What Have We Done

Product Information

Tom gives a fleeting smile with that row of too-white teeth on his too-tan face. He’s like an old house with too many layers of paint. He takes a deep breath. “That’s just it, man. We’re not kids anymore.”

Another lightning bolt to the chest. It’s the young woman from the bus stop. The woman steps gracefully onto the floor and shoves a duffel bag into Jenna’s hands.

Rachael’s Review

They haven't spoken in years, but this group remains bound in an inextricable way: they are all holding on to a terrible shared secret from one night, long ago. But as the past begins to creep up in a terrifying way, the trio realizes that one decision may have destined them all for the same deadly fate... but can they figure out just HOW their secret got out...and WHO may be hot on their heels...and aiming to kill? Alex Finlay proves once again he’s a master storyteller. What Have We Done has unrelenting action, inspired characters, and an innovative, pulse pounding plot. Alex Finlay has become one of today’s top thriller writers. This is why. Read this book.”— Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author Jenna- trained as an assassin as a teen (we don’t get that full story unfortunately) but has left that life behind, trying to build a normal family now To survive, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their shared past―a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.

Good morning,” Jenna says with exaggerated cheeriness that would give even Simon a run for his money. The author talked about how put-off he was by a combat vet telling him he couldn't understand, because the author believed we all are able to relate to moral injury. (I tried finding this in the book after finishing the book but couldn't find the exact location. So I'm rewording as best as I recall.) Later in the book, he writes about helping vets heal by having civilians listen to their stories, but training them not to say "I understand." Because you can't. And some vets only want to talk to other vets. Don't fault them for that. Let them find their own way to heal.

Reviews

Twenty-five years earlier, our principal characters were in Savior House, a dreadful state home for teenage foster children. Some girls disappeared from the institution, and any proof of their existence went missing. The main characters who attended the school were Jenna, Donnie, Nico, Ben, and Arty. All have disturbing memories from their time at Savior House. Most of the narration is from the perspectives of Jenna, Nico, and Donnie. I really enjoyed Finlay's first two books, especially The Night Shift, but this one was a miss. That said, I still look forward to reading whatever he comes up with next, but sure AF hope it's better than this one. His continued slant against the military turned me off and it became more difficult for me to regard him as a credible source. Again, I believe the stories but don't buy into his conclusions and don't believe they represent the larger portion of combat vets. And if combat vets take away that PTSD treatment doesn't work and that it's very difficult to heal from moral injury, they will become even more reluctant and skeptical of therapy, making my job more difficult and their view of their own lives more hopeless.

Thanks to the author, St Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC and audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review* What Have We Done is a question with an answer that is known by at least three people, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico, forever bound together because of shared adolescent trauma. Twenty five years ago, they lived at Savior House in rural Chestertown, Pennsylvania. Albeit a comforting name but Savior House, “a group home for parentless teens,” was a hell-hole. The thumping continues and he manages to climb to his feet. Wearing only tighty-whities, he opens the door, and the light from the hallway sends another bullet through his skull.David Wood defines moral injury as a trauma as real as a flesh wound; a jagged disconnect in our understanding of who we are and of what we and others ought to do and ought not to do. Many combatants involved in these campaigns feel that they were conducted under false premises, and were additionally tainted by ignoble domestic and geopolitical political motivations, and ultimately question the meaning and validity of the mission.

I read Finlay’s book, The Night Shift, and I liked that one too. I critiqued that one for having ‘a lot’ of swearing but it actually had less f-words than this one. The more I read, the more I realize my perspective on ‘a lot’ has somewhat shifted. There is definitely a difference between books with 60+ f-words and ones with 30. What Have We Done is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story. And it cements Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in thrillers today. I read and loved both Every Last Fear and The Night Shiftby this author. But this one just didn't do it for me, it didn't even feel like Alex Finlay wrote it. I am used to his books being more on the mystery/suspense side of things and this title was more like an action movie.A jolt rips through her. Inside the stall is a woman. She’s sitting on the toilet tank, her feet resting on the seat.