As a teenager, Matt’s older brother Danny was convicted of bludgeoning his girlfriend to death after finding out she was pregnant. Seven years later, his family dies of mysterious causes while on vacation without him and with the help of FBI Agent Sarah Keller, the original case is cast in a whole new light.

I’ve always been fascinated by cases of wrongful conviction, particularly when coerced confessions are involved, so this one grabbed me right from the beginning. There were so many little clues between the flashbacks and present day and red herrings that had me guessing up until the end, and while I got close to figuring things out, I never completely got there.

The whole thing felt like a massive conspiracy just waiting to unravel and once it did, the payoff was well worth it. Really impressed by this debut and can’t wait to see what Finlay comes up with next!

This book just sucked me in from the very beginning. It’s a tough subject matter, I’m not gonna lie. You have to be in the right place to read this book.

But once you get started you simply can’t stop. The author takes us through so many ups and downs. We have two different time frames that pop in and out as you try to figure out what exactly is going on.

The author shocks us with crime, deceit, and secrets that all start unraveling bit by bit. There are intertwining plots that become one giant mystery. It’s truly one of those books that you don’t want to keep reading yet you have to keep reading.

While dark and edgy, the story has so many pieces and layers that the story just moves super fast. What you think is the truth isn’t. What you think is happening isn’t.

A true work of art that will keep you reading late into the night with surprising twists that make it all worthwhile.

Getting to know the family through flashback chapters told from different points of view makes what you know happens to them even more difficult. I read it knowing their outcome but still wishing it would change.

I think I was even more invested in the family dynamics than I was learning what happened to them. Definitely held my interest.

A great mystery/thriller told in alternating points of view and moments in time. This story grabbed me from the tragic start and kept me reading to find out what happened to this family to destroy them. The heart of this story is a family trying to solve a mystery and that has impacted all of them. When the older brother is convicted of a terrible crime, the rest of his family has to deal with the repercussions and try and move forward with their lives. As a Netflix special sheds light on his story, the family faces new challenges, ultimately leading to the death of almost the entire family. With one surviving son in jail and one who finds himself in a twisted up, tragic mess, the story was action packed and a great read! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

How would you react if you found out your entire family was dead?

This is exactly how Matt finds himself - well, except his brother who has been incarcerated for the last 7 years or so for murdering his high school girlfriend. But did he? And why was his family in Mexico on a spontaneous trip?

Matt has been a bit estranged from his family since he left for college - frustrated by his father's constant need to find the truth in his brother's case and prove his innocence. But he feels something is off - as does the financial services FBI agent informing him of his family's "accident" in Mexico.

The book bounces between viewpoints and timelines, but everything flows together and the story comes together piece by piece, beautifully. The writing style is easy to breeze through and kept me turning pages.

I honestly enjoyed this story and was blindsided by the ending. I love stories like that! This is the first book I've read by Alex Finlay, but it won't be my last.

This book gripped me from the prologue and never let go. It is unbelievable that this a debut novel. To be honest, having seen such positive reviews, I didn't expect to love it, figuring it was over-hyped and would leave me disappointed. That couldn't be farther from reality. This is going on my all time favorites list.

4 stars

Wow! This was such a good book! I did figure the killer out a little before the end but it didn’t change the fact. There were still some little surprises. This book was sad, intense, rage inducing, and even a little happy sometimes. Loved the back and forth between the now and “before” and also the different points of view. Definitely lived up to the hype.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

To end 2020 with a bang is what I got from this thrilling read!!! Held my breath by the end, and oh the sorrow the Pine family faced while the secrets that tore them apart and many others as well in the end also in a way brought them back together! I underestimated this book, from the title you have no idea the twists and turns it takes and the wow factor is off the chart!!! I loved how the characters all came to life with each turn of their POV of how the albatross circling their family was released and whodunit wasn't revealed until the end!! I had an idea but didn't know how the pieces fit until revealed at the end. This book I can't say enough about and if you love thrills like I do I highly recommend this read!! The pain, lies, reality of hitting close to home, and then warmth and perseverance all rolled into one enthralling read!! Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this great book and give my honest review!!

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC for this awesome book!

Twist after twist after twist. Bravo to Alex Finley for this incredible story It's about love, loss, loyalty and murderous suspense of a family who is murdered, leaving two sons, one in college, the other in jail for a murder he may have not commited. A book about family and loyalty, grieving, anger, suspense. Get your hands on this book!

I’m having an emotional hangover from all the feelings this book invokes. First of all, I feel for Matt. For everything he had to endure. The Pines are an amazing family. They look out for each other and don’t ever give up. Second, just wow. I really loved this book. The writing, the characters. The setting. I can’t wait for more from the author!

4.5 stars - Unputdownable!

Alex Finlay wows with this debut! Mark your calendars for March 2nd, 2021 - as you will need to pick this one up.

Matt Pine is a typical college male, but his story is different. He is moving his way through life after trying to avoid the recognition from his infamous brother - convicted 7 years ago and imprisoned for the brutal murder of his high school girlfriend.

One Tuesday morning Matt is crushed to learn that his entire family has died while on a Spring Break trip to Mexico. His mother, 17-year-old sister, and 7-year-old brother appear to have passed peacefully from carbon monoxide poisoning. However, his father was found outside the rental property...and his passing was not peaceful. Is this an unfortunate accident or something more sinister? Is Matt or his brother somehow connected?

Alex Finlay unfolds the story in spectacular fashion. The twists and turns - and utter surprises - kept me guessing until the very end. As a reader I was thrilled to find a new plot that didn't fall into the typical thriller genre. Bouncing between different POVs was confusing initially, especially trying to keep track of a long list of characters. Weaving in the flashbacks and timelines added to the complexity, but it all works out in the end. It certainly kept me on my toes. I, for one, cannot wait to see what else Alex writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Alex Finlay for the generous gift of an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a riveting psychological thriller! It was action-packed and kept me turning pages to see what would happen next.

The story centers on the Pine family. Dad and Mom, Erin and Olivia, and four children. The oldest son, Danny, is in prison for murdering a girl - but his family believes he is innocent and is fighting through all legal avenues to get him out; Matt, the second oldest son, is in college at NYU; Maggie is in high school; and Tommy is in elementary school. A documentary had been made about Danny and the murder of his girlfriend. It portrayed the Dad, Erin, as kind of deranged. The family was basically ostracized by their small town in Nebraska after the murder, and had since moved to another state.

The story opens on the murder of a family on vacation in Mexico - Erin, Olivia, Maggie and Tommy - all dead. At first they think it was a gas leak. But an FBI agent's, Sarah Keller, instincts tell her something is not right. Matt has to go Mexico to get the bodies released and gets into a dangerous situation. The story goes back and forth between present and past. It is filled with building tension and fast-paced action. The characters are well-developed and inspire empathy. My favorite characters were Matt and Maggie.

Excellent debut Alex Finlay! I wonder if this one will be a series involving the FBI Agent, Sarah Keller? If so, I would really like to see the next adventure she undertakes.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy!

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay was a great, twisty thriller! I never guessed the culprit but it all made perfect sense. Our main character, Matt, is very sympathetic and gets the reader to care about everything going on. There are a few different aspects of the story to keep track of as you read but it never gets confusing and it all gets explained in the end.

I'd highly recommend to anyone that enjoys thrillers at all!

4.5 stars for this one. This was an excellent modern day murder mystery type thriller. It had a bit of young adult genre vibes to it but I love a good YA thriller so I’m all for it. This was pretty well paced and kept my attention throughout the whole book. The timeline was going from past to present but it did so very nicely and there was no confusion at all. I found myself constantly guessing what was going to happen or where this was going or who did it... I love when a book can still keep me on my toes like that. This was seriously such an enjoyable read. I’m glad I got to read this one early and I hope this author, Alex Finlay, writes more stuff just like this in the future. I will gladly pick up any future books with his name on. This will definitely be a must read in 2021. If you like these types of whodunnit books then do not miss out on this one. I promise, you won’t regret it.

Great book! Engaging from the beginning to the end. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommended!

4.5 stars

The Pine family was made infamous by a true crime documentary, which followed the family after their eldest son Danny was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend. Both the documentary and the family believe he was wrongfully convicted. Then the Pines are found dead in their vacation home in Mexico, leaving behind their surviving son, NYU college student Matt, to uncover the truth. Soon, the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case...

As a true crime lover, the premise of this book immediately had me hooked. What really drives it are the characters, who were likable and well-developed. The story is told through multiple POVs in both the past and present, giving the reader the opportunity to connect with many characters. The story itself was fast-paced and engaging throughout, with a few great twists thrown in there for good measure. Although I was able to figure out the murderer, the motive was still a surprise!

This fast paced thriller keeps you on your toes. I was originally captured by the opening statement "They found the bodies on Tuesday." but this book just kept delivering more! More twists, turns and mystery along the way.

The fact that the protagonist is a college student opens this story for both YA and adult readers.

Highly recommended to fans of Thrillers that think they've read it all.

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!!

This is one of those stories that sucks you in from the beginning and keeps you guessing until the end. I cared about the characters and needed to know how it would all end. Highly recommend for thriller lovers.

Alex Finlay has mastered the thriller genre in Every Last Fear. This novel was indeed everything that you would want -- and hope to expect -- from a nail biting, edge of your seat, page turner novel. Not only was the the novel exciting and well paced, but the characters were developed, and the timelines and distinct narrative strands were seamlessly interwoven. Every Last Fear was one of my favorite reads of this year. I highly recommend it!