If Something Happens to Me

What do I think of Alex Finlay’s newest book? I loved it! He always brings his A-game to his stories, and once again he blew me away with this fun, fast-paced, pulse-pounding, mafia-laced thriller! Five years ago, sweethearts Ryan Richardson and Alison Lane were on the cusp of heading to their respective colleges when their romantic Lover’s Lane night was interrupted by dark figures who knocked Ryan out before taking Alison. Suspicion immediately fell on him, especially with his wild flashes of memory about a man missing his two pinkies, though a good lawyer and lack of evidence kept him from being charged. Now with the new generic name Ryan Smith, he’s pursuing a law degree at Georgetown and trying to put the past behind him. On a trip to Italy with his classmates, that past comes back to find him in the form of a mysterious note that says: “I know who you are.” Little does he know that he’s about to be thrust into an all-out bonkers scenario involving a new small town sheriff’s deputy named Poppy McGee and a crime boss named Shane O’Leary when a new discovery is made about Ali's disappearance. They all have something at stake and it’s very personal. Who is friend and who is foe? As Ryan races to find the truth about the past, there are others who want to make sure he doesn’t find the answers! To quote a great line from 2019 movie The Irishman: “Three people can keep a secret only when two of them are dead.” In a story epitomized by secrets, lies and revenge, it’s nearly impossible to know who to trust, and when the dead bodies start piling up and secrets are slowly revealed, it’s a race to see who’ll make it to the end! No one was more surprised than me that I enjoyed this so much. I’m not a super huge fan of crime family stories, but this pulled me in from the jump with super speedy chapters and a constant flow of action and intrigue. I couldn’t wait to get back to it every time I had to step away. With great characters, world travel and a wildly engaging story, I can definitely see this making its way to the big screen at some point, and I’ll be in line for it! You may be tempted to think this is just a fluff action story with one-dimensional mafia goons, naive small-town characters and young adults in peril, but the thing I loved most about this story is how wonderfully human and accessible ALL these characters are. It would be easy to just say mafia = BAD, but Finlay shows a vulnerable side of every character that allowed me to feel empathy, though not approval, of even the worst actions they took. That’s a tough trick to pull off, but he did it beautifully. I finished the story having liked or sympathized in some way with every major character! I listened to this on audio while reading along on my Kindle. The narration by Helen Laser, John Pirhalla and Paul Dateh was excellent and I highly recommend both formats! Check out the author’s note at the end for a fun little insight into the book and Finlay’s writing style. ★★★★★ Thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley and author Alex Finlay for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC to honestly review. This will be published May 28, 2024.