Every Last Fear could have been titled "why do bad things happen to good people". Finlay does a great job at character development, giving us insight to the family dynamics. Even though there are some hiccups (no family is perfect), you find yourself rooting for the all the members of this tragic family.

Everything was bad enough when son and brother (Danny) was imprisoned for killing a girl, Dad Evan transfers from work at his job in a small town in Nebraska, to the Chicago, Illinois headquarters. But after a "wrongful conviction" documentary things escalate.

We start to get all the clues as the chapters told in different POV before and after the death (and presumed murder) of the family in Mexico begin to unravel the story of who, why, what, where and when.

Matt has escaped the murder because he was in college at NYU, but when the FBI approach him about the deaths, he's unwittingly placed in the crosshairs of both the documentarians, the possible killer, and the outraged community in his hometown.

This thriller had a very different plot and was a nice change from the domestic thrillers I normally read. I can see this becoming a Netflix movie or even playing out as a crime podcast. Kudos to Alex Finlay on his debut novel!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for this advance reader's copy for review.

This was a gripping and unexpected mystery. The family dealing with the aftermath of a true crime documentary added another interesting element.

Thank you to @minotaur_books @stmartinspress and @netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WOW! Y’all! This book! What an incredible thriller from debut author, Alex Finlay! It’s been a while since I’ve read a thriller where I absolutely could not put it down. I finished this book in less than 12 hours it was so enthralling!

This is such a fresh thriller. The action isn’t over-done, the twists aren’t out-dated or predictable, the characters are smart. Alex Finlay is an auto-buy author for me now and I can’t wait to read more of their work!

Highly recommend it for fans of Gillian Flynn and Riley Sager!

This is one of 2021's most anticipated mystery/thrillers for a reason. Damn, was this a good read - inventive, creepy, thrilling, and so hard to put down. It mixes so many elements of other thrillers I've loved, from true crime with a media tie-in to family drama to small town gossip to just plain good whodunit/clue-chasing/excellent pull-the-mask-off-the-culprit at the end. All these elements make the book a little hard to describe - and in the past, I've found crossover books like this a little too ambitious and all over the place - but I think Finlay totally nails it.

Matt Pine has a strange backstory, to say the least. He's in college at NYU, playing chess with a homeless guy in the park, when the FBI shows up at his dorm room door and tells him that his family - his dad, mom, 17-year-old sister, and 7-year-old brother - were all found dead in Mexico, while they were on a family spring break vacation in Tulum. Oh yeah, and this is after the past ten or so years of Matt's life were dominated by his eldest brother, Danny, being accused of killing his girlfriend at a party in high school, serving time in prison, and becoming the star of a Netflix true crime docuseries sensation that brought his whole family and their small hometown of Adair, Nebraska into the national spotlight. No big deal.

The book follows Matt, a trauma-ridden but tenacious young man, trying to deal with the immediate aftermath of his family's death, including traveling to Tulum to get the bodies back and running into serious danger down there too. But more than just Matt's story, the book follows FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, normally an agent in the Financial Crimes unit, trying to solve both the mystery of what happened to the Pine family, and what really happened with Danny Pine, the answers to which are inextricably linked. The book also goes back in time to just before the Pines went to Tulum, telling the story from Evan (the dad's), Olivia (the mom's), and Maggie (the teenager daughter's) perspectives.

The characters, the docuseries tie-in, and the execution are all perfect. The mystery is amazing - like so many books these days, trying and succeeding to emulate the appeal and thrill of Serial season one - and imagine if we actually found out what happened in Adnan's case?! But (despite being fictional characters), the Pines never lose their humanity and you learn so much about family, trauma, grief, loss, and friendship. Overall, this was a fantastic read and totally worth all of the buzz and hype it's getting. I'm so excited for others to love this book as much as I do. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!

This was an excellent thriller and I was hooked from the beginning. It was a fast paced story and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys thriller.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was so good! There were plenty of twists to keep my attention and the characters themselves were really compelling. I really enjoyed the nonlinear timeline, labelled "Before" and "After". The wasn't a lengthy focus on any one character, but rather the actual murder case. However, there was still plenty of character arcs. Each family member for the most part got a solid chunk of the story so we get a bit of the story from all their perspectives.

Overall, this was a solid mystery. Because of the flashbacks, there was never a boring lull in the book. I absolutely loved the ending twist. Finlay really knows how to lay out a compelling mystery with plenty of surprises.

(4.5/5.0)
Overview: A family is discovered dead in Mexico, seemingly killed by a gas leak. Except for the father, who is in pieces outside. Two sons remain; one in prison for a murder he did not commit, the other in college. When an FBI agent comes looking for Matt, the brother attending NYU, it’s to send him down to Mexico to retrieve the bodies of his family. However, it becomes quickly apparent something else is going on here. Not only with the Pines’ cause of death, but how it connects to Danny’s murder trial.

The Good: Every Last Fear is a thrilling mystery with a cast of characters you’ll certainly grow attached toward, even though many of them are already dead when the novel begins. The writing moves with ease and purpose; the story is interesting and emotional; and you can’t help but want things to come together for the Pines, even though it’s too late for most of them.

The Bad: The conclusion isn’t as explosive as I would have liked, but still satisfying enough. I just would have liked a more surprising twist, not one I saw coming early on.

The Takeaway: Every Last Fear is an emotional thriller, seated in the reader’s desire for justice. You’ll want to read “just one more chapter” throughout, making this sort of novel you’ll want to clear your schedule to finish with as few of breaks as possible.

very suspenseful novel with twists and turns along the way.

The story begins with young Matt Pine who has just been told that his parents, younger sister and brother have been found dead while on vacation in Mexico, police believed it was a gas leak that killed them but a street smart investigator named Keller believes that it wasn't. To make matters worse poor Matt's family was already dealing with his older brother Danny's incarceration after being accused in the death of his pregnant girlfriend, a crime that was highly publicized in a documentary. Told in flashbacks that lead up to what actually happened to his family and what transpired with Danny and his girlfriend's death this was a well written page turner filled with twists and suspense. Another great book to curl up with during these cold winter nights.

Thank you to author Alex Finlay and NetGalley for a copy of this read in exchange for a unbiased review.

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Matt Pine could not catch a break. I felt so sorry for him because he lost his entire family. First, his older brother went to prison for murdering his girlfriend. Then, his family was obsessed with proving his innocence. Then, they all died in an accident or were they murdered?

I like how this book goes back before Matt’s family dying to explain the prior events. Especially helpful was that the chapters that were before their deaths were titled “Before.” Going between the past and the present wasn’t a problem, and it helped to understand what happened.

Matt was a good guy who had some amazing friends. They even all showed up for the funeral for his family. They were there for him but allowed him space as needed.

Every Last Fear is full of suspense and is hard to put down. I had to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to finish this one, so be prepared. There are also some twists. I definitely recommend Every Last Fear!

Alex Finlay's Every Last Fear is an engrossing psychological thriller. It begins with the death of a family of four on vacation in Mexico. The Pines' eldest son is serving a life sentence for the murder of his teen girlfriend and a true crime documentary had put the family in the news.

NYU student Matt Pine is devastated when federal agents tell him what happened to his parents, teen sister and small brother. Matt decides there's a reason that he survived - to seek justice. He does find it, after many twists and turns in this intricate, absorbing thriller

From page one to the very last page, I loved EVERYTHING about this book!!! It was suspenseful...it packed a lot of twists...great moments you didn't see coming...and the moments of humor/levity had me laughing out loud. I went on a deep thriller binge two years ago when it was the new popular genre, and got burned out. I've DNF'ed so many since. But this one!?! I'm recommending to ALL of my customers! So good! Thanks for plucking me out of my thriller slump, Alex Finlay!

OMG! The story starts like you hopped onto a high speed train and didn't slow down until you reached the end of the line. I read it in a single day! I don't always like a story told from multiple perspectives, but it was perfect in this one. I appreciated all the points of view, it gave a full story instead of a one person account. The main character Matt was sympathetic and very relatable. The story is tragic, but the ending was completely satisfying. I found there to be enough suspects to keep the story from being predictable. I recommend if you are looking for a good suspenseful mystery that is easy to read. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

#everylastfear #alexfinlay #netgalley this is one that grabbed me from the go. It’s been a while. We meet the Pine family. The eldest son in prison for a murder he and his family say he didn’t commit. A Netflix documentary that was released that has ruled the public and made the small town not a happy one. The other son in college didn’t appear in the documentary. But when his mom, dad, and two younger siblings mysteriously die in Mexico. Questions are raised. #whodidit #why #buyitnow #noregrets #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #netgalleyreviewer #bookcommunity #readersofig #netgalleyreads

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an opportunity to read Every Last Fear!

Book rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Cover rating :🌟🌟🌟🌟
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

A dead teenager... her boyfriend in jail... a family searching for the truth who accidentally ( or is ?) die while on vacation ... a distraught son ... an FBI agent searching for the truth

What I liked:
✔️ the multiple perspectives and the dual timeline worked really well for this book
✔️ although I did guess the ending early on, the story still kept me glued to my seat
✔️ Matt’s friends! Loved these guys and gals

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay was great! It was action packed, had twists and turns and I don’t want to put it down!

Matt Pine, a student at NYU, finds out that his mother, father, sister and younger brother have all been found dead while vacationing in Mexico. They suspect a gas leak, but there are some things that don’t add up. Matt must then go tell his older brother Danny about the deaths. Danny is in prison for the murder of his high school girlfriend and Danny and the family have recently been the subject of a true crime documentary on Netflix. Therefore these deaths make national headlines. Matt is devastated, Danny still insists he didn’t commit murder, and the Pine’s hometown is not particularly welcoming to Matt when he returns to bury the family. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle to put together here and I enjoyed every minute of it!

The story is very well told through multiple points of view alternating between the past and the present. It is the first novel for Alex Finlay and I sure hope it is not the last!!

Every Last Fear is a complex thriller. It's a story about a family torn apart, and brought together, by a tragedy. Matt Pine is a film student at NYU when he gets the horrific news that his parents and two of his siblings were discovered dead in Mexico. Matt's surviving sibling is his older brother Danny who is incarcerated in New York. Danny is in jail because he was convicted of killing his high school girlfriend seven years ago. The Pine family has been using every means available to fight for Danny's freedom ever since his guilty verdict. FBI Agent Sarah Keller helps Matt navigate through the nightmare of his loved ones deaths. She also diligently searches for a motive for their killings. Finlay's characters are smart and compassionate and the plot holds many surprises.
A definite must read!

"Every Last Fear" is author Alex Finlay's debut book and is an intense mystery/thriller. The beginning sentence will pull you in and keep you there until the end of the book! Matt is a student at NYU who parties hard and comes back to his dorm to see FBI agents in his room. He is told that nearly his entire family has died in Mexico apparently from a gas leak. You won't be able to put this book down as Matt travels to Mexico to help him understand this horrific news. I will be watching this author for more fantastic books!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

I read an excerpt of this book and just had to read the whole thing, so I was really excited to get to review this on here! It ended up being way twistier than I had expected. There was a ton of drama and secrets and it was really exciting and kept me so hooked, I really felt like I could see this on Netflix. Because of the alternating timelines, you know what happens, but it doesn't stop you from hoping for a different outcome. Overall, this was a great mystery and I really enjoyed it!

This book was such a heartbreaking and suspenseful read. It really kept me on the edge of my seat. It pulled me in as soon as I opened it. This was my first mystery read in a long time and I forgot how much I love them. (I've been on a manga/anime binge.) I really truly enjoyed this one. I'm looking forward to the authors next book.

I really loved all the characters. They were all believable and relatable. Each chapter is a different POV from the characters in this story. You get the entire Pine family except Tommy and officer Keller. To be honest at first I thought it was gonna make it confusing and maybe too much to keep up with but it didnt. I thought it flowed very nicely and was done really well. The chapters are pretty short but the pace is pretty fast I guess. Before I knew it was like 40% into the story. I loved the big reveal of who the true killer was. The entire time I didnt have slightest clue who it could have been. Although once it was said I shouldn't have been so surprised about it though but here we are. I really couldn't get enough of this. I know I've already said this but I really loved this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book to read and review.

What a wild and heartbreaking ride this one was! I was sucked in from the first chapter, when the unthinkable took place, and finally spit out with tears on my face at the end.

The characters were so believable to me. Evan, the parent who never gives up on his child. Maggie, the brilliant teenage sister whom everyone adores, and her fathers sidekick. Matt, the brother who just wants to escape the horrors of his family story but can’t. Keller, the female agent with wonderful instincts. And Danny, the son who told a lie under pressure that changed the course of his and his entire families future.

Set this in hostile environments in both Mexico and the Midwest, and I’m sold! It was amazing, y’all!

Such a gripping thriller!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review