What Have You Done

Adler and Dwyer #0.5

by Matthew Farrell

Family is not what it seems in this raw, edgy thriller that New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline says "you won't be able to put down."

When a mutilated body is found hanging in a seedy motel in Philadelphia, forensics specialist Liam Dwyer assumes the crime scene will be business as usual. Instead, the victim turns out to be a woman he'd had an affair with before breaking it off to save his marriage. But there's a bigger problem: Liam has no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder.

Panicked, Liam turns to his brother, Sean, a homicide detective. Sean has his back, but incriminating evidence keeps piling up. From fingerprints to DNA, everything points to Liam, who must race against time and his department to uncover the truth - even if that truth is his own guilt. Yet as he digs deeper, dark secrets come to light, and Liam begins to suspect the killer might actually be Sean ...

When the smoke clears in this harrowing family drama, who will be left standing?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Suspense, Audiobook

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2018

About the author

Matthew Farrell lives just outside of New York City in the Hudson Valley with his wife and two daughters. Get caught up on the progress of his next thriller along with his general musings by following him on Twitter @mfarrellwriter or liking his page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mfarrellwriter2.

Reviews

[Joey R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars — “What Have You Done” was a Kindle First selection that has stayed in my unread books pile since September of 2018. I believe this was Matthew Farrell’s first book, and it was not half bad. The book tells the story of two brothers, Sean and Liam, who survived a traumatic childhood with an insane mother who attempted to kill Liam but who was saved by Sean. The brothers have now grown up and both work in law enforcement with the same agency. The book begins with a grisly murder whose victim is connected to both brothers and the story takes off from there. The book was like an out of control roller coaster ride with twists and turns where you never expect them. Unfortunately, many of them were implausible and inconsistent with the same character’s actions from earlier in the book. Much of the dialogue is stilted, and the story itself goes completely off the rails about 2/3 of the way in. Despite the problems, I was never bored with this book. There was always something interesting happening that kept me going until the end. I would characterize the book like a bad Jean Claude Van Damme movie —always something going on even if it is stupid and unbelievable. Temper your expectations and it will have you reading late into the night.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad to see that so many people loved this book. I was not one of them.

The writing itself is good. I wasn't wowed, but I was entertained, at first.

The premise intrigued me, but I couldn't buy into the way it was handled. We have two seasoned members of the police force who immediately decide to lie to and withhold information from their fellow investigators about details of a murder. One even tells the other that they can't trust the cops, who are supposedly professionals and their friends, to do their job correctly. The conversation sounded far more like something you'd expect from seasoned criminals or inner city youth than from two straight-laced cops who've never broken the law. From there, it just became more absurd as the two went totally rogue.

Before the 20% mark on my Kindle edition, I already knew who did it and why. There were no surprises. The characters and the plot are predictable stereotypes.

We also have scenes that go back in time to the brothers' childhood. The transitions aren't marked, and it's often initially unclear as to where we are in the story.

But that's all my opinion, as any review is. You might love the story.

*This was my Kindle First pick for September.*

[j e w e l s · Rating 3 out of 5]

THREE STARS
I’ve been really lucky several times this year when gambling on “little” novels that sound like they are psycho-twisted with all the elements of a surprise hit (Jane Doe or In the Vines FIVE STARS, BABY!!!).

Unfortunately, despite the great title, What Have You Done did not wow me. I think it will find its audience, but it won’t be a great crossover blockbuster.

This is the story of two grown brothers, both currently working in law enforcement. The brothers experienced a horrific event involving their mother when they were only youngsters. The story is told in back and forth timelines (not my favorite style) and it looks like one of the brothers may have committed murder by killing his girlfriend- yet he does not remember doing the deadly deed. The other brother feels a strong duty to protect him and so begins a series of police cover-ups and lying to family members.

I love books that feature male main characters as unreliable narrators –there just aren’t that many authors that do it. A big plus for What Have You Done. I also enjoy a bit of police procedural and forensic science in my psychological thriller. Another plus.

Now for the minus column. Insert sad face here ☹️. The story is sooooooo predictable. I even guessed the ending at just 20% into the novel. That means I was super bored for the rest of the book. I couldn’t feel any connection to the characters, either. The novel reads like a television show and the dialogue comes off as artificial and contrived. Pity.

What Have You Done is a free November pick on Kindle Unlimited, but I splurged for the audible version and spent a precious credit. Boo. The narrator was irritatingly chipper and stilted sounding, although some of that is due to the elementary writing.

So, the minuses outweigh the pluses. If you are looking for a psychological thriller with a male lead, I would direct you to an Allen Eskens or Peter Swanson novel. They are all fab-u-lous!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunka Munka......this one has teeth.

What Have You Done takes us deep into the complicated relationship between two brothers. Liam Dwyer is the younger of the two and a forensics specialist in Philadelphia. His brother, Sean, hits the same streets at a fast pace as a homicide detective. They've been encased in a strong bond since childhood.

Matthew Farrell gives this one quite the incisors as he lays out the backstory of what happened to said brothers at the hands of their mother so long ago. As Farrell walks us through the macabre past, we hold our collective breath. This sets the tone for what is yet to come. How do you safeguard the ones you love who've suffered unspoken horror at the hands of the familiar?

Farrell pushes the storyline further when a body is found in a sleezy motel on the wrong side of town. Someone wanted to make sure that the young female spoke not another word. Liam, as the forensics specialist on call, will now enter into a nightmare of vast proportions. He recognizes the woman as his lover from the past two years. Trapped in an unhappy marriage, Kerri was everything to him. Revealing his current relationship with Kerri will only make him Suspect #Uno with the Philadelphia Police Department.

His first call is to Sean who vows to help Liam divert attention to himself. Together, the brothers will sift through information to clear Liam. Major Problem: Liam has no recollection of where he was the night Kerri was murdered. He wakes up on his couch with his wife questioning him. A drunken blackout and no flashlight.

What Have You Done contains no heavy lifting to get to the guilty. But Matthew Farrell provides a worthy journey. It's all in the "getting there" that makes this a worthy read. Don't just take my word for it. Lisa Scottoline and Robert Dugoni have given their seal of approval as well.

And here's a little tidbit. Farrell has another one, I Know Everything, coming out in August 2019. I've already got my eye on that one. Some fine talent in the making.

[Kathi Defranc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Thriller About Brothers Who Have Been Through It All..

I was very impressed by this book by a new author, great story that keeps you turning pages quickly!! An excellent story of what happens in the mind when stressed for years, no childhood as one boy spends it taking care of his brother. Sean has always been the older brother, taking care of Liam for years, after their father dies and mother loses her mind..He made sure to work, have money to help Liam go through school, gets on the police force himself then thrilled when Liam becomes a forensic specialist in the same force! Or Is he Thrilled?!
Liam believes Sean is there and has been with him through everything. He can always count on the two of them being together! Then there is a murder, after a night Liam has completely no memory of, and so many little things happen...Is Liam losing his mind?
Do you wonder what is going on? Grab the book and Start Reading!!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when books cross genre lines a bit, while this was firmly a thriller it was also part domestic suspense and also had the feel of a CSI episode. It was also extremely exciting and super fast paced making for an entertaining read that gripped me the entire time.

Memory loss is not exactly a new premise when it comes to thrillers but what made this one stand out for me was that every theory I would come up with was almost immediately debunked as soon as I thought of it. This was a clever tool, it kept me thinking, well if that wasn’t the answer then WTF is?! The chapters were fairly short and you guys know that’s my downfall, it always keeps me engaged and reading way past my bedtime.

At first thought I wouldn’t call this twisty but in the last quarter there were several surprises that truly shocked me. It’s one of those that may be tense throughout but the last half really picks up and the suspense is at an all time high. Definitely a new fan of the authors and will be looking forward to what he comes up with next.

What Have You Done in three words: Twisty, Gripping and Suspenseful.

[Richard Vernon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trashy crime novel. The author used lots of short chapters to structure the book - and unfortunately this was symptomatic of a lack of overall depth to the characterisation, plot and dialogue.

We are expected to believe that the police wouldn't have tied together a series of brutal murders with quite distinct characteristics - and then the plot gets really silly, layering on additional murders and affairs that eventually becomes a bit daft.

The dialogue is dreadful at times - sounding way too shallow to be realistic, and containing a fair share of unexplained police acronyms!

On the other hand it is a quick read - good for travelling or when you are otherwise too busy to concentrate too much - and I have to admit to getting to the end of it, so it can't have been that bad!?

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is many things. Unfortunately, “good” isn’t one of them, and I find myself confounded at the more generous ratings. I tried to find some redeeming qualities to temper my disappointment but came up empty. What Have You Done manages to regurgitate every suspense-fiction cliche through the actions of unlikeable characters who spew tired dialogue that overflows with repetitive word choices. And if you think that sentence was bad, after reading this novel, you will find it literary genius by comparison.

The story is one of two brothers, Liam and Sean, who escape the murderous intentions of their mother, grow up with their grandparents, and then take separate paths to join the police force—one as an officer, the other as a forensics specialist. Liam awakens one morning and can’t recall what happened the night before. When he discovers his mistress was murdered during his black out, he becomes convinced he may have killed her. Together, he and Sean search for the truth that could destroy them both.

So let’s talk about those cliches—you know, the ones they tell writers to avoid in Writing Suspense Books 101? Law enforcement partners covering for each another and citing the thin, blue line? It’s here! Memory loss and black outs? Yep! A seedy hotel with a seedier hotel owner? Uh huh. An altruistic officer who is sacrificed to further the plot? You bet! A scorned wife and dead mistress? They both make an appearance. A geeky, greasy outcast who is a computer genius? He is here as well. The list just goes on and on ad nauseam.

If the cliches mentioned at least involved likable characters, it may have been palatable. Unfortunately, MC Liam is a cheating husband; his brother Sean, a sadist; his wife Vanessa, a self-absorbed whiny spouse. By the time the book hit the 50% mark, I was ready to toss the whole thing into that GR black hole known as the DNF shelf. I didn’t give a rat’s ass what became of any of them.

I did soldier through to the end and would be remiss if I didn’t mention what is presumably the author’s favorite word: scurry. People “scurried” down streets and characters “scurried” home with disturbing regularity. I kept hoping the author would “scurry” to a thesaurus. Yeah, nope.

This was my first, and last, experience with this author. Two stars for at least some semblance of structure. Beyond that, however, all hope was lost.

[Jeri Paull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, entertaining whodunit. The writing was decent, character development was ok, and the murder mystery unfolded at a nice pace.

[Christina McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

An edgy crime thriller reminiscent of a CSI episode, What Have You Done is an explosive debut by Matthew Farrell. The novel is a cross between a domestic suspense and a hard-bitten crime story, opening with a mutilated body investigated by forensics specialist Liam Dwyer. But soon Liam realizes he knows the victim. And he has no memory of the night she was murdered.

As he’s always done in times of trial, Liam turns to his big brother Sean, a brash, bold, charismatic homicide detective. But as evidence stacks up against him, Liam begins to suspect Sean is somehow involved.

Exploring themes of family, trust and identity, this is a great plot-driven novel you’ll easily plough through and enjoy.

[Heather Baez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've never chosen a Kindle First read because I have a ton of books on my Kindle and nothing really jumped out at me. But I was in a reading slump and was looking for a fast, engaging read. I did end up reading this quickly, mostly because I read the last 2/3 of the book half-assed, skimming the page because I just didn't care.

This book is NOT good. The writing, especially in the beginning was so ... basic - as if this was a college writing assignment. But a thought provoking, twisty mystery it was not. It was easy to solve fairly early and the added twist at the end just made zero sense. It was as if it was thrown in there to be unpredictable but there wasn't enough backstory or foreshadowing for it to make any sense. There were also chapters where a character would talk to or call out to a shadowy, unknown mystery person to keep the reader guessing. Like, "Ooh, I wonder who he's talking to? Who else is involved?!" But this isn't a children's book (my husband actually asked me that). That just seemed like lazy writing or writing that isn't thoughtful or smart enough to really develop characters that don't have to be hidden until the "big reveal."

There were inconsistencies throughout the book (in one paragraph it was mentioned they had a relationship for a few years but the VERY NEXT paragraph it said nearly two years - is it a few or less than two?!?) but the worst part was the characters. They were horrible people. I don't read many police procedurals so I don't know if it's common to have cops lie, destroy evidence, and basically go rogue to make a book more interesting, but it made me truly dislike the characters. All of the main character were liars, cheats, insane, and selfishly shallow with the exception of the main character Sean's partner Don, his wife, and his brother-in-law. (Although Don was also involved with evidence tampering and did so without question.)

I'm glad this book was free because if I had paid money for it, I would have been annoyed. I simply cannot recommend this book to anyone.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Takes the thrill out of thriller. Found myself quickly not caring about the characters, which is a cardinal sin leading to another cardinal sin--boredom.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Matthew Farrell and I liked it so much, I can’t wait to read more books by this author. This book kept me on the edge of my seat until the end!! Gripping throughout with a shocking twist at the end.

[Lisa B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! I love this book.

[Kyra Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

this thriller was predictable for me, not a bad read. the twist was exciting, I figured they were involved in some way. this was a very slow burn kinda read.

[Seth Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the most painful-to-read book I’ve ever finished.

I’ve discarded others to be sure. This one wasn’t poorly written, but the characters weren’t adequately developed enough (ever) to explain the choices they made. The protagonist wasn’t at all likable and the plot twists were as absurd as they were predictable. I think the author captures it best with this line: “I was a cliché. A goddamned Lifetime movie.”

[Liz Etnyre · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Kindle First Read pick for Sept.'18.
This will have to be a DNF for me. The premise is decent, and the writing is not horrid - but I'm not at 20% yet and not only am I pretty sure what's going on, I find I don't care enough to find out for sure. Two good, honest, admired, and seasoned law enforcement types who happen to be brothers suddenly, and without really any discussion on the subject, decide to withhold evidence and lie just because they have a connection to the victim (and to the method of death) but don't trust their fellow officers enough to say HEY! THIS IS NUTS! Their connection to the victim will be easily found out, and their connection to the manor of death won't be all that far behind - so why lie in the first place? I'm pretty sure one brother is setting up the other, but why the 'innocent' one, who presumably doesn't know he's (probably) being set up by his brother, isn't spilling everything he knows to the rest of the cops is beyond me. My belief couldn't be quite that suspended. 2 stars.

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good CSI thriller

Loved this book, my pick of the kindle First Reads for September. This is a great suspense thriller, the characters are engaging, the story keeps moving along.

This book would make a great movie, highly recommend.

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book. The writing was good, the plot was spellbinding and the police procedures were believable. The main characters were great but the supporting characters lacked depth. The final 1/4 was a disappointment. I kept waiting for the ah ha moment that every good mystery has. I thought the ending was transparent, predictable and definitely dragged out too long. The epilogue left me wondering if the guard was giving false messages to the visitor??

[Tony Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Have You Done is a lean, mean thrill-ride of a book that grabs hold, refusing to let go until the last bittersweet pages. I am mightily impressed by Matthew Farrell’s first novel, and can’t wait to see what he cooks up next. Fans of Meg Gardiner and Mark Edwards will find a lot to love between the covers of What Have You Done.

[Russ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite Liam's noble goodness & blamelessness (ahem!), his wife Vanessa is said to be cranky and mean (even though she comes across as pretty lenient and easy going). Naturally, the only thing Liam can do about this is to have a love affair with Kerri. Liam is justified in doing this because we feel sorry for him because of a childhood trauma. Still with me?

Liam and Kerri call or text each other the day before. Then Liam blacks out, wakes up the next morning remembering nothing overnight. He works forensics for the Philly PD. Heads to a crime scene and there's Kerri. Murdered. Trussed up like a Christmas goose in a seedy motel room.

"Fortunately" (?) his older brother Sean is a homicide detective who tells Liam to lie about everything, deny knowing the murder victim at all, and begin concealing evidence! What could go wrong?

Sean's partner Don (all three guys are very chummy, and they all seem to know Don's mother and Don's wife quite well too) jumps in to "help" by stealing evidence from Kerri's place before the homicide detectives who are actually assigned to the investigation can get there. Sean and Liam conduct their own investigation to find the real killer.

Even if you don't mind these contrived set-ups in the beginning of the book, the middle doesn't get much better. The book blurb says, "Liam begins to suspect the killer might actually be Sean." Hmm... sounds like it would be compelling: brother suspecting brother. However, I felt unmoved. Although I felt bad for Liam's childhood trauma, I still didn't really care about Liam. I didn't know why he went into forensics or why his brother went into homicide detection, other than that positioned the characters best to set up the plot in a particular way. I couldn't relate to his affection for Kerri since we never met her alive. And I didn't care about Sean who seemed manipulative and roguish but uncharming. I kind of liked Don but he was not that major a character and he was a poor decision-maker.

I give the author credit for coming up with a really good hook. If Alfred Hitchcock were alive at 119 years of age and still directing films, he'd have liked to turn this into a screenplay. And there are some clever locked-room mystery style elements as well with a very finite number of characters who could be responsible for Kerri's murder. Like some other reviewers here, I also liked the spin on recent psychological thriller ". . . Girl . . ." books by putting unreliable men at the center of it for a change.

This is better than A Blood Thing, another 2018 crime thriller which also forced two brothers, one of whom is a cop, into difficult moral decisions surrounding a murder. But ultimately the character development in What Have You Done was missing something, and several of the plot points were irritants, rendering a clever concept into a . . . meh.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reading. I did this one as an audio book and the narrator did a wonderful job. This book has mystery all throughout out and the turns and twists kept me wanting more. The last paragraph has an unexpected twist that will keep you thinking well after finishing. Two brothers in the police force involved in a young woman’s horrific murder, exactly what is the motive , personal or a serial killer. As I kept reading I did put together who committed the murder about halfway through but it wasn’t conclusive until near the end of the book. I strongly believe people who enjoy mystery, detective stories and an unexpected twist will like this read.

[Mary Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this one grabs your attention from the start as you get to read about the back-story of a man being drowned by his mother. he wakes up a mess, not knowing where he had been the night before. Guess you can start to get the idea from there. This is definitely one i would recommend.

[QHuong(BookSpy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75


Cuốn sách này sẽ rất hợp cho người mới bắt đầu đọc trinh thám. Mình đã đọc quá nhiều cuốn trinh thám sử dụng trope/twist th�� này nên thực sự là dễ đoán - đã vậy thì tiêu đề truyện Đừng tin một ai cũng là một manh mối để bạn phần nào đoán được thủ phạm. Truyện không có gì mới lạ nhưng bù lại đọc giải trí khá tốt, không phải đau đầu nghĩ suy luận hay theo dõi các tình tiết lằng nhằng. Nhịp truyện tương đối nhanh và bạn có thể đọc một lèo mà không phải dừng lại suy ngẫm.

Về điểm mình có thể bóc tách ra là mình không thích ở cuốn này, đó là kết truyện khi tác giả để lộ hung thủ theo một cách khiến nhân vậy chính Liam khá thụ động. Rốt cuộc thì Liam còn không hề phát hiện ra thủ phạm thực sự là ai mà người đó tự lộ diện, đã vậy còn rất tự hào độc thoại cả một bài dài về kế hoạch giết người của mình như thế nào. Một điểm nữa mình thấy không ổn là tác giả lại để một nhân vật siêu siêu phụ, trời ơi đất hỡi nào đó lại tình cờ tìm ra được thủ phạm, trong khi nhân vật chính không hề nghi ngờ gì.

Còn nữa, nghiệp vụ cảnh sát ở đây có vấn đề. Bình thường khi điều tra giết người thì việc cơ bản là kiểm tra camera theo dõi xung quanh khu vực đó, nhưng đến tận cuối cùng có người trao hẳn tay đoạn băng camera thì mới ngã ngửa ra thủ phạm là ai. Khó hiểu thật.

[Jenene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Lots of twists, action, and suspense! And what an ending!!

[Liz Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!
What a great little book! This is one of those books that doesn’t blow you away, but keeps you so intrigued and hooked into the story line that you just wanna keep reading in order to find out what happened. For me, I think that was because this one touches into SO many different genres—mystery, thriller, psychological thriller, police procedural. SO fun.

When a mutilated body is found hanging in a seedy motel in Philadelphia, forensics specialist Liam Dwyer assumes the crime scene will be business as usual. Instead, the victim ties out to be a women he’d had an affair with. But there’s a bigger problem: Liam has no memory of where he was or what he did on the night of the murder. Panicked, Liam turns to his brother, Sean, a homicide detective. Sean has his back, but incriminating evidence keeps piling up. From fingerprints to DNA, everything points to Liam, who must race against time and his department to uncover the truth—even if that truth is his own guilt.

It’s definitely an addictive read. It’s fast paced, and with the short chapters you just keep saying to yourself “just one more” 😜. I also really got invested with all the characters, especially Liam the main character. You spend the whole book rooting for him!! I found the authors writing style really good, were he started by setting the scene with the brothers pasts with there mother which was interesting and made you understand things during the book!

One of the main issues I had with this book was there were so few characters introduced that it wasn’t that hard to guess who the killer might be, but I will admit I was changing my mind the whole way through the book so the author still did a pretty good job! My other issue was again character relating. I though the supporting characters didn’t really have much depth to them; I definitely would have liked a bit more from them!

Overall, this is a very solid, addictive, page-turning thriller & I would highly recommend it to you all 🙌🏼

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Have You Done, by Matthew Farrell, was a Kindle First pick of mine. I love a good crime thriller and this one was riveting!
This is the first book I’ve read of Farrell’s and I really enjoyed his style of writing. It was gripping and full of twists. I enjoyed the main characters Liam and his brother Sean. An unbreakable bond between them after suffering a traumatic childhood.
Dead body is found, murdered in a gruesome fashion and everything is pinning Liam to the murder. Sadly, he can remember nothing from that night and starts to wonder if he was capable of such a thing. Sean does as he has always done since they were little and does everything in his power to protect his brother and prove that there is no way he could have committed a crime like this. Although, he starts to doubt when nothing seems to make sense with any other scenario with another person involved.
What Have You Done was a thrilling read for me and I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the book. As always, I love a good tie-up at the end bringing everything together and in a clear perspective and Farrell did a good job with that as well.
I recommend this read for those that like crime fiction and I certainly would read another book by Matthew Farrell if it was anything like this one.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely mixed reviews for this "who dunit" and I am definitely in the cheering section. Living near Chicago, rogue cops are not news and I found the actions of Liam, Sean and Don not as unusual as others did -- not that I'm condoning such behavior from the boys in blue but know that it happens all too frequently. I also had a fairly good idea of who was responsible but was entertained enough to see how the story unfolded and I wasn't disappointed. There are many twists and turns, sufficient character development and quick paced sequencing make for an entertaining read.

[Marc Leonard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to stop reading this at 35% of the way through because 1. it's not well written which is almost forgivable but 2. the story fundamentally makes no sense. Characters continuously take actions that are totally unjustifiable to the point that it's not so much character development as people with names doing random things to move the plot forward. I rarely quit on a book but couldn't take it any more. Yeesh.

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven’t been having good luck with my Kindle First Reads. Predictable, formulaic, and other than taking place in Philly where I always feel nostalgic when reading, I didn’t like this one.