Growing up, Kate Priddy was always a bit neurotic, experiencing momentary bouts of anxiety that exploded into full-blown panic attacks after an ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and nearly ended her life. When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin in Boston, suggests the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate, an art student in London, agrees, hoping that time away in a new place will help her overcome the recent wreckage of her life.
Soon after her arrival at Corbin’s grand apartment on Beacon Hill, Kate makes a shocking discovery: his next-door neighbor, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered. When the police question her about Corbin, a shaken Kate has few answers, and many questions of her own—curiosity that intensifies when she meets Alan Cherney, a handsome, quiet tenant who lives across the courtyard, in the apartment facing Audrey’s. Alan saw Corbin surreptitiously come and go from Audrey’s place, yet he’s denied knowing her. Then, Kate runs into a tearful man claiming to be the dead woman’s old boyfriend, who insists Corbin did the deed the night that he left for London.
When she reaches out to her cousin, he proclaims his innocence and calms her nerves–until she comes across disturbing objects hidden in the apartment and accidentally learns that Corbin is not where he says he is. Could Corbin be a killer? What about Alan? Kate finds herself drawn to this appealing man who seems so sincere, yet she isn’t sure. Jet-lagged and emotionally unstable, her imagination full of dark images caused by the terror of her past, Kate can barely trust herself, so how could she take the chance on a stranger she’s just met?
Peter Swanson has been an author that I now regularly check for new releases. I haven’t liked every book by him, but what author is perfect? I always read his books in hopes that it’ll be good, and I think this one paid off. Perhaps a little bit unbelievable, but very thrilling, and it certainly gave me goosebumps.
Her Every Fear revolves around our typical unreliable, slightly unstable protagonist, Kate Priddy, over an interesting proposition: switching apartments with her cousin Corbin in London. While she at first thinks she’s getting the better part of the trade, a girl ends up being murdered in the apartment next door. Kate meets many people from the apartment, and that’s where things start to get shady and no one’s story seems to add up. Just what is happening at this London apartment. And what is really happening with Corbin?
The characters were great in this one. Everyone is slightly shady and untrustable, which is perfect for building the suspense in the book. The main character is of course also very unreliable, which was just the right setting for the suspense. It was so hard to tell who was telling the truth based on all the characters, and there were just enough characters to make it confusing but still followable. None of the characters were of course super developed, but it was enough to really build the element of suspense and weave a story together.
The suspense was some of the best. Everything was very fast-paced, but a lot happened and I was really kept in the dark for the most part. There was a mix of believable and unbelievable plot devices, but I didn’t mind this too much. I mostly enjoy reading thrillers for the suspense, and I wasn’t really taken out of the story too much by the plausibility, so full points for the suspense here. Truly some frightening stuff here.
I thought the ending was decent. Nothing spectacularly mind-blowing, but thrilling all the same. In general the plot really lent itself to having multiple versions of the same story told from a slightly fuzzy perspective, leading to the final reveal, which I thought was well done. Whether everything is totally plausible or not wasn’t a huge factor for me, but instead it just felt like I was being led down a rabbit hole (ha!) that I just had to keep following all the way to the end. I’d say that’s good writing!
Overall Recommendations
Her Every Fear is a thriller just the way I like it: with many sketchy and unreliable characters, and a protagonist who also can’t fully be trusted. When an apartment swap goes horribly wrong when a neighbour is found dead, just what is our protagonist, Kate Priddy, supposed to do? Why are so many people approaching Kate, and just what is really happening in this London apartment? Who can or cannot be trusted? Find out in this exciting fast-paced thriller that is sure to leave you with goosebumps!
Down the Rabbit Hole 