WOW. This is a page turner. I often start on a pile of TBR ARC and read the first chapter to figure out which one holds my interest. Well, I went far past the first chapter and couldn't put it down. The characters are so well fleshed out. At times I felt I figured things out, but you never really know. A great thriller/mystery that also does a great job weaving in how NETFLIX docudrama's can actually cause more damage than this reader ever realized.
10 Stars!!!!

This is one of the most compelling thrillers I've read in a long time. Every Last Fear follows the multiple viewpoints of a family before and after a gruesome tragedy.

The Pine family's life is upended after a Netflix documentary covers the murder of a young girl in their small midwestern town. But the kicker is that Daniel Pine, football star and beloved older brother, gets convicted of her murder. The documentary follows the family's fight to prove his innocence, all the while a much deeper set of secrets are brewing underneath. Several years after the documentary airs, they've become a national fixture in popular and true-crime media. But when younger brother, Matt Pine, gets a terrible call that changes his life, it's up to him to save his family's legacy and finally learn the truth about what happened That Night.

There are so many things this book does right. It's a truly incredible and modern portrayal of the volatile "media and violence" combination. The characters were each compelling, and I never felt the story dragged when viewpoints were switched. I read this entire book in one sitting; I couldn't put it down and I can't wait to get my own copy when this is released. It has everything I'd want in a thriller: cool concept, heartfelt cast, tons of gripping emotion, and of course--a killer ending.

3.8 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Matt Pine is a senior at NYU trying to avoid the spotlight after a Netflix documentary airs trying to prove his older brother didn’t kill his girlfriend and should be released from prison. Then Matt’s parents and two siblings are found dead in Mexico.

I liked but didn’t love the book. The story is told from different family members and the FBI agent Sarah Keller. Just too much tragedy happened to the Pine family. And a small thing but the fact that the FBI sent a 21 year old to Mexico to get four bodies released by himself was ridiculous.

This is an intriguing thriller about the death of a family in Mexico. Their college age son Matt is thrown into the investigation into his family's deaths. The story is told in multiple POVs through past and present which really adds to the story line. I really liked FBI agent Sarah Keller and would love to see her in more novels (series, perhaps?). I figured out the killer pretty early, however, so I don't think there were any real surprises, but a very good read. Recommend!

What an intense read! The author knows how to create a engaging mystery. This fast paced story involves a family trying to prove the innocence of their son who was tried and convicted of the murder of a girl at a party. They know he is innocent and have been trying to prove it for years. When they were sent tips about the murder anonymously, they decided to follow up on them. Unfortunately someone knew they were getting close to finding out the truth about what happened the night the girl was murdered. Who was this person and what were they willing to do to keep their secret. Best thriller/mystery that I have read this year and I have read a lot of them!

I am a sucker for an explosive Prologue or First Chapter of a book, but the author had my undivided attention with just seven words."They found the bodies on a Tuesday." (Side note: I can tell you the book and the author who wrote my all-time favorite opening sentence, and it was ten words long. Please tell me I am not the only reader with this type of obsession!)
Sarah Keller, an FBI agent has the job of delivering tragic news to Matt Pines. His father, mother, sister, and brother have been found dead while on vacation in Mexico. Matt is stunned. This is not the first time the Pine family has been broken. His older brother Danny is in jail, convicted of killing his teenage girlfriend. His father never believed Danny was guilty and has spent the last seven years trying to prove his innocence. Could this have been an accident, or is it somehow related to Danny?
Told from multiple perspectives including a documentary that brought Danny's case to national attention, this is a tale of cover-ups, corruption, false confessions, and murder. Chapters alternate between Matt and Sarah, with Matt's family sharing their stories up until their fateful end. As each chapter added another piece to the puzzle, it became more and more apparent that the Pine family never had a chance. There wasn't one member of the family whose story wasn't gutwrenching, and when the truth is told, the injustice of it all just left me speechless. 4.5 stars.

Ok. Wow! Loved this advanced copy - thank you NetGalley!
There was mystery, suspense, thrills and twists & turns.
It was a page turner and I couldn’t stop reading.
Everything about the story worked - at times, I felt like I was in the story.
My heart hurt for Matt and routed for Sarah - I didn’t want it to end!
HIghly recommend!!

The best book I have read in years! This book had it all, great characters, super interesting plot and lots of twists. I love how books tie in something culturally relative like this one had a Netflix true crime documentary as the back drop. I read this book in less than 24 hours and was sad when it ended. I'd give this book ten stars if it would let me!

Excellent debut thriller. Suspenseful, resonant, and genuinely moving.

Matt Pine is a filmmaking student at NYU, with more than the usual reasons for angst. Matt's brother Danny is in prison for killing his girlfriend; Matt's family has been vilified by their hometown and consumed financially and emotionally by their attempts to clear Danny; and things are only going to get worse. Much, much worse. Soon all of Matt's un-incarcerated family members are dead, victims of an apparent freak accident while on vacation in Mexico. But was it an accident? Or murder? And if it was murder, what does that mean about Danny's guilt or innocence?

It's so much fun to read a thriller with characters and a setting that differ from the current Thriller Formula of privileged women in a posh area blaming one another for men's misdeeds. Even though much of the story takes place in Manhattan, D.C., and Chicago, we also get to spend some time in Mexico and Nebraska. (There's even a runza sighting!) Matt seems like a real college student - smart, sincere, sometimes prickly, sometimes pretentious, occasionally drunken, a loyal brother, and a tremendous friend. Many readers may relate to his simultaneous exasperation with but devotion to his family. I loved the FBI agent who finds herself in the position of repeatedly breaking bad news and then even more bad news to Matt. She is a multifaceted character - compassionate, analytical, and periodically ruthless. Her spouse is endearing, if too good to be true -- a Jiffy Pop-making wonder of endless validation.

The book has some of the common weaknesses of a debut. The plot tends toward the convoluted, and there are unnecessary characters. Partially because of the multiple layers of conspiracy, the most likely culprit is apparent early on. But it's still a great ride, with characters you will care about and an intensity that keeps the pages turning.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What an amazing debut novel. This book kept me hooked from the first chapter, reading like a Dateline NBC show. Loved loved loved it! I cannot wait to see more from Alex Finlay. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy. I will look forward to recommending this book!

This was absolutely amazing start to finish.

It’s an amazingly woven web and it kept me guessing the whole way through.

It’s quite emotional. A father’s passion and obsession. Seemingly what got his family killed. Or was it something else all along?

I enjoyed the way the story was told. Alternating past and present chapters. Multiple points of view. All relevant. All significant. All slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

I don’t usually feel emotionally invested in books in the genre. There was something about this one, though. It hit all the right places. Punched me in the feels. I absolutely hated the idea of almost an entire family being wiped out. Especially a little kid. Devastating and heartbreaking.

There was something likable about every character, too. Which was rare—especially with their faults. But perhaps knowing their fate helped.

I loved the culmination. It’s definitely guessable, despite all the misdirection and false clues. But I think hints are there early on.

I also liked how it somewhat reflected the Steven Avery case in some ways. The documentary that shed new light and support for a convicted murderer. The ways that the public took to a criminal. I have no idea if that case played any role in the making of this story, but the vibes are there!

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys trying to solve mysteries. By far one of my favorite books in recent years.

This book hooked me from the start and turned out to be so much more than I expected. And while the mystery ends up being more complex than it seems at first, it never feels less than real or believable. Bold and bright work from a debut author, whom I'll forgive for being born so close to Auburn.

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This was well written and has some twists thrown in to keep you guessing at what happened. There were a few different points of view, but they were easy to keep track of, which I appreciated. This is a solidly written thriller that I would recommend reading.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this debut by Alex Finlay. This story has a lot going on, the death of a family, a son in prison, the murder of a young girl, and an affair. Told from multiple perspectives and from different time periods, this book kept my interest from the beginning. While I was able to peg who was responsible from the beginning, there were some fine details just were a surprise. Then add a non-stop ending and you have all the makings of a fantastic thriller. Overall, a good read and I appreciate the opportunity to give this book my attention.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was excellent; a real-page turner, and a mixture of both mystery and adventure. Matt's brother Danny has been in prison for seven years for murdering his girl-friend. Matt's family has spent those seven years trying to prove his innocence. Now Matt is told by the FBI that his parents and younger siblings have died on a trip to Mexico in unexplained circumstances. The story is told both in the present (Matt goes to Mexico to retrieve the bodies and buries his family) and in the past (the reasons for the trip to Mexico and what happened during it). There are also segments from a documentary made in an attempt to secure Danny's release from prison. There are sections from different perspectives, including those of Matt and Keller the FBI agent.

The various threads and timelines were woven together well. The plot was continually twisting without becoming confusing or seeming extreme.

Highly recommended. I hope this author writes more novels featuring Agent Keller.

4.5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this suspenseful, grim, fast-paced psychological thriller. The dynamic plot is intricately crafted, complex and well-executed.

The story grips one from its opening sentence, " They found the bodies on a Tuesday." From this beginning, we learn members of the Pine family have died at Tulum, Mexico, a noted tourist site. The victims are Evan Pine, his wife, their 17 -year-old daughter, Maggie, and their young son, aged seven. First reports from Mexico indicate the cause of death was a gas leak in their hotel room. The story goes back and forth in time and allows us to get to know the well-developed characters, including the flawed Pine parents, and grieve for the death of the family.

NYU film student, Matt Pine, age 21, is having a bad day. His girlfriend has broken up with him, he has a hangover, and has left behind some of his belongings in a bar. He is now approached by capable FBI agent, Sarah Keller, who informs him of the shocking death of his family. He is devastated but now must face the dreaded task of breaking the terrible news to his only remaining sibling, Danny. His older brother, Danny, has been in prison for seven years. He was once a popular high school but is now serving a life sentence for the brutal killing of his pregnant girlfriend. Matt witnessed something the night of the murder that convinced him of his brother's guilt.

Matt is estranged from his father due to Evan's obsession with a miscarriage of justice leading to Danny's imprisonment. The Pine family who lived in a small town in Nebraska became notorious when a true-crime documentary was televised. The townspeople reacted with hostility because many thought the documentary put their town in a bad light. The father, Evan, lost his job and depleted most of their savings in searching for clues to free Danny. Maggie supported her father in his obsession to prove Danny's innocence. Evan brings his family to Mexico following a clue Maggie received on the internet and they die.

Sarah Keller is beginning to suspect there is a connection between Danny's life sentence and the death of the four members of the Pine family in Mexico and that they were probably murdered. The only part of the story that I found slow was her investigation into a case of financial fraud. She tells Matt that he must go to Mexico to sign for the release of the bodies in order to bring them home. Matt is apprehensive because a man with a facial scar pushed him into traffic and he feels he is being watched. His trip to Mexico goes from bad to worse. He is not met on his arrival in Mexico, he is threatened by a policeman and narrowly escapes death while being chased into a remote wooded area.

This is a tale of deceit, lies, secrets, conspiracy, and malevolent political forces. This is a complicated, but very readable, fast-paced, emotion-packed plot. Alex Findlay has written a great thriller and I can't wait to read anything he writes next.

Fast paced thriller. The oldest son of a well known family in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, though all the evidence is stacked against him. The family torn apart relocate to try and put the pieces back together each one of them hiding secrets not willing to share. Suddenly the unimaginable happens. The family is found dead in Mexico leaving the second son, Matt Pine, with more unanswered questions as the mystery unfolds. Why was the family in Mexico? Local police call it an accident but together with FBI agent Sarah Keller, Matt finds evidence that the Pine family was targeted by a professional killer. Who would want his family killed? When Matt flies down to Mexico to bring the bodies of his family back home for burial he is suddenly targeted by killers. All he wants to do is put his family to rest and get some answers but the hostility in the small Nebraska town when Matt returns is frightening. Who can he trust? Everyone seems to be hiding secrets and someone is after Matt to stop him before he can put the pieces together. Great story. Suspenseful, clever, brilliant!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me an opportunity to read this copy ahead of publication. My thoughts are my own and in no way solicited. 4.5 stars

Wow! Any reader who has looked forward to the debut novel from Alex Finlay will be rewarded beyond their wildest dreams. Every Last Fear is that good. It really is. Finlay has written a welcomed addition to our world of "true crime" documentaries and podcasts. His terrific thriller centers around a crime which was featured in a (fictitious) Netflix documentary. Fans of the "Six Stories" series by Matt Wesolowski (including me) will devour this gem in one sitting. Like the very best, Finlay engages the reader with a captivating story as seen through the eyes of many different characters. And, to be honest, there are no weak links among them. Each layer added to the story is as engrossing as what preceded it. The resolution is both satisfying and sensational. It will leave you eager to read more by Alex Finlay. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this instant classic. #EveryLastFear #NetGalley

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I wanted to read it, without even reading the premise. This book hooks you from the very first sentence and doesn’t stop. How far will one family go to prove the innocence of their son and brother? A fast paced, plot twisted ride that you won’t want to get off of.

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay is a suspenseful psychological thriller that will pull you in from the very first sentence! I enjoyed every minute of this fast-paced, gripping page-turner. This is a book that I would definitely recommend, and I look forward to reading more from Alex Finlay.