Recommended for Making a Murderer or Serial fans
"They found the bodies on a Tuesday." With that line, I was expecting a suspenseful, fast-paced read. What I got was a heartbreaking story focused a dead teenage girl, a possibly wrong conviction, and a young man whose parents and younger siblings have just died.
Matt is the main character; his older brother Danny is in jail for the murder of a high school classmate, and Matt finds out that the rest of his family has just died under suspicious circumstances. A true crime documentary focused on Danny's conviction and appeals have made the family somewhat famous - and there's a possible connection between the father and sweeping financial crime.
The mystery that unfolds kept me engaged - this one felt well-plotted for a debut. At times I was frustrated by characters' choices, but I think they are in line with the characters themselves. I'd recommend Every Last Fear for Making a Murderer or Serial fans - excerpts from the documentary are interspersed with the story.
I do want to mention that the depictions of Mexico gave me pause. I haven't been to Highway 307 myself, but I find it hard to believe there's *that* much litter bordering the road (and even if there is, how is that relevant to this story?). There also are some derisive comments toward the Mexican police - I want to think the characters would make the same comments for any force, but it felt like bad stereotyping.
It was also funny, within a few pages, two characters credited men with soothing them - one, that she'd never felt more at ease than when she was with him and another, that he helps her heart rate slow, blood pressure level. Odd asides in a thriller - especially when one of the women is the FBI agent we're supposed to see as being outstanding.
Those sorts of things took me out of the story a bit, and ultimately are why this one feels more like three stars than four. But a solid debut, and I'll be interested in whatever Finlay writes next.
Matt is the main character; his older brother Danny is in jail for the murder of a high school classmate, and Matt finds out that the rest of his family has just died under suspicious circumstances. A true crime documentary focused on Danny's conviction and appeals have made the family somewhat famous - and there's a possible connection between the father and sweeping financial crime.
The mystery that unfolds kept me engaged - this one felt well-plotted for a debut. At times I was frustrated by characters' choices, but I think they are in line with the characters themselves. I'd recommend Every Last Fear for Making a Murderer or Serial fans - excerpts from the documentary are interspersed with the story.
I do want to mention that the depictions of Mexico gave me pause. I haven't been to Highway 307 myself, but I find it hard to believe there's *that* much litter bordering the road (and even if there is, how is that relevant to this story?). There also are some derisive comments toward the Mexican police - I want to think the characters would make the same comments for any force, but it felt like bad stereotyping.
It was also funny, within a few pages, two characters credited men with soothing them - one, that she'd never felt more at ease than when she was with him and another, that he helps her heart rate slow, blood pressure level. Odd asides in a thriller - especially when one of the women is the FBI agent we're supposed to see as being outstanding.
Those sorts of things took me out of the story a bit, and ultimately are why this one feels more like three stars than four. But a solid debut, and I'll be interested in whatever Finlay writes next.