If Something Happens to Me

[Vicki Willis]

Join us for a buddy read of If Something Happens to Me date TBD (in April).

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.

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.

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Looking forward to this one!

[Kristie]

I will request this one. Hoping to join you.

[Elyse]

I just picked up What Have We Done at the grocery store. lol

[Kristie]

I own Every Last Fear and read The Night Shift. I don't have What Have We Done, but it's still on my TBR.

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Kristie wrote: "I own Every Last Fear and read The Night Shift. I don't have What Have We Done, but it's still on my TBR."

I really liked Night Shift and What Have We Done (4/5 for both). I haven't read Every Last Fear yet.

[Elyse]

I've read Every Last Fear and The Night Shift and gave both 4 stars.

[Kristie]

Funny, I was thinking that I might want an audio of this one. Then, I went back to read my review of The Night Shift. I was basically complaining about one of the narrators. lol Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Trisha]

I've loved everything from this author. I'm excited to jump in with you guys!

[Vicki Willis]

I have read What Have We Done 4 stars
and The Night Shift 5 stars.
I have high hopes for this one.

[Vicki Willis]

Who is planning on reading this one?
How about May 1 for a start date? Does anyone have another preference?

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

May 1 works for me!

[Vicki Willis]

That is great B!

[A]

Going to be joining y'all on this one - looking forward to starting it on May 1st!

[Elyse]

I'm going to start this one a little earlier as I have a physical copy and I'm going to play the cipher game, which would be impossible to do by ebook since you need to know page #. The sweepstakes ends on May 7.

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Elyse wrote: "I'm going to start this one a little earlier as I have a physical copy and I'm going to play the cipher game, which would be impossible to do by ebook since you need to know page #. The sweepstakes..."

Wait what's the cipher game? that sounds so cool, but I can't find anything by googling.

[Kristie]

Yes, more info please! :)

[Elyse]

I got an email from Alex Finlay's PR team about a cipher sweepstakes! And I was wrong about needing the page # so that's good. lol. It ends on May 7. Winner gets a box of Amedei Pralines and a signed hardcover copy of the book.

Here's the write-up:
In Alex Finlay's newest thriller, a cipher found submerged in a lake becomes a major clue in solving a murder. See if you can crack this cipher below!

How to Enter
Step 1: Read the cipher.
Step 2: Find seven words that will form your answer by using the digital galley of the book from NetGalley and locating the chapter, paragraph, and word for each. For example, for Word 1 below, you'll turn to the third chapter, find the eight paragraph in the chapter, and select the second word in the paragraph.
Step 3: Once you locate the seven words, enter them into the sweepstakes form below. Good luck!

Cipher Key: Chapter number, paragraph number, word number in the given paragraph:
Word 1: 3, 8, 2
Word 2: 29, 22, 45
Word 3: 24, 5, 48
Word 4: 33, 2, 15
Word 5: 65, 4, 23
Word 6: 4, 15, 16
Word 7: 11, 25, 14

Visit the link below to submit your answer by May 7:
bit.ly/IfSomethingHappensToMeCipherSw...

[Elyse]

And the book is also Read Now for 72 hours from 9am EST today.

[Kristie]

Elyse wrote: "And the book is also Read Now for 72 hours from 9am EST today."

I was just coming on here to say this!

[Kristie]

Elyse wrote: "I got an email from Alex Finlay's PR team about a cipher sweepstakes! And I was wrong about needing the page # so that's good. lol. It ends on May 7. Winner gets a box of Amedei Pralines and a sign..."

This is very cool, Elyse!

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Elyse wrote: "I got an email from Alex Finlay's PR team about a cipher sweepstakes! And I was wrong about needing the page # so that's good. lol. It ends on May 7. Winner gets a box of Amedei Pralines and a sign..."

Ooh this is fun! Does anyone want to move up our read date to make sure we have time to participate?

[Vicki Willis]

I can't move up the date because I have a very packed April, but if you guys want to move it up, go for it and I will join in later.

[Elyse]

Does anyone (besides Vicki who is too busy for it) want to start this April 25?

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Elyse wrote: "Does anyone (besides Vicki who is too busy for it) want to start this April 25?"

me me me! :)

[Kristie]

I don't think I can. I'll be away the 26th-29th.

[Elyse]

I'm going to be able to start this tomorrow and start the cipher challenge!

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

I’m excited to start this one tomorrow!

[Kristie]

Have fun ladies. Vicki, I still plan to read it May 1st if that still works for you.

[Vicki Willis]

Yes! I will be here!

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

5 chapters / 10%

(view spoiler)[

Chapter Number, Paragraph Number, Word Number in the Given Paragraph Cipher:
* Word 1: 3, 8, 2 You
* Word 2: 29, 22, 45
* Word 3: 24, 5, 48
* Word 4: 33, 2, 15
* Word 5: 65, 4, 23
* Word 6: 4, 15, 16 Old
* Word 7: 11, 25, 14

Elyse, curious to see if you get the same words. Am I counting the paragraphs correctly?

So many characters already!

I'm not sure yet how O'Leary ties in - maybe he's the dad of the kid who was being bullied when Allison stepped in? He must be running a gang or a drug enterprise or something. Why is he dumping people into the water with cinder blocks otherwise?

I hope the bodies they found in the car will help Dodge. I wonder who sent him the note. Maybe Allison herself? Her body wasn't found in the car...

I wonder if Dash will help Poppy with some insights. (hide spoiler)]

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

12 chapters / 20%

The chapters are short and fast, but I don't feel like the story is moving quickly at all.

(view spoiler)[

Chapter Number, Paragraph Number, Word Number in the Given Paragraph Cipher:
* Word 1: 3, 8, 2 You
* Word 2: 29, 22, 45
* Word 3: 24, 5, 48
* Word 4: 33, 2, 15
* Word 5: 65, 4, 23
* Word 6: 4, 15, 16 Old
* Word 7: 11, 25, 14 Past

Hmmm I must be counting wrongly because "old past" at the end of a sentence sounds weird. I might get to the end and have to redo the cipher stuff. Oops.

Still confused about O'Leary - especially since he's in Philly not Kansas. Maybe the dead guys in the car or the guy without pinkies work for him?

I wonder why the pinkie-less guy is terrorizing him now. Like he's so far out from the event and it's not like he's drawing attention to the case. Why would he suddenly get approached? The note under the door might not be seen, and waving at the balloon could be played off as just someone who likes watching the balloons, but the note under the windshield wiper could have been picked up and read by anyone…

The one hair on the sleeping bag years after she went missing is so vague and unlikely. It's screaming "planted" to me - but I assume it's meant to. But who planted it?

The FBI agent's comment about how they never searched the lake the first time is interesting. Is there a dirty cop who's covering it up? Like the Sheriff I guess?

There was an offhand comment about Alison liking French things and it didn't get to the "but" afterward like the other things on the list of things she loved. Maybe the cipher is based on a translation of a French book.


(hide spoiler)]

[Elyse]

Shruti, re: your spoilers. (view spoiler)[I got "your" for Word 6. I think you went one too many paragraphs down. The others are the same as you. The locations at the head of each chapter don't seem to be included.

I think O'Leary might be in a different time period? I feel like Michael the lawyer might be the suited guy they found in the car. I don't trust books with multiple locations and POVs ever since reading The Drift by CJ Tudor. lol. My first thought is one of them is in the past.

Nothing is really connecting for me yet. I think the hair was definitely planted on the sleeping bag. (hide spoiler)]

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

36 chapters / 51%

(view spoiler)[

Chapter Number, Paragraph Number, Word Number in the Given Paragraph Cipher:
* Word 1: 3, 8, 2 You
* Word 2: 29, 22, 45 Can
* Word 3: 24, 5, 48 Change
* Word 4: 33, 2, 15 Anything
* Word 5: 65, 4, 23
* Word 6: 4, 15, 16 Your
* Word 7: 11, 25, 14 Past

More and more I'm wonder if Taylor is Alison. Like maybe they ran so she didn't get killed in revenge for the bullying?

Pinky man... Might be a good guy? Chaz?

(hide spoiler)]

[Elyse]

I skipped to Ch 65 to get the last word and submitted my cipher. lol. I didn't want to wait! If you want to know early, the word is (view spoiler)[except. (hide spoiler)]

Re: your spoilers (view spoiler)[Hmm I don't see how Taylor could be Alison. Because why? Michael took her to Kansas to protect her from Shane? But she's clearly not bullying Anthony in the video.

I'm dying to know what Dash has to do with it all!!! Maybe Pinky Man is Michael. Hmm. Halfway through! (hide spoiler)]

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Elyse wrote: "I skipped to Ch 65 to get the last word and submitted my cipher. lol. I didn't want to wait! If you want to know early, the word is [spoilers removed]

Re: your spoilers ..."

Lol I was very tempted to skip ahead for the word but I'm scared of spoilers!

As for (view spoiler)[ she wasn't actively involved but she's one of tth the four kids who were reflected in the mirror in the bullying video so she was there. I thought maybe that's also why she was so quick to defend the bully at the school in the incident Poppy or Dodge or someone mentioned. Witness protection?

Ohh Pinky Man could be Michael too! That's a good point. Something probably happened to lose his pinkies. Some sort of war injury maybe? Could be he was fighting in Iraq with poppy's dad and the sheriff? Or maybe O'Leary's mob tortured him for something?

(hide spoiler)]

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

I finished. This ended up being a 3/5 for me because (view spoiler)[ I had most of it figured out by 50% and the cipher was such a minor part in the end.

Chapter Number, Paragraph Number, Word Number in the Given Paragraph Cipher:
* Word 1: 3, 8, 2 You
* Word 2: 29, 22, 45 Can
* Word 3: 24, 5, 48 Change
* Word 4: 33, 2, 15 Anything
* Word 5: 65, 4, 23 Except
* Word 6: 4, 15, 16 Your
* Word 7: 11, 25, 14 Past

(hide spoiler)]

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Elyse]

I'm on Ch 60 (74%). You were right about (view spoiler)[Taylor being Alison! And Pinky Man was just someone else under Shane's thumb. (hide spoiler)] I'm eager to finish. Part 2 is going a lot slower than Part 1 did.

[Vicki Willis]

I am going to be starting this tomorrow. I am going to work on my Cipher as I go. I probably should have enough time to do it.

Bummer that you didn't like it more Shruti. I hope it works for me.

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

It wasn't bad! It just lost steam halfway through. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[Kristie]

Also starting tomorrow. I got the audio copy in addition to the ebook. Hopefully that will help if it starts to lose steam.

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Hope you both enjoy it Vicki & Kristie!

Elyse, I'll be curious to see what you end up thinking of it.

[Elyse]

I finished it. (view spoiler)[While I'm glad it ended happily for the good guys, it just wasn't satisfying. The second half wasn't as good as the first half. I'm kind of disappointed that Chaz was killed when he did such a good thing. I had already guessed that Fincher was the rat in the FBI since it wouldn't have made any sense for it to have been a stranger off the page. I'm glad Poppy's dad got better. It was weird that there was no more talk about Dash and Alison after she was found and all. Why even include it then? Just for the red herring? (hide spoiler)] Not Finlay's best. I still have to read What Have We Done.

[Kristie]

The only Finlay I have read so far is The Night Shift. I still have Every Last Fear (which I own) and What Have We Done on my TBR.

[Vicki Willis]

I have read The Night Shift and gave it 5 stars.
I read What Have We Done and gave it 4 stars.
I have not read Every Last Fear, but I think if I really like this one, I will have to add it to my TBR.

[Shruti morethanmylupus]

Dr. B wrote: "Finished and why, why make the first half so great and the second half so boring and meh? :/ I gave it 3/5 , which is quite unfortunate given I loved the first half.

my review: https://www.goodre..."

Yes! The sudden loss of steam was so disappointing for me. :(

[Elyse]

Dr. B wrote: "Finished and why, why make the first half so great and the second half so boring and meh? :/ I gave it 3/5 , which is quite unfortunate given I loved the first half.

my review: https://www.goodre..."

Exactly!

[Kristie]

That's disappointing to see. I'm up to chapter 15 (25%). I'm enjoying it, but still sorting out all the characters and what I think of them.

(view spoiler)[ I agree with the earlier comments about the hair being planted. I'm curious who and why. I'm still trying to connect all the players. I am wondering how Dash is involved.

I also think it's strange that the man without pinkies is contacting Ryan now. Maybe he's worried that the men in the car will lead the authorities to him? I'm guessing he's involved with the mafia & O'Leary somehow.

My thought is that Ali either knew something, saw something, or has a family member that got involved with the mafia people. That would explain why she left the letter. I'm hoping Ryan knows which book she would have written the cipher from.

Of course, we don't know for sure that she's dead, that could be a twist, or if O'Leary's part is the same timeline.

(hide spoiler)]

[Kristie]

How are you doing, Vicki? Have you had a chance to start yet?

[Kristie]

I'm up to chapter 56 (71%) and it hasn't slowed down for me yet. So far I'm really enjoying this one.