Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay
Read By: Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Summary from Goodreads:
“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.
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.
Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear is not only a riveting thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.
Confession:
I just love a suspense thriller that I can not figure out, but then when I look back after all has been revealed, I realize that yes, all of the clues were there, I just didn’t put it altogether. This is my second book by this author and I found this to be true with both books. I can’t wait to read another one to see if I can figure that one out or not.
Both narrators do a solid job of reading this story. Jon Lindstrom does an excellent job with all of the male points of view. He does lots of different voices for all of the varied characters, but his portrayal of Evan Pine, the father, was so well done. I just felt Evan’s despair and heartache about his son Danny everytime he was talking. I struggled a little bit with Cady McClain’s reading. Overall, she did an ok job but at times, her voice sounded a bit stilted at times, and almost robotic. But when things were emotional she did an excellent job portraying the characters fears and sadness.
This book is told by multiple characters, but mostly by Matt Pine and Sarah Keller, the FBI agent. I really enjoyed both of these characters and wanted them both to come out ok at the end of this whole book. Matt was such a lost little soul, losing his family so tragically, with things left unsaid between them all. He had a great group of friends who rallied behind him and I think really helped him throughout it all. Sarah was also a solid character, who I enjoyed watching put all of the pieces together and help Matt as well.
This story takes place in two timelines, the present with Matt and Sarah, and the time before the death of his family takes place. The past is told by members of Matt’s family. Those parts were a bit hard to listen to, knowing their fates. I loved how the past and present were interwoven, with Matt and Sarah discovering some of the clues as we are learning about them in the past. Very well done. As I said before, I was totally blindsided by the truth of what really happened to both Matt’s family and how it connected to Matt’s older brother’s conviction. In hindsight all of the clues were there, but I didn’t but it together until Matt finally but one final clue together. Very well done.
If you like your suspense thrillers very twisty and fast paced, you really should give this story a look. It is sad and tragic, even though it does have a hopeful ending, but it is so well done you will find yourself hoping that things will turn out differently. This would make an excellent show or movie and I would love to see it adapted.
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