Told from multiple POVs, present and very-recent past, the story’s about the Pine family who suffered a devasting loss when their teenage son was convicted of murdering his girlfriend. Mostly they’re adamantly convinced he didn’t do it. There was a Netflix documentary about the crime that was maybe trying to exonerate Danny, but maybe just trying to get ratings. The story starts when Danny’s younger brother Matt, now an NYU college student, learns that his parents and younger siblings were killed in a freak gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. Except all the thriller lovers know there’s zero chance it was an accident.
Every Last Fear keep me turning pages, and as dark as the plot sounds, there was a really sweet theme of family and redemption that almost made me forget everyone was dead. There’s a female FBI officer on the case who has the sweetest—and kind of unexpected because the book wasn’t necessarily about her—relationship with her stay-at-home husband. Then past chapters with the Pine family that really felt more about a family healing from devastating grief than trying to solve a mystery. Which was fine, but it felt like a sucker punch (in mostly a good way) that I got so attached even knowing they’re not going to be okay.
I did guess some of the twists but the structure of the book was so interesting and tightly woven that it almost didn’t matter. And like I always say, I go through every possible outcome in my head when reading a mystery so the fact that one of the options I hit upon turns out to be right doesn’t mean much.
The first character we’re introduced to is NYU student, Matt, and the author does an amazing job making you want to connect with him and keeping you at a distance. I was heartbroken for him and so wanted everything to be all right, but I was also never sure if he was a reliable narrator which is one of the subtle things that makes this book so interesting.
Every Last Fear keep me turning pages, and as dark as the plot sounds, there was a really sweet theme of family and redemption that almost made me forget everyone was dead. There’s a female FBI officer on the case who has the sweetest—and kind of unexpected because the book wasn’t necessarily about her—relationship with her stay-at-home husband. Then past chapters with the Pine family that really felt more about a family healing from devastating grief than trying to solve a mystery. Which was fine, but it felt like a sucker punch (in mostly a good way) that I got so attached even knowing they’re not going to be okay.
I did guess some of the twists but the structure of the book was so interesting and tightly woven that it almost didn’t matter. And like I always say, I go through every possible outcome in my head when reading a mystery so the fact that one of the options I hit upon turns out to be right doesn’t mean much.
The first character we’re introduced to is NYU student, Matt, and the author does an amazing job making you want to connect with him and keeping you at a distance. I was heartbroken for him and so wanted everything to be all right, but I was also never sure if he was a reliable narrator which is one of the subtle things that makes this book so interesting.