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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, I enjoyed. The pacing of the plot resolution felt delayed and then rushed at the end. The plot was imaginative though. Will read more of AF’s books.
4.25 ⭐️
Sad that I figured out who was behind everything about halfway through.
Sad that I figured out who was behind everything about halfway through.
challenging
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Every Last Fear is honestly one of the best mystery-thrillers I've read this year, as it has so many twists and turns and the plot just went flying by. The premise itself was already intriguing and heartbreaking: NYU undergrad Matt Pine finds out that his entire family, with the exception of his incarcerated brother Danny, has died on a family vacation in Mexico and is reeling from the shock. While the Mexican authorities have ruled it as an accident, the FBI and State Department have reason to believe that foul play may be involved. Special Agent Sarah Keller is initially assigned to the case because Matt's father, Evan, had been working at an accounting firm with mob money-laundering ties but Kellar is unsure if Evan's death has anything to do with her ongoing case.
Meanwhile, the media is fixated on the deaths not only because the Pines are an attractive, American family that have tragically died overseas but also because of their connection to Danny. Danny was recently the subject of a true-crime documentary that suggests that he's been wrongfully convicted for the death of his high-school girlfriend, Charlotte. Evan and Maggie had featured prominently - Evan came across as a deranged, heartbroken father while Maggie was the intrepid rock of the family.
Meanwhile, both Matt and his mother Liv had basically tried to stay out of the documentary - but for different reasons: Liv has tried to move on from whatever happened then since Evan and her had conceived another child during the time and Matt, because he's not 100% sure that Danny had nothing to do with Charlotte's death, based on what he witnessed that night. However, with his family's death and a strange turn of events in Mexico, Matt becomes unsure about what exactly he had witnessed that fateful night and how much of his family's deaths is connected to whatever happened in Mexico to his family.
Every Last Fear was honestly just gripping because the story alternates between the present, where Matt finds out that his family's died and Kellar tries to connect him with the Mexican authorities and the past. In the past, we find out about more what each Pine family member was up to days before the Mexican trip - which was honestly a really heartbreaking plot device because of the wasted potential, where Liv and Evan had finally reconnected with each other, where Maggie was growing up and slowly moving on from an assault.
However, there were moments that I definitely thought that the plot didn't make total sense. For example, Matt experiences some pretty dangerous stuff in Mexico. Considering that he knows a FBI agent, it would make sense for him to tell her about it but he pretty much never mentions it until it comes up again? Furthermore, I'm not totally sure that I buy into the villain of the story.
Overall, though, I'm really interested to see what else Alex Finaly writes next.
Every Last Fear is honestly one of the best mystery-thrillers I've read this year, as it has so many twists and turns and the plot just went flying by. The premise itself was already intriguing and heartbreaking: NYU undergrad Matt Pine finds out that his entire family, with the exception of his incarcerated brother Danny, has died on a family vacation in Mexico and is reeling from the shock. While the Mexican authorities have ruled it as an accident, the FBI and State Department have reason to believe that foul play may be involved. Special Agent Sarah Keller is initially assigned to the case because Matt's father, Evan, had been working at an accounting firm with mob money-laundering ties but Kellar is unsure if Evan's death has anything to do with her ongoing case.
Meanwhile, the media is fixated on the deaths not only because the Pines are an attractive, American family that have tragically died overseas but also because of their connection to Danny. Danny was recently the subject of a true-crime documentary that suggests that he's been wrongfully convicted for the death of his high-school girlfriend, Charlotte. Evan and Maggie had featured prominently - Evan came across as a deranged, heartbroken father while Maggie was the intrepid rock of the family.
Meanwhile, both Matt and his mother Liv had basically tried to stay out of the documentary - but for different reasons: Liv has tried to move on from whatever happened then since Evan and her had conceived another child during the time and Matt, because he's not 100% sure that Danny had nothing to do with Charlotte's death, based on what he witnessed that night. However, with his family's death and a strange turn of events in Mexico, Matt becomes unsure about what exactly he had witnessed that fateful night and how much of his family's deaths is connected to whatever happened in Mexico to his family.
Every Last Fear was honestly just gripping because the story alternates between the present, where Matt finds out that his family's died and Kellar tries to connect him with the Mexican authorities and the past. In the past, we find out about more what each Pine family member was up to days before the Mexican trip - which was honestly a really heartbreaking plot device because of the wasted potential, where Liv and Evan had finally reconnected with each other, where Maggie was growing up and slowly moving on from an assault.
However, there were moments that I definitely thought that the plot didn't make total sense. For example, Matt experiences some pretty dangerous stuff in Mexico.
Spoiler
He gets drunk and nearly gets kidnapped by a pretty expat but narrowly manages to make an escape.Spoiler
While Liv's politician ex was certainly sleazy, especially with the way that they'd had an extramarital affair, it's a little unbelievable that at the same time, he had a relationship with Charlotte, the high school girl. And when his son injures her, he basically decided that his best move is to kill her...and he manages to get away with it for so many years?Overall, though, I'm really interested to see what else Alex Finaly writes next.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fresh take on a thriller that involves a popular true-crime documentary, likable young male protagonist trying to solve the crime that put his older brother in jail for decades and that resulted in the deaths of his four remaining family members. But honestly, this one felt a little scattered. It takes place in New York, Nebraska, Illinois, DC, and Mexico. We’ve got two mysteries to solve, FBI agents, the governor of Nebraska, an elderly grandfather in a nursing home, about seven viewpoints, at least three timelines, a weird gang of college kids, and a documentary film team working on a sequel to their hit show about the Pine family. The story kept my interest and I liked that it wasn’t a typical domestic thriller, but overall, I felt like there was too much going on. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
the ending was just a mess, which brought down the rating for me.
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Solid 3.5 but I’ll round up, even though I guessed the twist before the end ❤️ a nice back and forth between past and present and a strong female FBI agent which I’m always here for. A decent thriller
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes