Every Last Fear

Superb. Well written. Loved it. Is this Alex’s first book? I know his name is a pseudonym however it kept me gripped and is one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read

I recently read Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay. This is the story of a family who has died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Mexico. There are two surviving sons, Matt is in college in NY and Dan is in prison for killing his girlfriend. With the FBI's help it's determined that perhaps the family's death wasn't so simple and could somehow be linked to Dan, despite him being in jail. The writing is fast paced, weaving easily from the past to present day, pushing us to discover what really happened and why. Often the chapters end on a cliff hanger, which propels the reader forward for answers. While the story includes government and police corruption, cartels and a boy that won't take no , be assured that these often unpleasant topics are brief and are necessary to the story.

I've read several hundred mysteries and thrillers in the last year and a half since the covid pandemic started, and this book is in the top 10% for me. I was fully engrossed all the way, loved the characters, and the plot was tight and suspenseful. How did Matt's parents and brother and sister die on vacation in Mexico? Were they murdered, and if so, how and why? Who did it? And is Matt's brother who is in prison for murdering his girlfriend really innocent? And if so, how can it be proved that he is innocent? And do the deaths of the family relate to the brother's imprisonment? These questions kept me reading, I just had to find out what really happened in both cases.One thing I especially liked (but also made me sad) was that even though we find out that Matt's family has died in the first few pages, the author brings all these family members to life through "Before" chapters, showing us their lives, their choices, their humanity and motivations, before they died, so that having to face that they would be killed made me sad because they came to feel like real people to me. And the sense of pointlessness to their deaths, how these deaths never had to happen. And how sometimes even truly good, caring people who are driven by their pain to right a wrong can make an error in judgment that puts them into a situation that leads to their death. There were some truths about human nature, both the truly good, the truly bad, and the misguided, that were profound.The author kept up the suspense and the tension all the way through, there were no dull moments. Great job. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the author's next one.

I just finished reading the debut book by Alex Finlay called, “Every Last Fear.” It was described as thrilling, explosive, compelling, riveting and propulsive. It fulfilled none of those adjectives. The characters were not well-developed. The storyline tripped over itself. The author did not make this reader care about the characters. Frankly, I had to really persevere to complete the reading. Excusing the fact that this was a debut novel, I still would not seek out future stories by this author. He included way too many characters that really added nothing but confusion. When I crossed the finish line, the only thing I felt was relief that the story had ended in a totally chaotic mess. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. But, to each his own, I guess 😟

I have to confess I did guess who the bad guy was, but I did not guess all the secrets that came out at the end.This book was a ride from the beginning and did not disappoint me at the end.I loved the FBI agent Sarah Keller, a tough woman.The case was the death of Charlotte. Danny Pine was convicted but did he bash her brains in, that is what this book was about.Matt Pine finds out that the rest of his family, father, mother, sister Maggie, and little brother Tommy were all found dead in Mexico. Danny his older brother is still in prison for Charlotte's murder.The story is told from multiple points of view, including time jumps into the past when Matt's family is still alive.It is hard at the end knowing that death is coming for them, but I loved the ending. Even though I thought I knew who the bad guy was, and was somewhat correct, I still loved it.Highly recommend this great book.