Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

(Thank you to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

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.

my thoughts:

Dark and twisty at its best!! Oh my! I just loved Peter Swanson's latest novel, Her Every Fear.  Chock full of suspense, mystery, and creepiness; this book is a top notch psychological thriller.  I could not put it down.  I found myself staying up til the wee hours just to finish it. It was that damn good.

Kate is ruled by her anxiety, which is why her parents are shocked when she agrees to travel to America and trade apartments with her cousin Corbin.  She'll attend the local art school and explore the city of Boston.  Unfortunately, upon Kate's arrival her (or actually Corbin's) neighbor is found murdered.  Ack!  Talk about ramping up anyone's anxiety levels.  Poor Katie - what a welcome to the building.  However, that's not all that she has to deal with.  Across the way, on the other side of the apartment complex, she's become the victim of a peeping tom.  A man that she befriends and winds up involved with.  Oh, and the cops ask to look through her cousin's apartment and ask too many questions about him, making Kate wonder who Corbin really is.  Plus, there is also the man who's been stalking her - well, she doesn't know about him.  All I can say is that he's been right underneath her nose the whole time.  Actually, there is so much to share about this book, but I'm not going to.  Why?  Its a must-read that you just have to experience for your self.  Believe me, you are going to enjoy every frightening minute of it. 

Swanson has written a sharp, engrossing thriller that entertains on so many levels.  Its a psychological thriller with a murder mystery, sprinkled with twists and turns, and topped with a bit of horror.  It is truly a great story.  I loved the slow-going pace that made each revelation a thrill to discover. The character-driven plot is fantastic! Swanson explores the human psyche through such troubled individuals, sometimes its heartbreaking and other times its simply disturbing.  His writing is so rich and vivid, you can't help but get creeped out.  I enjoyed the whole experience.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Swanson and fans of psychological thrillers - you are going to LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Her Every Fear

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!