What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

 

Five kids stand around a grave on a rainy night, taking turns firing a gun into the body inside it. One asks the titular question, "What have we done?".

Twenty-five years later, the kids from the abusive group home, Savior House, are all leading fairly successful lives, if not ones without demons. Jenna-a former assassin turned stepmom, Donnie-an aging rock star, Nico-a reality show producer, and Ben-a federal judge were all friends while Arty was shy and studious and is now a rich tech industrialist. They are brought back together because Ben is dead and someone is trying to kill the rest of them. They are pulled back together not by desire, but because someone in their shared past is out to get them and they are going to have to figure out who and why if they want to live.

What Have We Done starts fast and doesn't let up until the very end. Jenna is blackmailed into committing an assassination and when that goes badly finds herself targeted by a determined female killer. Jenna gets her family to safety and then begins the hunt for whoever is behind the scheme. She is easily the most compelling character in the book and her past skills lead her into some of the most exciting, tense, and action-packed sequences in the book. As the former friends try to piece together what is going on, we are given flashbacks into their time at Savior House and the traumatic events in their past. The viewpoint bounces from Jenna to Donnie to Nico throughout. Pieces of the puzzle gradually come together but point in so many directions it's hard to guess the outcome until you reach the final pages. 

The pace of the book keeps you engaged throughout and the action and excitement are intense. While Jenna is a very engaging character, the other characters are a bit shallow and somewhat unsympathetic, making it difficult to invest too heavily in them, even when they are in danger. The female assassin is terrifying and fascinating, but again too little is known to fully appreciate her. 

This is unquestionably a thrilling read with fast-paced action. Alex Finlay is definitely on the must-read list.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.