Cover Image: Every Last Fear

Every Last Fear

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Member Reviews

A mystery thriller filled with suspense. It is told from multiple POVs and a dual timeline
The characters are all very genuine. You are dragged into the story.

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This is the first book that I have read by this author. I loved the back and forth writing style and I always love to read a book with short chapters. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story, I always hope for a fast paced read when it's a thriller and this one didn't disappoint.

Trying not spoil anything about the book so all i am going to say is.... read it! It is brilliant!

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Book was well written and draws the reader in until the end. The going back and forth in time do get a little confusing, but it tells the story in a solid way, and keeps the mystery going. Recommended.

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Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

A sophisticated thriller that kept my interest throughout. A recommended read.

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Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

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Every Last Fear Alex Finlay
I flew through this book, and while I did enjoy it, I did feel lost at times, it did all come together at the end.

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This book was amazing. Definitely recommending to my book club. This was a first from this author for me and I will be reading more.

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Great book, by an author I will read more of! Thrilling plot, great writing and brilliant characters. Highly recommend to others.

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Very good!

The strongest points of this novel are the plotting and the catchiness. I was at the edge of the seat practically all the time, as the action is swift, never a boring moment here. The branches of the plot are widening, constantly bringing a new piece of information onto the rich mosaic of who - and why - killed the Pine family. The plot logic also works from the hindsight, there are clues to see when looking back and they are hidden smartly.

What stopped me from giving the book 5 star review is a weak romantic link (maybe the novel would work better if there was none if that?) and also a certain modern angle of writing, certain political correctness (for example I felt Matt's character was written so much without the "toxic masculinity", that it took our from the authenticity of the guy).

Otherwise very fine work and I will follow the author.

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My thanks to Head of Zeus for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Every Last Fear’ by Alex Finlay in exchange for an honest review. It was published in March 2021. My apologies for the late feedback.

This was an incredibly tense thriller. Once I started reading it was impossible to stop. I read it in a day.

Matt Pine is a student at NYU. He is shocked when he returns to his dorm to find federal agents waiting for him. They deliver the devastating news that his parents and two younger siblings have been found dead while on holiday in Mexico. The local police have claimed it a tragic accident. Yet the FBI who have contacted Matt are not convinced. Still, they are tight-lipped.

The deaths plunge his family back into the media spotlight. Seven years ago Danny, Matt's older brother, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend and is currently serving a life sentence. However, recently Danny had been the subject of a viral true crime documentary that claimed he had been wrongfully convicted.

Matt is determined to uncover the truth about both his family’s deaths and Danny’s crime. Naturally this proves dangerous.

The narrative moves between the present day and events in the past and told from the viewpoints of various characters.

This proved very satisfying with plenty of twisty twists. After reading ‘Every Last Fear’, I certainly will be looking out for further titles by Finlay.

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Brilliant book
A great fast paced thriller
It definitely will have you hooked till the end
Can’t wait for the authors next book
Thanks NetGalley

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This book is told by multiple characters and also has timeline of past and present. I couldnt stop turning the pages . I connected with all the characters. So many twists and turns along the way. Make sure you are alert because there is so much going on in this book.

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The title is pretty interesting so I read the synopsis and in the book I consider that the plot is well developed (to a certain extent), but on certain occasions I found everything a bit monotonous, of course it improved later, but the plot faltered sometimes and that caused me to only give it three stars.

But in the same way I liked the way of writing of the author, so I will be following the author next publications.

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Unoriginal, at least if you are familiar with thrillers - narrator is grating and annoying and speaks quite offensively about those around him. Plot holes and predictable twists.

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“You have two choices when you’re confronted with your every last fear:

Give up or fight like hell.”

Every Last Fear is a fast-paced, thriller narrated through several POVs with some solid characters that will keep you hooked throughout.

After a late-night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, his dad, his little brother, and sister—have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte—was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison—putting his own life in peril—and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Alternating between the past and present and narrated through multiple POVs, Alex Finlay's Every Last Fear is not just a thriller but also an emotional story about a family dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy. The other points of view include the family members, Evan, Maggie, and Olivia through which we know their story before their deaths in Mexico. Also included are the transcripts from the documentary called “A Violent Nature”, which covers the murder trial and its impact on the family and the town, which I thought added another dimension to the mystery.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel because it’s so well-written. The story reminded me of a Harlan Coben novel, full of action and fast-moving. The writing is crisp and strong and The characters in the story were all nicely written. Finlay effortlessly moves the story back and forth in time and through various POVs without losing track. He leaves just enough clues and plants just enough doubts that keep the readers engaged.

The only thing that didn’t work for me is that sometimes the story felt like it was getting lost in different backstories of different characters, which added little to the many stories; Like Maggie or Keller. I felt Danny’s story needed more focus than it got. Also, it’s easy to guess the ‘‘Who’’ (though not the ‘why’) which may be disappointing for some readers.

Overall, Every Last Fear is a well-written thriller that will keep you hooked from start to finish. It’s an exciting mystery with a unique setting and some unique twists and turns which any thriller fan will love.

Many thanks to the publisher's Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

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The beginning of this book was interesting then it became very slow paced and rather boring so it made me not want to pick it up.

The characters within the book read much older than their age for example Maggie read more like someone in her 30s than a teenager. There was also way to many povs and the story jumped around way to much for my liking. Danny was a character that we never saw much of which I found stupid, I'd have liked to saw more from him.

The big reveal at the end was partly something you could see coming a mile off and was just rather lack luster in my opinion.

I found myself skimming through some of the pages to get to the end because I was becoming bored.

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The last thing that NYU student Matt Pine expected was a visit from the FBI regarding his mom and dad, as well as his little brother and sister. Found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico, the local authorities will not release the bodies until a member of the family appear in person. As the only person in the family able to travel, with Matt's brother Danny in prison for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte, the young man must go claim his family.

This book suffers because of two major plot lines, competing for space in a book that is less than 400 pages. The suspicious deaths of his family is one, while the brother in prison because of what some feel is a forced confession is the other. Right off the bat, the fact that the FBI allows Matt to dictate the travel to Mexico seems implausible. The FBI is suspicious, yet they are barely a presence when it comes to protecting the young man. The only part of the plot line regarding Danny that I believe is the forced confession, as it is highly likely that something like this might happen.

I am a big fan of mystery thrillers, but this one seemed forced in places. For the reasons listed above, I would be hesitant to recommend Every Last Fear to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Every Last Fear by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to review this book was entirely my own.

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I did reading this and clearly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it was a while ago now and I forgot to write a review and it's a lot harder after a bit of time has elapsed. Sorry.

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Complex, interesting and entertaining!

EVERY LAST FEAR by ALEX FINLAY started off with quite the bang that immediately hooked me and was looking to be an unputdownable read for me. But unfortunately my attention waned a little bit as I found myself going back a few chapters here and there or searching out a character. I was a little lost at times and found that I just didn’t care as much as I did the first third of the book. Which definitely interfered with the pacing for me in the middle section but then picked up again in the last third. I’m glad that I stuck with it though because it had an excellent ending. I loved how all the pieces of the puzzle came together in the end.

ALEX FINLAY delivers an intriguing, unique, layered, twisted and emotional thriller here told through multiple viewpoints in an alternating past and present timeline. I quite enjoyed the format of this story and all the different POV’s .

There were some aspects to the story that grated on me a little bit with the way that the author chose to depict some of his characters which I didn’t think was necessary. So that definitely had an impact on my feelings toward this book as a whole.

The intriguing storyline definitely kept me reading though to learn what happened to the Pine family and I was curious to find out the truth.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Aria & Aries and Alex Finlay for my review copy.

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EVERY LAST FEAR is a breathtaking debut thriller by Alex Finlay. It is about an American family, the Pine family, who die under suspicious circumstances, while attempting to overturn their eldest son’s murder conviction. This novel will both leave you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his mom, (Liv) his dad, (Evan) his little brother (Tommy) and sister, (Maggie) have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, a freak accident at their vacation rental, but the FBI do not agree as there is evidence of possible foul play. Photos suggest the scene was staged.

Matt’s older brother, Danny is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte which was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

FBI agent Sarah Keller is assigned the case, and wants to help Matt recover his family’s bodies, but then he too is attacked, by someone to keep the truth hidden.

Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must discover the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison, and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

This debut novel is told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present. Aside from being a well-written fast-paced thriller; this debut novel is also an emotional story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, living in the media spotlight. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for my digital copy.

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