Excellent read! This book pulls you in from the very first sentence. The Pine Family has never given up hope that their eldest son is innocent of a crime. In the hunt for his innocence, the Pine family goes to Mexico chasing a clue.. This family cannot catch a break. The only reason I did not give this 5 stars is the amount of characters. Just the Pine family has 6 members.

I did a literal happy dance when Every Last Fear showed up in my mailbox. I read the first couple of chapters through Bookish First and I was completely taken with the story and was so excited to read the rest of it.

The Pine family has had a tough time. The oldest brother, Danny, is in prison for brutally murdering his high school girlfriend—only his family doesn’t believe he did it. And then while on vacation in Mexico the rest of the family—parents Evan and Liv, high school senior Maggie and six year old Tommy—all die due to a supposed gas leak. Only NYU student Matt is left.

For the most part my happy dance was justified—the story was well-crafted and had a good number of twists. I guessed at most of the twists early on though and I don’t think the story will shock or surprise anyone. I was also kind of suspicious about why the family had to get murdered in Mexico—it felt like the author was insinuating that Mexico is a shady place where families being murdered isn’t out of the ordinary. Overall this was worth a read though.

A thriller of epic proportions! Highly recommended. Very tragic characters make for an extremely entertaining thrill ride! Excellent

What an awesome movie this would make! Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity to read this book for my honest review!
You do not want to miss this highly anticipated psychological thriller! If you have heard the hype then believe. It was well worth it....
An unfortunate array of events appear to be The Pine’s family’s fate. Matt Pine, a NYU student, received devastating news his family was found dead of an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. Matt’s older brother, Danny, is serving a life time sentence in prison for killing his girlfriend. The case was considered high profile and featured on Netflix which ruffled the townspeople how they were bitterly portrayed. The show tried to show why he was unjustly accused.
Matt’s mom, dad, little sister and brother were on a mission to Mexico after receiving clues that may help Danny’s case not letting Matt know what their real reasons for going.
A lot of twist makes this book an unforgettable thriller and journey while watching Matt seek justice for his family.

Novels that begin with a death are often as entertaining as playing with a deflated balloon. You know the ending, so why go on reading? Alex Finlay does a rare thing, breathing life and hope and humanity into the family killed on page one. The reader slowly peels back the layers that led to the unjust incarceration of one son, the killing of a family, and the framing of those left behind. The point of view is ever evolving, from various family members when they were still alive, plus the FBI agent investigating the case. A great page turner and well developed story.

#netgalley

Just WOW. This was a thrilling, and suspenseful roller coaster ride. I was instantly hooked and could barely put this book down. One of the craziest endings! The back and forth of before and and after followed so beautifully. The details in this made me feel like I was watching a movie.

WOW. Just WOW.

This is a gripping thriller with a tightly wound conspiracy theory laced in, combined with multiple perspectives and family drama. I'm nearly speechless. Being able to hear the perspectives of the entire Pine family, both dead and alive, really rounded this story out and is something that I haven't seen before in other thrillers. The characters had realistic reactions to the events unfolding which is a big plus in my book, plus we get to follow the highly capable Maggie Pine and Special Agent Keller as they uncover pivotal clues. This is just some twisty turny thrilling goodness.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this free ARC.

This is one of those books that boarders on Young Adult and Adult Fiction. Since the main character is in collage, I can see it appealing to the Young Adult Readers. A great read that was intense until the very end. I could see this turned into a Netflix miniseries easily.

The following review was published on my blog (blogginboutbooks.com) on 11.20.20:

The Pine Family of Adair, Nebraska, already knows what it means to be infamous. Four years ago, 25-year-old Danny Pine was convicted of murdering his girlfriend and sent to prison. The family refused to accept the verdict, launching an expensive, fevered campaign to free him. A Netflix documentary about the case cast even more doubt on Danny's guilt, bolstering the Pines but vilifying the community of Adair. Now, the family is in the news again. Four of the Pines—Danny's parents and two of his siblings—have been found dead in a Mexican vacation home, victims of an apparent gas leak.

Besides Danny, 21-year-old Matt is the only Pine left. Devastated by this fresh loss, he leaves NYU and returns to Adair to bury his family. What he finds is a hostile town and a barrage of painful memories he'd like to forget. When FBI agent Sarah Keiler comes knocking on Matt's door, Matt realizes there's more to the deaths of his parents and siblings than meets the eye. What really happened to them? Why were they targeted? As it becomes increasingly apparent that their deaths are related to Danny's case, Matt fears the truth about what really happened the night Danny's girlfriend was killed will inevitably come to light. If it does, everyone will know the horrifying truth that Matt has kept hidden for four years—Danny is guilty. Can Matt get justice for his family without betraying his brother?

Told from multiple viewpoints, Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay (available March 2, 2021), is more than just an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller. It's a layered, intimate portrayal of a family in crisis, a story that draws you into the characters' world, paints them in an authentic, sympathetic way, and leaves you dreading the tragedies you know are about to befall them. Knowing their fates doesn't make the novel less compelling, however. If anything it makes it even more engrossing. True, the plot is a bit predictable, with a rather obvious killer, but still, it's a gripping thriller that had me ripping through the pages to see what was going to happen next. Although Every Last Fear is not a happy tale, it is a hopeful one, which made it even more appealing to me. In the end, then, I enjoyed this absorbing novel, which kept me riveted from its first page to its last.

(Readalikes: Hm, nothing is coming to mind. You?)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language, violence, mild sexual content, depictions of illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Every Last Fear from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Awesome book held my interest from beginning to end loved it and the writting was great!!! Loved the characters and the way they inneracted

“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.”

Matt Pine receives word that his family has been found dead in Mexico. The Mexican Authorities have deemed it an accident. The FBI and State Department have their suspicions. All the remains of their family are his older brother who is in prison and himself.

The Pine family is well known. Danny, Matt's older brother is serving time for killing his high school girlfriend, Charlotte. Everyone believes that he is innocent. He was convicted with no evidence and an obvious coerced confession. The Pine family was featured in a documentary and everyone knows the family and believes in Danny's innocence.

Reeling from his family's deaths, Matt is "welcomed" back to his hometown but hostile individuals who want to keep the past in the past. There he learns that there is more to his family's death than meets the eye. Plus, strange things have been happening around him. Could he be next? Did his family die without incident or were they murdered? Who would have a reason to kill them? Is Charlotte and his family's death related? If so, how?

This was a very smart thriller with a nice amount of twists and turns along the way. I really enjoyed how the author kept giving clues, giving some answers and yet also bringing up more questions. I really enjoyed the ride and even though I figured out the killer mid-way though, it did not affect my enjoyment of the book.

I found this to be a well written captivating thriller. The pacing was spot on. Nothing in this book felt rushed or drawn out. Most of the characters are likeable and had me wondering what I would do if I were in their shoes. This was told through various POV and with two timelines.

Riveting, Smart and well written.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own

Fantastic book! This book is impossible to put down. Excellent psychological thriller filled with mystery and heartbreak. When struggling college student Matt gets devastating news about his family his entire life changes. With a brother in prison for life for a crime that he possibly didn’t commit, Matt must try to unravel the mystery that may put his own life in danger. Best thriller I have read in ages, possibly ever. Highly recommended.

**I received a free digital copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own**

Where do I even start with this book? "Every Last Fear" is without a doubt one of my favorite books of this year. This has everything a good thriller needs and then some. The mains stars of the novel - the Pine family - are beautifully lifelike, and each felt as tangible to me as my own family. The writing style felt natural and flowed so well that I barely noticed that I was reading and not watching a movie. Alex Finlay, the author who penned this debut novel, has done such a fantastic job weaving the plot together. Every single moment in this book I was completely invested in Matt and the search for the truth of what happened to his family. His journey was one for the ages, and I cannot overstate how much I love this book.

If you're into mysteries and thrillers, definitely give this one a shot! "Every Last Fear" is so worth it!

There are so many components of this plot that I thought would hook me: the tragedy at the forefront of the story, the tragedy that previously happened, the documentary that feeds into the true-crime fascination. Unfortunately, this book never picked up for me. It took too long for the plot to get moving, and I had a hard trouble staying interested. With different pacing, I think I might have enjoyed it more.

I can’t believe this is the author’s debut novel!! This was so awesome I could not put it down. You get pulled in from the beginning and are not let go till the last page. If you are like me and love being spellbound and not knowing what is going to happen from page to page, then you will love this book. I can’t wait to see more from this author.

A can't put down book! Very believable characters. Unexpected twists and turns. Finlay has written a best seller.

This book has a great premise, family killed under suspicious circumstances in Mexico. One son, Matt, at NYU, other son in prison, wrongly convicted, of murdering his girlfriend. I didn’t really think the author did justice to this book. It’s too formulaic. It’s as if they went to a class called “How to Write a Mystery” and checked off all the boxes. Grieving family. Check. Troubled son. Check. Spunky, whiz kid daughter. Check. FBI Agent who is on the side of justice. Check. This didn’t, unfortunately, check any boxes for me. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s press for the advance copy. All in all, 2.5 stars

I read this novel during a recent girls trip and I stayed up way too late devouring it. I have already recommended it to the other females and to the members of the library related book club. It is on their radar for 2021. I truly could not put this down and identified with the female FBI operating in a male dominated profession. This will be a blockbuster as it builds on a documentary mini-series on a pay per view premise while fleshing out the family members in a very plausible way.

Loved everything about this book. This book was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I just wanted to know more. Using multiple points of view to tell this story while weaving in the documentary also added to the great plot and storyline.

Every Last Fear opens on NYU student Matt Pine, who after a night of partying, returns to his dorm to find an FBI agent. His entire family has been found dead on vacation in Mexico in what appears to be an accidental gas leak. The local police rule it an accident, but the FBI suspects foul play. The Pine family is no stranger to the spotlight. Oldest son Danny Pine is currently serving life in prison for the murder of his high school girlfriend, a subject which is the plot of a popular Netflix documentary that attempts to show that Danny was wrongfully committed. But who would want to kill the rest of the Pine family? And why were they in Mexico in the first place? Is Matt also in danger? Frantic for answers Matt must uncover the truth on his own before it’s too late.

Told in the third person from multiple perspectives, Every Last Fear leaves the reader unsure who to trust. In the present, it follows Matt and Agent Keller, the FBI agent assigned to investigate the suspicious deaths of the Pines. In the past, it follows father Evan, mother Liv, and loyal daughter Maggie, as they live out the final weeks of their lives.

This is quite a dark story, not for the faint of heart, about death, loss, and murder. It makes you really think about the consequences of true crime documentaries to the families of both the victims and the suspected murderers. While the majority of the book focused on murder and loss, my favorite scenes involved Matt’s core group of friends from college. They’re such an eclectic group but they always show up for Matt when he needs it, and you could tell how much they truly loved him. Scenes with their group were quite a refreshing break.

Every Last Fear is perfect for fans of slow-build, built-narrator suspense novels.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.