlay did not disappoint. Twists, turns, and an ending I really didn't see coming--this was a great ride! Although there were a lot of characters and settings taking place at the same time (?), it works out in the end. Will absolutely read the next from this author! Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!

An enjoyable quick read, with lots of action and an engaging storyline. Some things were predictable, some not. Can see this being a hot read for the summer!