Her Every Fear
A Novel
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4.0 • 355 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An NPR Best Book of the Year
The author of the wildly popular The Kind Worth Killing returns with an electrifying and downright Hitchcockian psychological thriller—as tantalizing as the cinema classics Rear Window and Wait Until Dark—involving a young woman caught in a vise of voyeurism, betrayal, manipulation, and murder.
The danger isn’t all in your head . . .
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.
But 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 accidently learns that Corbin is not where he says he is. Could Corbin be a killer? And what about Alan? Kate finds herself drawn to this appealing man who seems so sincere, yet she isn’t sure. Jetlagged 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?
Yet the danger Kate imagines isn’t nearly as twisted and deadly as what’s about to happen. When her every fear becomes very real.
And much, much closer than she thinks.
Told from multiple points of view, Her Every Fear is a scintillating, edgy novel rich with Peter Swanson’s chilling insight into the darkest corners of the human psyche and virtuosic skill for plotting that has propelled him to the highest ranks of suspense, in the tradition of such greats as Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, Patricia Highsmith, and James M. Cain.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
After racing through 2015’s The Kind Worth Killing, we were thrilled for another dose of Peter Swanson. He unfurls the dramatic story of the traumatized Kate Priddy at a delicious pace, pulling us into her world with fierce calm and precision. After a horrendous attack in London, Kate comes to stay at her cousin Corbin’s luxe Boston apartment—but it soon becomes clear that trouble may have traveled across the Atlantic with her. At times, we could barely stand the tension.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kate Priddy, the heroine of this unconvincing psychological thriller from Swanson (The Kind Worth Killing), who's still traumatized by a boyfriend turned stalker, impulsively agrees to swap her London flat with Corbin Dell, an American cousin she has never met. After a harrowing plane trip and a ride through Boston's Sumner Tunnel that prompts a panic attack, Kate arrives at Corbin's luxurious Beacon Hill apartment just before the discovery of a murder in the apartment next door. The body of book editor Audrey Marshall is marked with gruesome postmortem cuts, which prove to be similar to those of other victims in places where Corbin has lived. Kate begins to suspect that her cousin knows more about Audrey's murder than he claims. As a fragile Kate tries to hold herself together, another stalker targets her. The characters, especially the female ones, rarely make rational decisions, and Kate herself doesn't consistently react in the face of grave danger in the manner of someone suffering from crippling anxiety. Swanson fans will hope for a return to form next time.
Customer Reviews
Amazing!!!
Peter Swanson has the ability to impeccably write such detailed descriptions it never fails to amaze me. This book was so good! The chapters varied based on the perspective of each character in the story. The story represented through Corbin Dell almost made me have pity for his character. And Alan was another gem in the story alongside Detective James. Only giving it a 4/5 because I did not like Kate Priddy that much. She lacked some common sense (I mean she didn’t even realize a stranger was living in her apartment for a few days). Other than that, this is definitely a must read.
Great read!!!
Thoroughly, enjoyed this book very much. Out of all of Peter Swanson’s books, I think this one is my favorite. Lots of twist and turns leaving you on the edge of your seat.
Knew the ending half way through the book
I loved “The Kind Worth Killing” but this book pales in comparison. Once we find out how Kate’s neighbor was killed we immediately know who did it and why. The rest of the book just plays out the logical conclusion. The last third of the book added nothing to the overall story. A disappointment from such a talented writer.