Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Audiobook: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Spice: N/A

by Alex Finlay (May 28, 2024) Many thanks to @macmillian.audio for the gifted audiobook. Below is my honest review of this edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Five years ago, Ryan’s life was turned upside down when he and his girlfriend, Ali, were attacked while parked in a secluded area near their hometown. Ryan awakes with hazy memories and mounting suspicion pointed in his direction because Ali and their car are missing. Even though he was never charged, he became the central suspect for many, and as the years passed with no leads, he changed his name to escape the scrutiny. Now a law student, he is on a European trip with some classmates when he gets the call he has both craved and feared. Ali’s car has been found. Instead of finding Ali’s body inside, there are two dead men. Then, while in Tuscany, Ryan inexplicably sees the man who attacked them – the one face from his hazy memory. Thus starts a twisty international thriller told from the perspective of Ryan abroad and the new deputy sheriff back home in Kansas – with the help of an envelope found in Ali’s car addressed “If something happens to me.”

This was my first Alex Finlay book, but it won’t be my last. It was a complex story with many unexpected layers. I loved how he used subtle writing tricks to make readers think the story was heading in one direction when it was pretty different. How the pieces were being put together simultaneously in Europe and the US was very fun, and the way the danger mounted the closer we got to the conclusion was very enjoyable. I found so many stories and characters intersecting at specific points that I needed to pause to recall how they fit together. The narration was outstanding – with three distinct and fantastic narrators. If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, this one is lots of fun.

What is a thriller you love?