Every Last Fear

New York University student Matt Pine thought he had a terrible night when his girlfriend dumped him, until FBI agents show up to give him even worse news: his family has been found dead in Tulum, Mexico. His dad, mom, kid sister and six-year-old brother--all gone. With no signs of struggles, the scene appears to show the family perished in an accidental gas leak, but is it too neatly staged? And what were the Pines doing in Mexico anyway? These are the questions posed at the start of Alex Finlay's riveting Every Last Fear.

The only other surviving member of Matt's immediate family is his older brother, Danny, who's in prison for a murder made famous by a Netflix documentary. Matt is now the only Pine left who can uncover the truth about his family's demise, which may be linked to the killing Danny was convicted of seven years earlier. Before long, Matt learns someone is trying to terminate him, too.

The pseudonymous Finlay propels his plot forward with tight prose and well-timed revelations, from both after and before the Pines' deaths in Mexico. The Before chapters are told from the viewpoints of Evan, Matt's father; his mother, Liv; and his sister, Maggie, allowing readers to get to know Matt's family and feel the weight of his loss. The identity of the villain will likely not surprise crime fiction fans, and a subplot about a mob syndicate is unnecessary, but Every Last Fear provides satisfying character development while maintaining a breakneck pace. --Elyse Dinh-McCrillis, blogger at Pop Culture Nerd

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