Book Review: What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay's What Have We Done is a tale about the lives we leave behind and the secrets we carry with us forever. Check out John Valeri's review!

The pseudonymous Alex Finlay—by day, a prominent Washington D.C. attorney with an extensive history of appearing before the U.S. Supreme Court—has quickly established himself as master of the high concept suspense novel. He made his debut with 2021’s Every Last Fear, now in development as a streaming service series, which was followed by The Night Shift. His books regularly appear on “best of” lists and have been translated into nineteen languages. March sees the release of Finlay’s third standalone, What Have We Done.

The story opens with a brief prologue in which five teenagers are seen taking turns firing a gun into a shallow grave, one of them lamenting, “What have we done?” Twenty-five years later, readers meet these characters as adults. Jenna—a onetime assassin who thought she was out of the business—is the recently married stepmom to two girls who has learned to enjoy the pleasures (and pains) of domesticity; Donnie is an aging musician whose inability to stay sober has gotten him kicked out of the band he co-founded; Nico is the producer of a popular reality show whose gambling debts keep him on the brink of financial ruin. Each has survived a recent attempt on their lives—and by an assailant who seems to have the ability to be in two places at once.  

Circumstances will lead them all back to Chestertown, Pennsylvania, where they were once residents of a group home (ironically) named Savior House. Bonded by the trauma of their childhoods, and against those who sought to abuse and exploit them as teens, they share a link (and a crime) that time and distance can’t quite erase. And while they’ve since lost touch, the murder of Benjamin (“Benny”) Wood—their book-loving, justice-minded friend-turned federal judge—necessitates a homecoming of sorts. Because despite an arrest having been made in Benny’s case, questions remain (especially in consideration of the trio’s own recent brushes with mortality). Somebody knows their secret and is determined to silence them. But who could it be—and why now, after all these years? Finding the answers to those questions is, quite literally, a matter of life and death. 

Finlay rotates headspace between Jenna, Donnie, and Nico. It’s a more straightforward approach than his earlier efforts (for instance, Every Last Fear incorporated dual timelines and script excerpts); rather than alternating past/present (excepting the book’s prologue), he has his characters reminisce about their histories as they navigate current crises that converge. Having said that, it’s by no means simplistic. Given the characters’ unique backgrounds and skill sets, Finlay touches on everything from fashion, gambling, mining, and music to literature, reality TV, tactical maneuvering, and technology (among other things). The author’s lengthy acknowledgments hint at a level of research that might otherwise be taken for granted, given the seeming command and ease with which he writes.

What Have We Done is ingenious and intricately plotted, if occasionally improbable. Alex Finlay’s reputation alone will ensure that plenty of people pick up the book—but he also knows how to keep them from putting it down. Minor quibbles aside, you can’t help but feel for his characters and their shared yet singular plight(s). Abundant action, emotional depth, high stakes, and short chapters keep the pages turning. Where exactly this one ranks in relation to the author’s previous offerings is a matter of personal preference but there’s no denying it’s a worthy, and wildly entertaining, addition to the collection.

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