Author: Alex Finlay
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 324
Date of Publication: May 28, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
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.
In classic Alex Finlay form, If Something Happens to Me is told from several distinct, compelling characters whose paths intersect, detonating into a story of twist after pulse-pounding twist. The story cements Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.
MY THOUGHTS:
I know who you are.
If something happens to me.
Ryan’s girlfriend, Ali, mysteriously vanished during their high school years. One fateful night, they were driving when the car came to a halt, and Ryan was abruptly pulled out. Five long years have passed since her disappearance, yet Ryan remains haunted by the memory. He has since changed his identity and is now in his first year of law school.
However, fate has a shocking twist in store for Ryan. He is certain that he has encountered the man who appeared during Ali’s disappearance, and to his dismay, he finds a threatening note. This unexpected encounter occurs while he is in Tuscany, on a trip with other law school students, making it all the more perplexing.
Alex Finlay’s fast-paced narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives, building a gripping and suspenseful story. The case of Ali’s disappearance is unexpectedly reopened when Ryan’s past comes back to haunt him. Poppy McGee, a young and determined deputy sheriff, is thrust right into things. She is now the point person on Allison Laney’s case. And It’s only her first week on the job, but Poppy is undeterred. Her suspicions of Ryan’s innocence grow stronger as she delves deeper into the investigation.
Finlay’s writing style is captivating, reminiscent of a merry-go-round where each brief stop reveals a new angle. As the story progresses, Ryan and the police are confronted with revelations that challenge their wildest imaginations. This book is a masterpiece, and I eagerly anticipate reading more works by this brilliant author. It’s the second Finlay book I’ve read, and I can confidently say that I’ll be exploring his other works in the future.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Alex Finlay is the author of the 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, the 2022 Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, The Night Shift, and the 2023 LibraryReads Hall of Fame recipient, What Have We Done. His work has been an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a Cosmopolitan, CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, Scribd, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thrillers of the year. Alex’s novels have been translated into twenty-one languages and are sold around the world. All of his novels have been optioned for film and television, and Every Last Fear is in development for a major limited series.
Alex writes under a pen name and is a prominent Washington, D.C. lawyer who has represented clients in more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
His next novel If Something Happens to Me releases in May 2024.
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