I've been wanting to pick it up ever since it appeared on my kindle, as I loved the sound of the blurb with the promise of an international setting and multiple layers... And I have to say that I ended up having a blast with this story. Engaging, fast-paced and action-packed: If Something Happens To Me turned out to be yet another more than solid thriller.

This story uses a multiple POV structure and is also divided into different parts. These layers gave the story more dimension, and while you might wonder how the different POVs fit in together at first, it all becomes clear in the end. The POVs are spread out over different locations as well: you begin with Ryan in Italy, deputy Poppy in Kansas and the third set in Philadelphia that will provide the mobster angle. The last one doesn't seem to fit in with the story at first, but once the connection became clear I admit it was a clever one.

I love stories with a travel element, and we get plenty of that while we follow Ryan around. Italy, UK, France... His journey takes him across Europe as well as the US, and I liked what the locations added to the plot. This is probably why Ryan's POV is one of my favorites, although I really enjoyed spending time with Poppy as well. I could also appreciate that the different POVs introduced different thriller subgenres to the plot, blending for example detective, crime, psychological and mobster elements along the way. The story as a whole felt well balanced and I quite enjoyed the resulting thriller cocktail.

Things can be said about the credibility of it all, as certain twists are either farfetched or too convenient. I also spotted one of the big twists quite early on, but as a whole there were still plenty surprises along the way as well. If you don't mind the plot being over the top and are more interested in the entertainment level, If Something Happens To Me most likely won't let you down. Between the fast pace and engaging writing style it will be easy to keep turning those pages!

Fast paced thriller across multiple countries.
I loved this book, the characters were believable and the plot was fact paced. The locations were interesting and well described.
Will be recommending to all thriller lovers!

A glorious twisty new book from Alex Finlay! I was dragged in by the first page and found myself binge reading this popcorn thriller! Can’t wait to discuss with Alex at our book club!

I know I'm an outlier in saying this, but the book had so much potential and just fell flat. This is coming from someone who read "The Night Shift" and LOVED it.

"If Something Happens to Me" reads in the same fashion as his other work and is told from multiple POV's as everything comes together. In his other work I really enjoyed the way he executed this, however in this book it felt very confusing and kept jumping everywhere. It was very hard to keep track of everything unless I wrote things down (and sometimes I don't want to do that even though I usually enjoy it).

The book starts off really strong and then the twist is revealed, and this is where everything went downhill for me. The book did not keep up momentum past this and it was disappointing. It was also a very predictable book and I love a good challenge.

This however will not deter me from reading more of Alex Finlay's work because one book that didn't work for me doesn't reflect on his ability as a writer. I am certain that some of my friends on Goodreads will love this one and I hope they do!

2.75 rounded up to 3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is one book I absolutely flew through. I started off the day at 44% and cruised to the very end.

Ali Lane is with her boyfriend Ryan when she disappears in thin air. Ryan was the number one suspect. Fast forward to five years later, Ryan is trying to live his life but when notes turn up for him whilst in Italy everything he knows comes crashing down. Especially when the car Alison was driving turns up submerged in the lake but with a twist - two dead bodies are inside. The question on everyones lips - who is in the car and is Alison still be alive?

This book ticked all my boxes. Short chapters that made me want to just keep reading especially when I got that "no way" plot twist. I just had to continue reading even with a crazy toddler running around. I enjoyed the character development in this book. The book has a fair share of good and bad characters. I loved Poppy McGee - the new deputy sheriff. If you are a fan of dark and also twisty mysteries this book is definitely for you. But be aware once you pick this book up you won't want any distractions.

Thank you Head of Zeus and Netgalley for my gifted copy of this e-book for my honest book review.

Wow if you like your thrillers with plenty of action then this is 100% the book for you as the pace just never let up at all from beginning to end. It’s a story that just when you think you know what’s happening along comes another twist that completely blows your mind and I absolutely loved it.
The story has a whole heap of characters and I was worried I may get confused (it doesn’t take much!) as to who was who but the writing is so well done that although the plot line is complex the author is so good it just flowed.
Plenty of reveals that I didn’t see coming, short punchy chapters and a non stop pace made it a quick read making me desperate to know just how the story would end and I was not disappointed in any way.
So a brilliant thriller with a lot to give hold on to your hats as it’s a wild and twisty ride and one I would highly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus, Aries for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read The night shift a few years ago and really liked it. I’m glad to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well. I liked the multiple stories blending in with one another at the end. Some reveals were very interesting and kept my attention high. Also, the short chapters were awesome, and they made the plot even more fast-paced. I completely recommend this novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Ryan Richardson and his girlfriend, Alison are at lovers Lane when they are attacked. When Ryan wakes up, the car and Alison are gone. For 5 years he fights his innocence. Now under a new identity, Ryan is trying to start life again and studying abroad.
The book also tells the tale of gangster Shane O’Leary and the tragedy of his son, Anthony. The relevance of this soon unravels and provides complexity to Ryan’s situation.
Now the missing car is discovered in a nearby lake, and Detective Poppy McGee needs to find out who the men submerged in the car are and understand the cryptic note also found.
There is a lot going on and told from various points of view, but all comes together to the most delightful story. Really enjoyed this book and warmed to Poppy’s character as she pulls it all together.

Very gripping and hard to put down. Will look forward to this author’s next book. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow! Another page turner from Alex Finlay! A fast paced book that's gripping with multiple twists packed. The book caught my attention right from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down. It's a fast read as I finished it in a day, simply because I had to find out what was going on. And absolutely didn't see some of the twists coming!

It has multiple PoVs and timelines but at no point did I get lost. All the narratives come together to build the story. Even at times when it seems unrelated. Has to be a 5 star read for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus/Aries for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

3.5 rounded down to 3/5 stars.

I’ll begin by saying that Alex Finlay’s books are some of the fastest reads for me. For some reason time seems to work differently while I’m reading them which is both a good and bad thing. Good I can always count on them to pull me out of a reading slump or prevent me from falling into one and bad because they tend to lack significance, memorability, or that special something.

This book leaned more towards mystery than thriller which I didn’t mind much because the plot line is solid, the twists are intriguing and the numerous POVs weren't overly exhausting to follow.
Halfway through I was convinced this was gonna be a 5 start rating, but then I stated noticing the main issues.

All of the characters felt more like conduits for the plot rather than fully fleshed-out people, there was zero character development and as a result I couldn’t get invested in any of them.
Also, the pacing was off. So much time was spent on finding out what’s been going on only to then wrap up everything in a few rushed chapters that felt quite unfinished.
Additionally, the 1 year later chapter in my opinion was completely unnecessary as it doesn’t add anything of value .

I'd still recommend this book to anyone who isn't into crime/mysteries much. It's a good, fast-paced read that can ease readers into the genre. However, I think more seasoned readers might find it a bit lackluster.

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the digital ARC!

Having delved into Alex Finlay's work for the first time with "If Something Happens to Me," I'm already eager to try more from this author. This fast-paced novel gripped me from the start, and I couldn't put it down until the final page. With each twist and turn, Finlay masterfully weaves a captivating tale that kept me on the edge of my seat. An absolute thrill ride—5 stars without a doubt.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

My first read from this author and as the blub sounded like my kind of read, I was excited to get reading.
A great page turner with three different stories that left me wondering where we were going but come together they did and it all made sense At no time did the story lag and it was a gripping story with lots happening but still easy to read and hard to put down.
It was a very satisfying read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC

4.5 stars
If Something Happens to Me is an absolute binge-worthy novel. The novel is divided into three parts and the first part has three alternating storylines about a law student, a mob boss and his young son, and a new deputy sheriff in the town of Leavensworth. I guess nobody could have predicted that on Poppy McGee’s first day they would find a missing girl’s car with two bodies inside. The questions were really burning on my lips in this one. How was this all connected? Who were those people they found in the car? The chapters were short and compelling and Alex Finlay knows what he’s doing, my attention didn’t drop for even a slight second and he had me questioning in every chapter what was going on.

Ryan Richardson saw his girlfriend for the last time 5 years ago but with new evidence emerging (her car and a note in her handbag) there are people coming out of the woods. Ryan knew he hadn’t imagined Pinky guy when he was grabbed on that night (the man lost two of his digits) when he suddenly sees him again but he's certainly not going to let him get away a second time! It's going to be a rollercoaster of the deadly kind!

Parts 2 and 3 blend the three storylines superbly in ways I had not imagined, and yet, there are still a lot more questions, about the cryptic note, the mystery man and who Poppy can trust in all of this. I had a field day trying to discern who was good and bad and if you are a little paranoid by nature you can eat your heart out at being suspicious. The sheriff, the FBI lady, the KBI lady (the foreign examiner), or even Poppy's own brother or father, who oh who knows more than they let on? I will only say I had someone in mind in Poppy’s entourage very early on, someone who seemed suspicious for me but that was just another brilliant red herring from the author and I completely fell for it.

Would I recommend this novel? Without a doubt. It’s a perfect fit for readers who enjoy C.L. Taylor or Claire Douglas. It's grippingly unpredictable with a whole lot of tension. What could you want more? The only thing I’d maybe change is that the ending was wrapped up a bit too quickly.

This was unputdownable. I was gripped throughout. Wanting to see how each story connected. The reveals left me shocked. I didn't see them coming.
The writing was fast paced with short chapters that made it so much easier to get through.
The ending has left me with questions. I wouldn't mind a book two following the end of this book.

Five years ago, Ryan Richardson's girlfriend Ali was abducted, leaving him injured and emotionally devastated. He is haunted by nightmares featuring glimpses of an unknown man, and is desperate to find answers.

After changing his name in an attempt to move on, Ryan is dragged back into the past from his new life in Law School when the car that he was thrown out of is found after dredging a lake in his hometown. But the only sign of Ali is a note that seems to be adding to the mystery rather than explaining it...

This is a gripping story with plenty of twists, featuring more than a few locations. Suspenseful and absorbing, it gets 3.5 stars.

I loved reading The Night Shift by Alex Findlay so I was really excited for this one. It had me hooked straight away and I did not want to put it down.

Five years ago, Alex and his girlfriend, Alison, were both in her car when the door is ripped open, he is hit on the head and she is taken. Fast forward to today, Deputy Sheriff Poppy receives word that Alison's car has been found submerged in Suncatcher Lake with the remains of two males. But where is Alison? And so begins the investigation.

I enjoyed that the story was told in short, easy to read chapters from the alternating points-of-view of mainly Alex, Poppy, mobster Shane and Michael, who owes a debt to Shane.

There were however way too many characters for me to really buy in to any of them. Ryan is painted as the primary character, but he wasn't overly interesting. The author tried to cram too much into the story that when the twists happened, it just became yet another thing to digest rather than delivering the shock factor.

Ryan Richardson will never ever forget the night five years ago when his girlfriend Ali Lane is taken screaming from her car and he receives a blow to the head. Hours later when he recovers consciousness, the car is gone and so is Ali. Probably inevitably, a cloud of suspicion hangs over his head and although he’s never charged, he faces tough questioning. The experience definitely scars him but motivates him to want to study law and currently he’s in Italy on a law school trip with some classmates. Whilst there, he receives a call from his father informing him that Alice’s car has been discovered submerged in Suncatcher Lake. Inside are the bodies of two men, and some possessions of Ali’s including a cryptic note ‘If something happens to me’ …. This news sends Ryan into a tail spin, but when he believes he sees the man who has haunted him since that shocking night, his anxiety levels rocket to sky high. Thus starts a quest that takes Ryan from Italy to England, France and eventually back to Leavenworth in Kansas.

Meanwhile in Leavenworth, newly appointed Deputy Sheriff Poppy McGee is working the case and how on earth does Philly mob leader Shane O’Leary fit into the mystery? The story is told via Ryan, Poppy and Shane, the latter giving us a conundrum to figure out.

Thwack. Can you hear that? That’s the whack of the ball as Alex Finlay knocks it out the park, again. I love the way that he deepens the mystery, as if he’s dropped a stone into water with the concentric circles rippling out. It’s multilayered, unsettling, there are some fantastic images and great settings that provide an atmosphere backdrop to the unfolding jaw dropping drama.

It’s a totally engaging and thrilling storyline, the pace is spot on keeping you on the edge of your seat, turning pages and desperate to get to the truth. The tension levels escalate, at times I can scarcely breathe as the danger is so intense especially as I become wrapped up in Ryan’s life and Poppy’s actions. These are very likeable characters, they’re resourceful, brave and full of gumption.

Overall, Alex Finlay delivers yet again, making him an auto read author for me. It’s clever but also fun and highly entertaining. Yes, there’s a bit of disbelief suspension but what a ride! It’s a cracker of a read, an easy five stars and one I can highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Head of Zeus/Aries for the much appreciated and returned for an honest review.

I really enjoy this authors books, this is another great read.
Factor in a missing student, the students then boyfriend, a newly appointed deputy sheriff fresh from the military, and a gangster and you have links to a fast paced thriller set around the world.
Really engaging and well written as per the author, this is a winner