Every Last Fear

“You have two choices when you’re confronted with your every last fear: Give up or fight like hell. And I’m going to fight until my very last breath.”

Thank you, Minotaur Books, for gifting me a copy of Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay to read and review. 

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Pub Date: 3.2.21

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

“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.”

“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” This story takes off with a running start and doesn’t slow down until the very last chapter. It’s been a while since I read a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat but Every Last Fear did just that. I know this is going to sound terrible, but I was invested in this book from the first sentence – I knew it would be a story that would take me on a wild ride. 

I loved how the author alternated between ‘before’ and ‘after’ the death of Matt’s family. Not only did the before chapters reflect what led up to the Pine family’s death (or was it a homicide?), but the chapters were told from the perspective of each of his family members. This added such a uniquely morbid spin on the story as I wanted to know what happened to them but I also knew they were each detailing their final moments of life. It allowed me to begin to put the pieces together before Matt had an opportunity to do so. I’ve always loved books that give the reader more information than the characters are aware of – it’s a weird rush of adrenaline for me. I know.. I’m lame.

As I mentioned earlier, the story kept me on the edge of my seat and had me jumping at every little noise that I heard throughout my house. If you’re looking for a thriller to get your heart racing then look no further. 

Every Last Fear will be published on March 2, 2021, and is available to preorder now!

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