I’m a big fan of psychological thrillers, and Alex Finlay’s Every Last Fear sounded like exactly what I was looking for to take my mind off the pandemic, election, etc. From the opening line (“The bodies were found on Tuesday”), I was hooked. The story is told from multiple points of view and it jumps around in time, but it’s easy to follow and focuses throughout on NYU student Matt Pine. 

After a late night of partying,  Matt returns to his dorm room and learns that almost his entire family, including his parents and younger brother and sister, were found dead in a hotel room in  Mexico. The local police say it was an accidental gas leak, but soon both the FBI and the U.S.  State Department become involved in the investigation, and Matt has no idea why — and for that matter, he has no clue as to why his family went on a sudden vacation. To Mexico. There is some question about the company that employed his father until recently and one of their clients, a cartel (shades of the fabulous TV series Ozark).

Matt still has his older brother Danny, although they have not been in touch much since Danny was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Charlotte several years back. The case became the subject of a viral true crime documentary which raised the possibility of a wrongful conviction. There are groups all over the country working to reveal “the truth” — but  Matt has a secret that he’s never told anyone, including Danny:  on the night Charlotte was killed,  Matt saw something that made him believe Danny is truly guilty of the crime.

Matt returns to the small hometown from which they had moved to get away from scrutiny that came with the notoriety around Danny’s case, All he wants is to bury his parents and siblings, but he’s confronted by a hostile community that hated how they came across in the documentary. As the investigation into the deaths in Mexico continues, it suggests that these deaths may be connected to Danny’s case.  So, off Matt goes to do some investigating of his own. 

As a true crime fan who frequently feels bad for the friends and family members who get dragged into the media circus surrounding the crimes that touch their lives, I appreciated the way this story addressed that. I also thought the plot was well thought out and although the resolution might be a tiny bit contrived to suit some readers, I looked at it as a future movie and enjoyed it on that level. I think Graham Phillips (who played Zach in the TV series The Good Wife) would be perfect as Matt. Thanks to St. Martin’s/Minotaur Press and NetGalley for a copy in return for this honest review. Four stars.