Name: Denaiir's review of Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay
Item: Every Last Fear
Rating: 4
Author: Denaiir

Alex Finlay

In one of the year’s most anticipated debut psychological thrillers, a family made infamous by a true crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days. “They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears. After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why. The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime. When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear. Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay's Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

A Novel

Every Last Fear

Emerson Clute

Lisa Merriam

Denaiir

i enjoyed the audio version
strong plot, even though I figured out most of it quite early on, and I would have liked to see more of some of the characters + lose ends

Lamia Hajani

Every Last Fear follows a classic mystery/thriller format. For that reason, it's easily digestible, quickly read and fairly captivating all the way through. However, I couldn't give it over 3 stars because I did not feel that it was really anything special - it is a good book, yes, but I wouldn't go out of my way to tell people that it's a must-read. It's my understanding that this is either a debut or an experienced author that's writing under a different name, since Alex Finlay is a pseudonym. Either way, it's clear Finlay is a good writer, and I would probably read other books by them in the future as filler books when I don't want to read anything too complicated.

Thanks to NetGalley, Alex Finlay and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Srinivasan Tatachari

A fast paced thriller that will have you guessing quite a bit.

I absolutely loved the plot and the initial hook of the family tragedy and the story behind. I also loved Alex's way of writing, building up from the past threads from each character's perspective and building towards the present and the climax. Though normally it would confuse me when an author keeps going around such multiple strands, in this case I think given the few characters and Alex's style of writing I did not feel lost out. A wonderful work!

The characters are beautifully brought to life as the narrative goes through each one's past. I felt the pangs for the loss of the family and the wrong that they might been put through.

At some point I felt the antagonist was guessable, but probably given the number of characters it would be a game of high probability... But it was still nice to read through the logic of why that person was the criminal!

Highly recommended for those who love whodunits!!

Alexa M

this was a really good, very fast-paced thriller!

“High-energy . . . Finlay expands the puzzle and ratchets up the action.” —New York Times "This debut is gripping from the first bone-chilling line until the final page." —Newsweek One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: • Newsweek • CNN • E! Online • Goodreads • BuzzFeed • PopSugar • BookBub • Bibliofile • Mystery and Suspense A LibraryReads Selection — A Top Book Voted by Librarians for March 2021 An Indie Next Pick — A Top Book Voted by Independent Bookstores for March 2021 In one of the year’s most anticipated debut psychological thrillers, a family made infamous by a true crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days. “They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears. After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why. The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime. When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear. Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay's Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

Molly Morgan

I liked this! It had some good twists and the ending was satisfying.. I really enjoyed the POV's in this book. I also enjoyed the plot line of a documentary making a mess of this family's life, it makes you think about what happens to the people surrounding a murder when a documentary comes out. 

The thing that bothered me, which is silly I know, is that the FBI "sent Matt" to get his family but then Matt had to pay for it out of pocket? That there wasn't an agent or even a cop with him? That seemed odd, but also I guess realistic in the competency of the law. Actually, if you removed the FBI's involvement in this story not much would change, it was just a different perspective to have on the case.

Holly

Meh. I felt like everyone was very one-dimensional and truth be told, the ending was disappointing.

Madhuri Sridhara

Does not live up to the hype. This feels like it was a screenplay for a primetime soap that was somehow adapted into a book.

This was an okay book but I don't understand the high ratings and the hype. It was a bunch of cliches that was trying to be original but ultimately seemed like something I'd read a dozen times.

It started out okay but then the first twist made me groan out loud and I just rolled my eyes through the rest of it. I do admit, I had fun making fun of this book. I know I'm being harsh but I expected a lot from this one. I am waiting to find out more about the author though and will be reading more of his works to see how he improves. 

Back to this book, the men seem far more real than the women, who're written they're like vague tv tropes: caring mother, badass agent, sweet teenager etc. The mystery clears up about halfway through the book. But with mysteries, figuring it out is cool. There's always fun in finding out if you're right.

My main problem was the writing and the use of established tropes. When things are getting exciting, the author uses dated dialogue and predictable soap opera like situations.

This book was so slow until like the last few chapters. I loved the flashback style between the before & after but… man it was a lot of nothing for quite a while. 
I also listened to the audiobook and the narrators were really stiff and stilted readers. 
The twist was semi predictable but overall it was a good story!

Fellowes Cynthia

A pattern that is emerging is that I love a book at the beginning and about halfway through it falls apart for me. Then I have to decide whether to push my way through or to call it a Did Not Finish (DNF). If I quit I will feel as though I wasted my time so I usually plod forward. I loved this book when I first started it, but at some point it just got so overly complicated. And boring. I don't really enjoy too many books that flash back from the past to the present and have multiple points of view. I just want a straight ahead story told from one person's viewpoint. There are exceptions to that for me, but for the most part that is how I feel

So...I muddled through this book, not really enjoying it.

It involves possible assault, murder, multiple people being accused of various things and a large cast of characters.

Megan Oiler 

This book sucked me in as soon as I read the first page. Fast paced. A lot of back and forth, and a LOT of names, which at times got a little confusing in my head- but sometimes I read with a loud and distracting toddler in the room, so that just might be my own issue. Somewhat predictable but enjoyable.

KADY BURNS

I had a good time reading it but oh man did it have holes and loose ends galore

Hannah

I’m a huge lover of thrillers/mysteries and Every Last Fear did not disappoint. 

The story starts out with Matt Pine, a college student at NYU, being informed that his family had passed away while on a vacation in Mexico due to an apparent gas leak. A tragedy that becomes much more interesting when we learn that Matt’s brother is a convicted murderer and that all may not be as it seems. 

From there, the story is so twisty and turny, I couldn’t put it down. The story is filled with a memorable cast of characters that were so well developed it felt like you really knew them, even the characters with smaller roles in the story. 

Alex Finlay does an amazing job of keeping the reader guessing, I did not see the ending coming!

I highly recommend this one for anyone looking for a fast-paced, mystery. 

Thanks to Alex Finlay, NetGalley and St.Martins Press for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

Lauren Attaway

After a true crime documentary about the wrongful conviction of one of their family members puts a spotlight on them, the Pine family is again hit with another tragedy when all but two of the members die on a vacation.
The first thing I thought when I started this book is that I hoped they were not about to random twist me. While reading, I briefly worried that there would be a random twist, one of those plot changeups in books that I as a reader cannot track or expect. Never earned, but fans of the book will always be like how did you not see that coming? This happens more often than I would like when I’m reading thrillers. Fortunately for me, Every Last Fear did not fall into that category. There are plenty of surprises, but they all feel entrenched in the book’s world. 
The main characters, from the Pine Family to Agent Kellerman, are not overly analytical in that way that doesn’t feel like an authentic person. I enjoyed the parallels between the Pine daughter/sister Maggie and Agent Kellerman, as I felt they were both great at pursuing new leads without feeling like they were holding our hands through it. The book also dealt with the public consumption of tragedy as entertainment, and the cost of that on people who are inside of the tragedy versus just watching it. I would have liked to see more connections to the documentary, but that is likely just me being true crime obsessed. 
Overall, it’s a great thriller with interesting family dynamics, an FBI agent I did not hate on sight, and a mystery that could be solved with the clues within the pages. A fun thriller for a not-so-fun time of year. 
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Caitlin Snyder

(+) Great characters. I read a lot murder mysteries but this one is written in a way that connects you to the characters more than others. It makes it alot sadder. 

(-) A bit farfetched and I figured out the main part of the story relatively early.

Maria Luiza

"[...] and the truth of the matter was that it was rarely a stranger who killed you; it was usually someone you held dear. As Keller knew too well, the sheep spends its life worried about the wolf, only to be eaten by the farmer."

This book was a lot. Very enjoyable, very devourable, and very, very disturbing. I was unable to read this book at night, this is how scared it made me. It's not the type of book where you get attached to the characters (at least not for me), but I got attached to their suffering. 

There are a lot of characters and a lot of plot lines and I wish some of them were more developed. I also dislike the amount of pop culture references. Linkin Park is one of my favorite bands but I really dislike hearing about existing media in books, and I think it could have been more impactful if it was mentioned in a more lowkey way.

Overall, it was a solid read and I did not find out the end before the book showed it to me so the mystery part of it was very well developed and I was craving finding out what had actually happened.

Luna

the thriller plot wasn’t awful but every social aspect with race & sexual assault (tw) sure was


- “the mexicans” x 5
- “this mexican squad doesn’t seem like the most sophisticated bunch” 
- a girl plotting to get her friend raped bc it’s better than being a “pathetic” prude is not the bad guy 
- literally why are we glossing over this like ,,, you could’ve actually talked about a very real thriller trope but no encouraging SA is cool
- being rich isn’t a privilege 
- cell phones bad, guns good
- said attempted rapist is “a perfect gentleman” as if cops don’t know how much they reoffend ???
- yet another “i love my spouse SO much” cheater 
- srsly are we just supposed to believe everyone loves each other with all of this cheating ??
- “she was being melodramatic. it wasn’t like he raped her”
- girls love being drugged (but men can fight back!!)
- dating a hot girl >> not having ur entire family murdered 

on the bright side bob (not really a main character) is amazing

Ruth Parker 

This book has had a lot of hype but not all the press has been positive. I have to be honest, I enjoyed this book, I liked the premise and even though I guessed the final plot twist fairly early on, I still liked the journey. 

BUT I can’t ignore that BIPOC readers find some of the language used in this book to be offensive and racist. I find that it makes me uncomfortable to think of others feeling uncomfortable. And that in turn affects my enjoyment of the story. It could have been 4-5 stars, but I can’t ignore that there is a huge amount of people who are offended by this book - and at times I can see why and I understand why. 

I’m in a privileged position that during my reading of this book, I didn’t notice offensive language. It wasn’t until reading other reviews and listening to others that I went back over the story and found parts that I had somehow missed. I am very sorry to my BIPOC friends for not being fully aware of how offensive and derogatory some of the language used is and overlooking it during my first read. It has affected my enjoyment of the story to know that some of my friends are very upset over how parts have been written and with that in mind, I can’t rate this any higher.

Nash

“Never underestimate the power of a creep with too much time on his hands” 
― Alex Finlay


If you gather every single thing that can go wrong during a crime investigation and every possible fear you might have if it was your case, you would end up with a story like this one. This book has everything. The alleged culprit is behind bars but, his family knows that he didn’t do it and, they do everything in their power to solve this whodunit mystery. From coverups to conspiracy theories and even feuds between international police department and the FBI. It was very entertaining reading this book. I had my suspicions but I couldn’t figure it out myself the whole thing, and it was a big thing. While I love multiple POVs, this one was a bit annoying since it has a nonlinear timeline and on top of that it’s changing characters every other chapter.

Virginia Su

It was page-turning, but surprisingly predictable. The nature of the story led to only a very finite number of possibilities for the ending but I don't think that detracted from the story. 

My only other comment is that Alex Finlay (whoever he ends up being) seems to really like the legal industry. The story mentions so many different lawyers (white-shoe appellate lawyers, AUSAs, etc.), and a prominent young adult ends up being a law student too lol.

Emily C Peterson

This was really really good, but the ending was just slightly off for me

Lori Keenom

Could be spoilers






This one was good. I enjoyed it, didn’t love it. Matt, finds out that his family has just been murdered all but one who is in jail. 

The FBI has contacted him to go identify the bodies in Mexico. By the time he gets there the bodies have already been released. 

Has this got something to do with the investigation his father and sister were doing to get Matt’s brother released from prison?

Emma Tuggle 

A good solid book. Ending was good nothing really special though.

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[death of a girlfriend/mother/father/son/daughter/sister/brother, murder, blood and gore depiction, gassing, stabbing, animal attack (mentioned), grief and loss depiction, recreational marijuana use, alcohol abuse, prescription drug abuse, incarceration, physical assault, wrongful conviction (hide spoiler)]

Full review to come.


  Note: Review copy (audio) received via Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.


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Lisa Merriam &
Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

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Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay