Get ready to lose some sleep! Alex Finlay’s latest, If Something Happens to Me, is so addictive you will gladly sacrifice a good night’s rest to get to the end.

He had to change his name, switch colleges, and declare a new major. For five years, Ryan Richardson’s life has been defined by one night. A rainy evening when he and his girlfriend Ali (Alison) went to Lover’s Lane and did not see the monster approaching their vehicle through the fogged-up windows. They only knew he was there after. After he had yanked open the door, ripped Ryan from the car, and driven Ali’s BMW into the night, her screams piercing the dark.

When Ali disappeared, so did Ryan’s reputation. The police were skeptical (to say the least) of his description of a man with no pinkies materializing in a remote area of a backwater town, perpetrating a kidnapping (or murder) and leaving no trace of himself, Alison, or the car. To close the case, the cops and community needed Ryan to have done it. They would all sleep better, they assured him, knowing the killer in their midst had been locked away. Unfortunately for them, lack of evidence and a good defense attorney meant Ryan was never charged, much less incarcerated. That hasn’t stopped people from convicting him in their hearts, though. Nor has it kept the media from heavily implying he got away with it. The former basketball star had to cease to be Ryan Richardson and become nerdy Ryan Smith to have a shot at a future.

Then, the past comes calling. While on a trip to Italy with his law school classmates, Ryan’s phone rings. It’s his dad, letting him know that a YouTuber called Cold Case Company has found Ali’s car submerged in a lake not far from Lover’s Lane. There are two dead men inside, but no sign of his former girlfriend.

Poppy McGee’s life hasn’t exactly gone as planned. Thanks to a handsy superior officer and the untimely and unexpected death of her mother, Poppy is back home in Leavenworth, Kansas. She knows she has a job as a sheriff’s deputy not because of her military experience but because her dad had served with the Sheriff in Iraq. She’s grateful for the position; her family has never been poor, but they sure aren’t rich either. With her dad’s cancer keeping him from earning a living, it’s Poppy’s paycheck that will keep them afloat.

She expected quiet days driving quiet streets, keeping drivers in line. Instead, her first day is full of tedious excitement. Excitement because Alison Lane’s vehicle has been found, breaking open a case five years cold, tedium because putting up blockades to keep the lookie-loos from compromising the scene isn’t exactly a thrill-a-minute. Her next day is even less exciting – she gets the fun, fun task of weeding through the tips that come in and coordinating with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Little does she know those two things will be what finally sheds light on what happened during a stormy night when a couple of teens expecting a fun makeout session found themselves involved in something far more dangerous.

Weaving through the story of Alison, Ryan, and Poppy is the tale of Shane O’Leary, his son Anthony, his accountant Michael, and that man’s daughter Taylor. From Philadephia to Italy, from Paris to Kansas, the threads of these lives will tangle together into one final explosive showdown between past and present.

If Something Happens to Me is a multi-PoV tale. Readers hear from Ryan, Poppy, Shane, and a host of others, each with a riveting piece of the story to tell. The author does a fabulous job of turning the narratives of these distinct individuals into a mesmerizing whole. I read this novel in a single sitting and was so grateful I could find the time to do that since I definitely didn’t want to put it down.

Figuring out how the disparate dramas fit together is compulsive, but what really pulled me in was the people. My heart just ached for Ryan, who had his life shattered by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is a genuinely thoughtful, sincere person carrying guilt for the girl he couldn’t protect and the money his family had to spend keeping him out of prison. Ryan’s keen intelligence and courage shine through when he is sucked back into the mystery of Ali’s disappearance.

Shane O’Leary is a deeply flawed human being whose only redeeming characteristic is his love for his fragile son, Anthony. I found my heart aching for them at the start, too. Shane, like many powerful people, finds himself powerless in the face of Anthony’s social awkwardness and outsider status at school. As that situation unfolds, you can’t help but feel for them as Anthony falls prey to some cruel people, and Shane finds himself unable to protect him. I didn’t at all agree with what happensas a result, but I certainly understood the emotions driving it.

Poppy is a sweet but stock character. She plays the role of a law enforcement officer who has just plugged into the system, still has ideals, and is willing to think outside the box and push back against the powers that be when needed. She works well here because the story needs her Holy Fool-style persona, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is ultimately only a tool for the author to move the narrative forward.

My one complaint with If Something Happens to Me is its sheer unbelievability. At numerous times during the tale, I found myself close to the giggles as our heroes repeatedly battle and defeat trained killers. That’s okay because this isn’t meant to be more than a fun summer action/adventure read, but the craziness pulling me from the story a few times did cause a wee bit of a downgrade. I would still recommend this novel very strongly, however. If a few hours of entertainment is what you are looking for, you can’t do better than this.