There’s gripping, twisty and bone chilling revelations when a family is torn apart and ultimately brought together by tragedy in Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay.

Imagine your family travelling to Tulsa, Mexico on a last minute holiday and they’re all found dead, days later. The local police claim it’s an accident but there’s something not quite right and the FBI are getting involved when they show up to let Matt know about the tragedy.

Student Matt Pine is now alone, his dad Evan, his mum Olivia, his teenage sister Maggie and younger brother Tommy - all dead!

Meanwhile his older brother Danny has been serving time in jail for the past seven years for the murder of his teenage girlfriend . Charlotte was bludgeoned to death at a house party and her body dumped in the nearby creek. A murder confession was bullied out of Danny by the local police.

The new York paparazzi are having a field day when they hear the latest news about the Pine family. The Pine family are well known and have been in the spotlight due to a Netflix true crime documentary produced called ‘A Violent Nature’ which went viral, claiming that Danny was wrongly convicted. Danny now has celebrity status. Matt believes his brother is guilty, he has his reasons for thinking this. Has Danny been wrongly convicted of murdering his teenage girlfriend or is he guilty?

FBI Agent Sarah Keller is investigating the family murders, are they related to Danny’s murder case? Matt's family, largely Edie and Maggie never gave up their own investigation to prove Danny’s innocence, which is why they were in Mexico due to a tip off.

There are so many twists and turns in this psychological thriller, the story is told in many POV’s and alternating between past and present timelines, everything ties together sharply at the end.

A brutal crime thriller with extremely well constructed and likeable characters.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

I couldn't help but going into Every Last Fear with high expectations, and I'm glad to say the hype is mostly well deserved.
Alex Finlay's debut follows Matt Pine, an university student who is informed by FBI Agent Sarah Keller of the death of his entire family during a trip to Mexico. At first it seems an accident, but some elements seem to suggest they were killed, and it might be related to a murder which happened in the past and for which Danny, Matt's older brother, was convicted.

The book is extremely solid overall and impressive for being a debut. Right from the start the story is absolutely intriguing and well constructed. We follow different narrators, Matt Pine and Sarah Keller in the present, and the Pines in the past. The different point of views make the story even more nteresting, but also develop each character in a very satisfying and well rounded way. I became extremely attached to all of them, especially Maggie, who was smart, loving and brave. Near the end, when we find out what really happened to the Pines, it was hard for me to read and I became quite emotional. I don't usually get so attached to characters in mystery novels, but here Finlay did a fantastic job with making me care for them. The secondary ones are also delightful, like Matt's friends from university, or Sarah's husband who is a stay-at-home dad and was lovingly supportive of his wife's work.

Another great characteristic of the book are the extracts from "A Violent Nature", a fictional Netflix documentary who tried to prove Danny's innocence. If you like books with podcast elements, or police interviews and such, you will like this too.

The only weak point of the book is the reveal. I guessed what happened a little over halfway through, and, even though everything was neatly explained and the reveal was well done, I was hoping there would be a big twist I hadn't seen coming.

Still, apart from a slightly predictable ending, this book was great, and I think both readers who are new to the genre and mystery fans will love it. I can't wait to see what Alex Finlay writes next!

<b>Every Last Fear</b> by Alex Finlay started with a bang, and the story kept me invested the whole time.

There are few novels where the premise and the start of the novel pull me in that I really want to know the ending badly. Most of the time, I just read a story as it was written without really guessing or waiting for the answer. I found myself reading, just to experience the thrill of the plot twists and the big reveal.

That is not to say that the book isn't well-written. Alex Finlay has done their (I don't know if we know whether their a female or male author) best to create enticing characters and the different point-of-views through which the story is told (I think there are five or six in total) really works well and adds to the horror of it all.

Normally I start my review with the plot, but I couldn't contain myself. OK, this story is about the tragic Pine family. Father, mother, son and daughter are found dead in Mexico. Their son Matt, who attends NYU, is notified of this fact. The media attention and news coverage that follows is not new to Matt. Several years before his brother Danny was incarcerated with questionable evidence and an interrogation technique that would make the police officers in <b>Making a Murderer</b> proud.

Matt's father and sister never really seized to investigate the matter as they fully believed Danny did not kill his girlfriend that night.

We follow Matt's father, his sister, his mother, the FBI agent who is on the case and Matt himself. As I said it provides nice threads in the main story and mystery. The reveals are quite shocking and I almost never saw the plot twists coming.

I really enjoyed this read. The only reason I deducted .5 stars is because I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I didn't necessarily want it to end, so it took me by surprise when it did. There is more I would love to learn about the characters.

Many thanks to the publisher Head of Zeus and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

Okay so I have some conflicting opinions about this book and I don't know anyone who has read it yet so I can't sort through those opinions before writing this review. Because of this, I'm likely to be all over the place.

First of all, I'd like to encourage people to read some other reviews for this book before reading it, particularly the ones that point out how the portrayals of Mexican people (or Mexico itself), along with other POC are very stereotypical. I can't say the author handled that well at all, no matter how well meaning he may have been trying to be with his rep.

Secondly, I want to point out that the big reveal at the end, particularly the reason behind the big reveal, made me uncomfortable. I don't want to spoil anything in this review, so I'm not going to say why, but I think the reveal and that character's motive should have been handled differently and probably changed all together.

Anyway, now that I've said all that, I have to admit that I enjoyed the plot of this one a lot. I think it was a very well written book in terms of the thrilling and mystery elements. I liked that we got several different points of view, the alternating timelines between present day and "before" really added to the plot and the intensity, and mixing up the character perspectives between "normal people" and an FBI agent was a good shout.

I think the story itself was crafted really well, and I was kept on my toes throughout most of it. I did figure out what had really happened, but it came to me just before the main character to figured it out, because I was putting all the puzzle pieces together at the same time as he was.

Some parts of the book were a little ridiculous. I didn't think there was any need for a tornado warning (I don't understand the point??), and I don't think the book necessarily needed to be set in Mexico, it would have done just as well being set in the southern US.

Matt, the main protagonist, was a little dull, and that’s what makes me very glad that this book had multiple POVs. I think this was a smart decision by the author, because Matt knew nothing and he wouldn’t have been a very interesting character to follow if he was carrying this book solo. It was good to see his emotional trauma, but I wouldn’t have wanted a whole book about that.

Instead, the author allows us to follow the investigation through the eyes of an FBI agent (Keller was great), and also showed us the build up to the Pine family’s deaths. This is what really made the book stand out to me, because I very much enjoyed seeing what led to the family’s tragic demise.

I would recommend this book if you’re in the mood for a well constructed thriller because there’s no denying that that is what this is. Please do keep in mind the various trigger warnings, and problematic elements. I would encourage that you seek out spoiler reviews if you want to know more about the issues I had!

“You have two choices when you’re confronted with your every last fear: Give up or fight like hell.”

Every Last Fear is a new psychological thriller following two seemingly unrelated mysteries that are linked by one family. It pulls on contemporary true crime influences; from Netflix documentaries to wrongful convictions and investigative journalism. It had such an interesting premise and outstanding early reviews that I thought this would be one of the few thrillers I would love. Unfortunately, I didn't connect on a deeper level to the story which prevented that, but Every Last Fear nevertheless delivered with a solidly entertaining plot that I am sure many will adore.

I don't want to go into depth with a synopsis for this book because there are so many twists and turns that I don't want to spoil any for you. It honestly felt like a movie; cinematic in nature and fast paced action from beginning to end. While that made it easy to fly through, it also resulted in what became my main complaint about the story- I didn't connect to it. This is a similar phenomenon I feel with many movies i watch- I sympathise with the plights of the characters for the duration, but once the end credits roll I end up forgetting who they were and they have no meaningful lasting impression on me. So while I was obviously sad for the main characters and the traumas they were forced to endure, there wasn't any lasting feeling that resided with me. This was particularly evident with our protagonist, Matt Pine, who felt like the weakest out of all our different perspectives. I cared more about the deceased members of his family than I did him.

Overall, I am clearly in the minority with book and it is evident that the majority of my criticism is of a personal nature and probably won't affect most people's reading experience. It was still a good thriller, just not one that I would consider particularly great.

Thank you to Aria & Aries for this ARC

Release Date: 2 March 2021

I finished this book in just a few days last week. It’s a very clever, tightly-plotted and compulsively readable psychological thriller, and I really can’t fault the author’s writing and skills in suspense. The only issue for me writing this review now is it’s not the most memorable – the plot flies by at a fast pace in the blink of an eye, and there’s a host of colourful and complex characters, but because the narrative point of view changes frequently we don’t get to know them in a whole lot of depth.


But that’s a small niggle – one which is more an issue for me reviewing it a few days after, rather than affecting the enjoyment reading the story. This is a really strong debut, one that feels like a much more experienced author (probably because it is). It combines a new mystery – a family’s multiple homicide – with an old, small-town murder, blending past and present to lead to startling conclusion which gets to the bottom of both.

The link is the Pine family. They haven’t had a great time of it. Their oldest son Danny was imprisoned years before for the murder of his high school girlfriend Charlotte after a houseparty. The case was covered in a Netflix documentary which shot the Pine family and the town to a state of infamy, and made a compelling case for Danny’s innocence. Years later, the entire family are found dead on a spring break in Mexico. Except for the two older sons, Danny and Matt Pine.

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

Give up or fight like hell.”

The story mainly follows Matt. He’s become a little estranged from his family due to tensions following the murder and documentary, and he’s been making his own life for himself at NYU. But family is family. He still cares for them deeply, and when he’s alerted of their untimely deaths he’s straight on a plane to Mexico to straighten things out.

So, we have multiple murders spanning years, buried secrets and a whole lot of unfinished business, on a journey through New York, the smalltown Mid-west to coastal Mexico. Matt is one of the main protagonists but we also hear from a fiery FBI agent Keller and multiple members of the Pine family leading up to their deaths. It’s action-packed and fast-moving, but you do get a sense of the Pine family, their love for each other and passion for justice for Danny.

I really enjoyed the younger sister Maggie and the Dad Evan and their ‘Holmes and Watson’ sleuthing skills. I also loved Matt and his friendship group and could read a whole other book about them. Like I said, there’s a great character cast and while we don’t get too much of a in depth exploration of them, I had a whole lot of fun following their journey and uncovering the truth in this truly gripping read.

Every Last Fear by Alex Finley has wetted my appetite for excellent thrillers. Because that what this book is and I believe it will be one of the top thrillers of the year.

Page turning, full of action it threw me for a loop so many times my head was spinning.
It is raw and tender at the same time. Showing how fragile family is after a devastating loss and how we all grieve and deal with it in a different way. At the same time it shows how strong families can be and the lengths we go for the ones we love.
It had me mesmerized and I couldn't put it down. I rooted so hard for the main character and for the good to prevail.
There were several POV's which was excellent as we could see what each person was going through and how things affected each of them.

It is a story of a young man whose whole life was changed after his brother was accused of a murder. His family has gone on a long needed vacation only to end up dead. He is delivered devastating news by the FBI and soon strange things begin to happen.

A definite must read!

New York University college student Matt Pine has a brother imprisoned for the murder of his girlfriend and his family killed in an accident while on holiday in Mexico. The FBI aren’t satisfied with the local police findings of an accident and Matt is sent to collect the bodies. So begins a series of occurrences told via the use of flashbacks, recounted by different characters and subsequent occurring events. As the mystery deepens, various threads and possible connections between the past and current investigation, culminate in an explosive final twist. A new, standalone thriller by Alex Finlay is a four-star rated gripping read. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are freely given and totally my own.

Alex Finlay has set the bar high with debut novel, Every Last Fear. This story is one big giant edge of your seat roller coaster that starts off strong and never loses its momentum.

Matt Pine has lost everyone he loves when his parents and younger siblings are killed by an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Tulum, Mexico. But, not all is what it seems. When FBI Agent, Sarah Keller, starts looking into the case more closely things don’t start adding up. This also isn’t the first time the Pine family has been the center of attention. Seven years ago, Matt’s older brother, Danny, was sent to prison for allegedly killing his then girlfriend, Charlotte. This is either one unlucky family or there is more to the story than meets the eye. Will Matt and Sarah be able to put all of the pieces together before the remaining two siblings, Matt and Danny meet a similar fate?

I am usually not a big fan of stories told by multiple POV’s and this story has quite a few of them. I always have to go back and reread and try to remember a large cast of characters, but Alex Finlay had no trouble keeping my attention right where it should be. This is one of a very few times where a large cast works for me. Not only do we have Matt and Sarah, but we also have the rest of Matt’s family’s POV as well. Although, Danny only has a small part in this POV narrative. I do have to say that Matt, his sister, Maggie and Sarah, the FBI Agent, stole the show for me.

Finlay has also mastered the art of running you around in circles with a cleverly twisted plot where you never really truly know what is going to happen next or who the culprit is for well past 3/4ths of the story. I can easily pick out, most of the time, who the bad guy is, but Finlay really ramps it up and keeps you guessing with intricate layers and interconnecting pieces where if you are not paying attention, you may totally miss it.

If you are a fan of thrillers, then you definitely do not want to miss Alex’s Finlay’s Debut, Every Last Fear. This is one hell of a twisted story!

Found this book to be a pretty good read. The pine family have a son in prison and the family don't believe he is guilty, except his brother matt who believes Danny killed the girl he's been accused of murdering. The pine family go on holiday to chase a new lead trying to find proof that Danny didn't kill the girl but a tragedy happens and they die. Matt has to 7ncover the truth about what happened the night Charlotte was killed and also was his families death really just an accident?

Just a little past halfway and I am throwing in the towel. Too much ridiculous gender and stereotyping nonsense that sucks the energy right out of me!!! I am moving on. I gave it one star because I had to but I really wanted to give it negatives stars.

Every Last Fear is an exciting mystery thriller about an American family who die under suspicious circumstances, while attempting to overturn their eldest son’s murder conviction. I’d seen lots of high-star reviews for this so requested it despite never having heard of the author. It has a dramatic start, sympathetic characters, and an intriguing mystery even though I did guess who & why - mostly - but that’s probably just because I read so many thrillers!

Matt Pine is a film student in New York, who receives the shocking news that his parents and younger siblings have been found dead, apparently in a freak gas accident. Seven years earlier, Matt’s older brother Danny was found guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend Charlotte in a drunken rage, but their father Evan never believed it and has campaigned relentlessly about his son’s innocence, even appearing in a famous documentary about the case. After a tip that Charlotte isn’t really dead, Evan & his feisty daughter Maggie book a short notice family trip to Mexico, from which they never return. FBI agent Sarah Keller is assigned the case, following high-level political interest, and wants to help Matt recover his family’s bodies, but then he too is attacked, by someone will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden...

This was a well-written fast paced debut novel which would make an excellent movie or TV series. It’s hard to read the chapters labelled “Before” from Liv, Evan and particularly Maggie’s POVs, as they battle to clear Danny’s name, knowing what lies in store for them. Matt is an appealing protagonist and I particularly liked Keller - and hope she will feature in further books.
Recommended to anyone looking for an intelligent thriller which focuses on characters more than action. Thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC, which allowed me to give an honest review. Every Last Fear is available now.

EXCERPT: They found the bodies on a Tuesday. Two days after the family had missed their flight home. Six days after all texts and social media had gone dark. The last post was a selfie saying they'd arrived in Mexico: the dad and mom making exaggerated duck faces, the teenage girl pink-cheeked and mortified, the little boy wearing plastic sunglasses and a gap-toothed smile.

The rental wasn't beachfront. It was off the beaten path, a small structure at the end of an unpaved alleyway, carved into a patch of roadside jungle in Tulum. The smell hit the local cop in the face when the property manager opened the front door. The maid hired to clean up after departing guests was sitting on the cement stoop, her hands working a string of rosary beads, her face streaked with tears.

The place was sweltering.

And filled with the buzz of flies.

ABOUT 'EVERY LAST FEAR': 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.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. 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. 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.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. 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.

MY THOUGHTS: Every Last Fear is a book that deserves to be read in one intense breathless supercar paced sitting. I couldn't do that and it was frustrating. It is a book that demands to be read this way. It needs to be read this way.

Every Last Fear is a thrilling read. It is suspenseful. The characters are realistic and relatable. The plot driven and well developed. It ticks all my boxes! BUT I wouldn't label this a 'psychological' thriller. A crime thriller - yes.

The story is told in the present from the points of view of Matt and FBI agent Keller, and in the past from Evan, Olivia and Maggie. Yet despite the multiple points of view and time lines, it never gets confusing or loses its focus.

There are layers of intrigue, from the initial bungled investigation to the multiple cover ups. But still the author had me wondering at times if Danny had indeed killed Charlotte. And if he didn't, then who did? Who killed the Pine family? Who is trying to kill Matt? And why? What doesn't he know that he knows?

Every Last Fear is an extremely satisfying read. It is a
riveting mystery, with bucket loads of suspense and thrilling twists leading to an ending I had never envisaged.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.8

#EveryLastFear #NetGalley
I: #headofzeus #ariaandaries #alexfinlayauthor
T: @HoZ_Books @Aria_Fiction @AriesFiction

#fivestarread #crime #thriller #suspense

THE AUTHOR: Alex Finlay is the pseudonym of an author who lives in Washington, D.C. Born in Opelika, Alabama, Alex's formative years were spent traversing the globe, from a tropical island in the Pacific to a small village in the UK to a remote region in the Far East. But it was on a vacation in Tulum, Mexico that Alex was inspired to write Every Last Fear. (Amazon)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Head of Zeus, Aria and Aries, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

A complex twisted thriller that has two storylines and takes a bit of concentration for multiple POV. With this said it was very well written, the reader doesn’t feel lost and always knows what’s what. I thought the plot was good and faced paced. Good debut thriller

Super interesting plot, with a tense and gritty storyline. I loved the plot of the story, it’s very immersive and multi-layered, told in different formats, multiple povs, and storylines, add in a true crime documentary, and the mystery that unveils little by little, that’s a hell yes! Now all that got a bit convoluted at times, and I really had to keep my focus to get along with the story and push through (not really a good thing when you’re just reading for escapism!) but I appreciate how this book is a complete experience. I have read quite a few FBI thrillers and obv. I don’t know any better but I’m just going to say that the FBI part felt a bit too implausible for me, I thought they liked to be more in control, lol. Also, I felt like this book reads a lot like a YA, and I’m even going to say that it was very formulaic of YA thrillers too, very in the vein of some of the recent ones, so you’re going to love it a lot if you’re all for that, but it just wasn’t so much for me sadly.

Thanks to Netgalley, publishers, and the author for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Wow!! Exciting didn’t even come close to describing it. Matt’s family died in Mexico while on a holiday. His brother was incarcerated on a murder charge years ago and his appeal rejected. Was there a connection between the two? Matt had to find and follow the loose thread.

Told in multiple POVs, along with transcripts of the brother’s case and a Netflix documentary, the story initially laid down the lattice on which the entire plotline would run. My first foray into author Alex Finlay, the story was refreshing, filled with secrets and hidden truths underlying the story.

Suspense was ramped up with each page. There were so many intertwining swirls that made it difficult for me to decipher the truth. Characters had depths to them, nuanced well, I would say. Each made an impact.

With the FBI involvement, agent Sarah Keller was determined and cool under stress. Her empathy for Matt broke through her stern demeanor. It was the storyline which kept me gripped to my book. Lies and secrets. The book was everything a thriller ought to be.

Get it now!!

1. That Slow Kind of Burn
The book started with a “Bang!” and I was hoping it will keep up the momentum. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too slow for my liking, to the point where I almost gave up on it.

2. We Need to Talk About Danny
I was really looking forward to getting a glimpse into Danny’s world, his thoughts, just more of him but that didn’t happen, which was a bummer in my opinion!

3. Too Much…
Too many characters, too many POVs, too many fillers, too much jumping back and forth, up and down, and sideways. Adding that to the slow pace of the book and you get my recipe for a 2 stars read.

4. Keller and the Friends Circle
I only liked two things about this book, the FBI agent Sarah Keller and Matt’s friends circle, and that was it for me.

5. The Final Verdict
This book lacked everything I like in a Thriller; no surprise element, too much going on, too slow, not very believable, and can also be considered problematic for various reasons. It just wasn’t my cup of tea and I’m fully aware, I’m in the minority so take my review with a grain of salt 🙂 !

I would like to thank the Publishers, NetGalley, and the Author for sending me a copy of this book.

In one of the year’s most anticipated debut psychological thrillers, a family made infamous by a true crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days. After a late night of partying, NYU film student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family—his parents Evan and Olivia, and younger siblings, 17-year-old Maggie and six-year-old Tommy, have been found dead from an apparent gas leak in their cabin while vacationing in Tulum, Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but FBI Agent Sarah Keller and State Department Officials seem far less certain—and they won’t tell Matt why. The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny—currently seven years into serving a life sentence for the murder of his pregnant teenage girlfriend Charlotte Rose—was the subject of a viral Netflix true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted as the cops' bullying and intimidation tactics led to his false confession, so Matt must travel alone to claim their bodies. The documentary series, A Violent Nature, proposed that the real murderer was Bobby Ray Hayes, aka The Smasher, who was responsible for beating several other girls to death. But neighbours in Adair, Nebraska had already decided Danny was guilty in the court of public opinion.

So Evan moves the family from Nebraska to Chicago and begins working at accounting firm Marconi LLP, who had been laundering money for a Mexican cartel and had fired Evan just a fortnight before their deaths. 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. When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. 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. This is a riveting and compulsive thriller right from the get-go with explosive developments and mind boggling twists interspersed throughout. I can't quite believe this is a debut as it's taut and expertly plotted and the action-packed and intensely enthralling narrative has your heart thumping and your adrenaline pumping as Matt attempts to gain justice for the murders all while navigating around some extremely dangerous criminals. So clear your diary, get comfortable and hold on as Finlay takes you on the (thrill) ride of your life. I cannot recommend this enough.

"The truth of the matter was that it was rarely a stranger who killed you; it was usually someone you held dear. As Keller knew too well, the sheep spends its life worried about the wolf, only to be eaten by the farmer"

This book is an amazing upcoming psychological thriller! I loved the story, even though it began slow paced. I loved the multiple POVs, the author has done a brilliant job in weaving such an awesome story. The book is not just about investigation of the Pine family's demise, it is also about the bond between the family members, the friendship between Matt and his friends, the 'Misfit Toys'. It is not just am exciting ride, but is also a very emotional one.

I loved the characters Evan and Maggie, especially Maggie. She was a strong-headed teenage girl, who is determined to uncover the truth. So is Evan. And Sarah Keller was amaze too, she being a 'G-woman', a confident woman. I also loved the diversity of characters in the book, especially Matt's friends, who are of different backgrounds and ethnicities.

The book clearly shows how alienation and hostility effects a person (in this case, an entire family). It also shows the unjustness of life and law, which should be able to protect everyone, not just the privileged.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, and is highly recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley and Aria Aries Fiction for providing me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review!
Get yourself a copy of this amazing book when it releases on March 2nd, 2021! Happy Reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishes for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Danny Pine, the eldest son of the Pine family, was convicted 6 years ago for the murder of his teenage girlfriend. His parents have always believed he's innocent, and recently cooperated with a Netflix doc that claimed he was wrongfully convicted. Matt Pine, Danny's brother, isn't so sure of Danny's innocence. The book opens when Matt hears some devastating news: his family - including his parents and two younger siblings - were found dead in their holiday home in Mexico. The book grapples with two mysteries: is Danny innocent? And how did the Pines die?

I thought the two mysteries were handled well, and I liked the way that they intertwined. This thriller kept me guessing as I was reading, though my suspicions were proved right in the end. Another thing I liked about this novel is the way that it's told - though Matt is the main character, we also get the point of view of the FBI agent and Danny in the present day, flashbacks to other members of the Pine family before their deaths, and transcripts from the true crime documentary. The author did a good job of building suspense through the time jumps and narrator switches, drip feeding you information in a way that was frustrating in a good way (frustrating because I really wanted to know what happened!)

Another reason I thought these switches in point of view worked so well was that none of the characters were particularly well=developed or interesting - this was a book that definitely prioritised plot over character development. Constantly switching between people meant the author could get away more easily with having quite two-dimensional characters. However, as someone who prefers character development over plot, it did begin to wear on me a bit.

I also couldn't connect with the characters. A lot happens in this book that should have me empathising like crazy with Matt, but I just didn't really care. On top of that, I found his reactions to a lot of the events unbelievable/unconvincing. Death in this book is definitely a plot device - it is not meant to be emotional and it doesn't want to engage with the theme of grief.

So overall, though I liked the premise for this one, I found the character aspects of this book a bit of a let down. This is definitely one for people who prefer fast-paced and plot-focused books, who don't care if their characters aren't well fleshed out.