Alex Finlay is the pseudonym adopted by a lawyer who has penned law-related books. His first novel published under that name, Every Last Fear is an absorbing, heartbreaking thriller, at the center of which is a young film student who has to come to terms with the death of his parents and two siblings. Finlay describes it as a tale that is, at its heart, a story about a family torn apart and brought back together by tragedy.

On a chilly April morning, Matt Pine has just finished a game of chess with Reggie, the homeless man with whom he has been playing for two years in the West Village's Washington Square Park. It is the last bit of relative normalcy he enjoys before learning that FBI agents are looking for him at his dormitory. Soon he is informed that his mother, father, sister Maggie, and younger brother Tommy, are all dead. Agent Sarah Keller tells him their deaths are believed to be the result of "a freak accident, a gas leak." So why are both the FBI's financial crimes personnel and State Department "working on" the case?

The story of the Pine family is related in alternating third-person narratives, one set in the present and the other the past, from the perspectives of the various family members. Also interspersed are excerpts from transcripts of the documentary about the case that sent Danny to prison, serving a life sentence for the murder of his high school girlfriend, Charlotte. Matt was only fourteen when Danny was convicted, and little Tommy had not yet been born. Matt thinks of that time as "Year Zero for the Pines," measuring everything in terms of before and after Charlotte. Learning about his family's deaths establishes a new "Year Zero" for Matt, as it falls to him to visit Danny in prison for the very first time and inform him in person.

Matt knew that his family suddenly decided to vacation in Mexico, but not that the trip was inspired by a video message sent to his father, Evan, that convinced him Charlotte was alive, frightened, and in need of help. Matt hadn't spoken to his father since Christmas when they again quarreled. When Charlotte's body was found, she was unrecognizable and Evan does not believe she was identified using DNA. Every day, something sets Evan off on a new trail, motivating him to keep searching for clues to Danny's innocence. He is obsessed with getting Danny's conviction reversed. While conducting research for the book, Finlay was shocked to learn how often people -- especially teenagers -- are wrongfully convicted because they confess to crimes they didn't actually commit.

Maggie humors her father while reminding him that video footage can be manipulated. The message came from the Moloko Bar in Tulum, a vacation mecca on Mexico's eastern coast. Although Evan has financial problems he has not confessed to his wife, Olivia, he tells Maggie that when her mother and little brother return from a trip to their hometown in Nebraska to deal with Olivia's elderly father, the four of them are heading to Mexico. Maggie has been victimized by Eric, an unscrupulous boy at school who posted a horrifying video online after feigning interest in her. She is again pulled to assist her father because his quest is the only thing that returns optimism and light to his eyes, and they bond over the ongoing investigation.

Finlay has crafted a clever, deftly-plotted story about a family beset and challenged by unspeakably horrific events. They love each other, but are keeping secrets from one another. In addition to Evan's financial woes, Olivia has kept something from Evan that could have far-reaching consequences for the entire family. And Maggie has not revealed that she is being cyber-bullied. Matt has kept his own battles with loneliness and his temper to himself. After the family moved to Chicago from Nebraska, hoping for a fresh start when Matt got into a fight at school, he has mostly managed to hide that side of himself, with the exception of one night at a party when he punched a fraternity boy who made a comment to his girlfriend, Jane. "How alone he'd felt carrying around the truth about his brother, watching his father and sister spin their wheels trying to prove Danny's innocence."

As one narrative describes Matt's return to Nebraska to bury his family and his encounters with the residents of the small town they left behind, another details the family trip to Mexico and search for Charlotte. When Matt learns that it appears his family members were murdered, he decides that he survived in order to find out what happened to them. And journeys to Mexico in search of answers, anticipating assistance and cooperation from Mexican officials that does not materialize. He realizes that he is on his own, and remains determined to learn the truth, even as it becomes clear that his life is in danger.

The story progresses at a steady pace, never slowing or losing dramatic momentum, but accelerates once Matt arrives in Mexico. From that point on, clues and revelations come at perfectly-timed intervals that make it virtually impossible to stop reading. While revealing their flaws and difficulties, Finlay also makes the characters, particularly Maggie and Matt, sympathetic and endearing by illustrating that since "Year Zero" they have all just been doing their best to carry on. Matt, in particular, is blessed with an eclectic and entertaining group of supportive, devoted college friends who bolster and uplift him as he navigates his grief and need for answers. When all is finally revealed, it is evident that Finlay has constructed a tautly plausible and coherent story. And, through the inclusion of the documentarian characters and depiction of the media's interest in Matt's family, offers an insightful look at the myriad ways in which public interest and the attendant publicity can intrude upon family struggles and tragedies in the interest of advancing an agenda. Finlay observes that documentaries can educate and inform, but also result in "backlash against entire towns, [and] individuals being convicted on social media without due process."

Full of plot twists and shocking, emotionally jarring developments, readers of Every Last Fear will feel their hearts shattering for the Pine family. And pondering what they would do and what extreme measures they might employ if they became convinced a loved one was wrongly convicted of a horrendous crime. For Evan Pine, the answer was clear, as he told the filmmakers. "You have two choices when you're confronted with your every last fear: Give up or fight like hell."

Thank You to St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Matt Pine finds out that a spur of the moment vacation for his parents and younger brother and sister has ended in tragedy. His family are all found dead in their rental vacation home as a result of a suspected gas leak. Matt is now all alone with the exception of his older brother, Danny, who is currently in prison for the murder of his high school girlfriend. A documentary about Danny's conviction first brought the family into the media's sights and now the deaths of the rest of the family add new interest. Matt is determined to discover the truth behind the deaths of his family and ultimately finds a surprising connection to his brother's murder case.
This is a fast paced adventure that will keep you on the winding road of truth, deception and betrayal. Full of suspense to keep you glued to the pages till the very end.

Every Last Fear is the “debut” novel of pseudonymous author Alex Findlay. It is a fast-paced and compelling thriller with multiple narrators, numerous subplots and many revelatory flashbacks. Findlay’s talent is creating a complex and high-speed thriller that is intriguing enough to withstand potential temporary confusion. As the book opens, Matt Pine, a film student at NYU learns that most of his family has died under mysterious circumstances in Mexico. The only other surviving member of the Pine clan is his older brother, incarcerated for murdering his girlfriend. While Matt has accepted his brother’s conviction, his father and sister have been consumed with proving his innocence. Some of the chapters contain depictions of their exoneration quest, others stay with Matt in the present as he is faced with the responsibilities and obligations that accompany such a tragedy. He is aided by the formidable Sarah Keller, an FBI agent who has been assigned the case. Every Last Fear is so cinematic and filled with twists and red herrings, that it seems to scream out for a series adaptation. More time could then be spent exploring the mysteries and immersing into the well-developed characters. Many of the events and coincidences stretch credulity, but this book is so entertaining that readers will willingly accept these and just go along for the ride.

Thanks to the author, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love thrillers/mystery stories and this definitely hit the mark! The story about a family torn apart.. and a dad (and sister) who would do anything and everything to find the real killer and set his son free. It’s about loss... not just from their son being wrongfully accused, but of their family seeking the truth to just be killed because they were getting close to the truth. It’s about confronting your demons, Matt seeing his brother the night of the accident...

I loved this story. I loved how the author started the story and how each story was from someone else’s perspective. The story finished perfectly and I can’t wait to find more books by this author! Solid 5 star for me!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! I just could not get into this and did not finish. I won't be leaving a full review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC of Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay. After a night of partying and heavy drinking, NYU student Matt Pine is awoken with news that his family has died on vacation in Mexico. The local Mexican police state that the family died from asphyxiation of toxic gas. The FBI and the State Department believe the family was murdered and assign agent Sarah Keller to assist Matt and begin an investigation. Matt has faced tragedy before as his older brother Danny is in prison for murdering his girlfriend. Because his brother was the subject of a crime documentary on Netflix, the death of Matt’s parents and younger siblings makes national news. The twists and turns within the story will have you guessing until the very end. It was a great story.

I have no idea how I missed this one. I just noticed it was not on my list and not on my kindle even though I know I downloaded it. I think Amazon messed up. Or somehow it was not loaded onto my kindle. If I can get it and read it I will come back and write a review. I'm so so sorry.

#NetGalley, #everylastfear, #stmartinspress

This would have been an excellent, fast-paced read - but sadly there were too many stereotypes written into the story as it relates to the country, culture and people of Mexico. I can't overlook problematic writing, even if the base of the story was good.

It all started with a party that went terribly wrong. Matt, a college student who is somewhat estranged from his family, especially his father, receives word that his family has suffered a fatal accident while on vacation in Mexico. He has to go to Mexico to claim their bodies and bring them home. After meeting some shady characters while in Mexico, he goes on a quest to find out what really happened to his family. His sister, Maggie, was on the trail of something or someone through tips she received via the social media accounts she had setup … to help their older brother, Danny. Agent Keller, with the FBI, is on Matt’s side and wants justice for his family.

This story has just about everything you could want. A close-knit family with some secrets intermixed. Some political undertones. FBI involvement. The guilty party turned out to be someone very unexpected. Matt’s close friends also play an integral part in this story, a misfit group for sure but they stick close together.

This was a "Did not Finish" for me. I tried multiple times to read this and I kept setting it down and having to force myself to pick it back up. I continue to be intriqued on the progression of this novel and how the author will work this out, but after a few months I continue to lack to interest and desire to pick this back up. In the beginning the characters seem flat and not well developed. In the event that I do finish this one I will update my feedback at that time.

I think the hype surrounding this book affected my overall enjoyment of the work. While it was a well-written mystery, I do not feel that it was breaking any new ground. Admittedly, this could have been influenced by the fact that I had read some of the best books of the year-to-date just before opening EVERY LAST FEAR. I will give the author another chance with a future book, mainly because I do know many early readers who enjoyed this novel much more than I did.

This was very good. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how good for the first three quarters of it. But there was enough intrigue there to keep me interested. Enough revelations or more questions to keep me reading. It was also a nice change for me to be reading through a male protagonist. Fortunately, the last quarter ramped up nicely and delivered on everything I like to see in a thriller...logical connections, believable relationships and credible reactions. Thank you to Minotaur Books/NetGalley for the advanced copy. Highly recommend regardless of the slow burn in the beginning.

I would first off like to say thank you to both Minotaur Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of Every Last Fear.

I first went into this book with high hopes of having the next greatest thriller and was hoping for some major plot twists. Unfortunately this book was just okay for me. The overall story was enjoyable and I didn't see the final reveal coming. I also didn't agree with some of the ways that Mexican culture was referenced and that brought my rating down quite a bit. Overall, it was enjoyable but not something I think I would reread again.

The Pine family. They are fighting for their oldest son. He was convicted of murdering his high school girlfriend. But then there is a docudrama done about the crime and it looks like he might not have done it.


But then that poor family really gets slammed. They must be the bad luck clan for sure. I will admit...I almost dnf'ed this sucker because most of it is way over the top. Then I took it camping with us this week and guess what?!


There is a lot of characters back story and I really was not holding out much hope for it..then I got attached to the family.


It ended up being a lovely little time by the lake while the dogs barked at people that dared come near our campsite.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

I read this book and enjoyed it. I know there is controversy but I can appreciate a good plot and storyline. This book kept me guessing and I really liked the story with the character questions, such as who is really involved and what really happened. Can anyone be trusted? Was something missed? Highly recommend this one.

Flawlessly structured, the book effortlessly weaves plots and subplots together toward an explosive climax that feels inevitable. All the while, I kept impossibly hoping that the family would somehow be saved. An amazing work.

This is an incredible debut thriller! I couldn’t put it down — was hooked from the very beginning and had to know what was happening: This thriller has everything — murder, twists, turns, the FBI, and a true crime doc referenced throughout the book. I highly recommend this book!

Every last fear is a great first novel by author Alex Finlay. It tackles a delicate subject because so many persons are wrongfully incarcerated each year. I must admit I wasn’t particularly all that interested with it for the first few chapters because while Matt is certainly no bad guy I found his character a little dull. We never really get to know him beside his tense relationship with his family, his amazing group of friends and some backstory when he gets to his hometown. Things started to get really interesting when we were introduced to his family via flashbacks. Maggie was quite the detective and Evan was an amazing father who would have done anything to protect his family. Another thing I liked was the inclusion of scenes from the netflix documentary, the author really nailed the true crime vibe.
I loved that this book had not one but two mysteries that converged in the end and the plot twists at the end, which are revealed so fast one after another, left me speechless.
It was a good read and I’ll be looking forward to Finlay’s next book!

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for the egalley of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The story is told through alternating timelines and multiple POVs. It was a great way to tell the story and really allowed the reader to understand what was happening in the investigation and in the lives of the family before the murders. It was a lot of characters, and I was a bit worried as they started to be introduced that I would end up lost, but Finlay writes in a way that keeps everything organized and easy to follow!

It was definitely a story that was filled with twists, which is so important for a good thriller (in my opinion). I was furiously turning the pages to try and figure out what was going on, and every time I thought I knew, I was wrong! It made for a great story!

Matt is a college boy just trying to live his party life and maybe drown out the fact that his brother was convicted of committing a crime and is now serving time. Well all of a sudden, Matt is informed that his family members other than his older brother all died while in Mexico. To make matters worse, the case regarding Matt's family is the topic of a new Netflix series. Matt now has to reflect on his brother's crime and dig into what happened to his family. Is there a connection? Does Matt know more than he originally thought? This was full of suspense and thrill. I was on the edge of my seat and did not know what to expect. This is a great book and I will add more of Finlay's books to my TBR list.