Kate Priddy, the young woman at the center of Peter Swanson’s thriller Her Every Fear, is prone to panic attacks... More than slightly reckless, though, is her growing interest in the very recent murder of a woman who lived in the same apartment building that Kate’s moved into ... Mr. Swanson, the author of two earlier well-regarded suspense novels, tells this complex and often horrific story from several characters’ points of view, often through flashbacks spanning several years’ events in London and Boston ...reminiscent of a folie à deux out of Patricia Highsmith or Fuminori Nakamura ...the author proves to be at least a bit more merciful than his monstrous villain.
Peter Swanson tells an engaging story of a woman battling severe anxiety who decides to radically change her life –– and the horrifying results that follow –– in Her Every Fear ... When the novel focuses on Kate, the writing and story line shine. Swanson made the decision to give other points of view, including the cousin and Alan, and their narratives lag a bit ...a sole focus on Kate’s perspective would have made it a classic. Either way, Swanson has crafted an effective and compulsive thriller.
...be in for a big surprise, however, as they turn the pages of the upcoming Her Every Fear, a woman-in-jeopardy story in which the bad people are men ...revel at Swanson’s ability to create charismatic villains who spark fear by the evilness of their deeds and because they look like people we see every day ...these scenes between Corbin and Henry where Swanson’s strengths as a craftsman of evil truly shine ...a very different kind of book, more reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s gothic storytelling than the stiletto-sharp prose that’s led readers and critics to compare Swanson to James Cain.
Those who enjoy reading about vulnerable protagonists who wind up in even worse straits despite all good intentions will find this book fully satisfactory ... The great majority of Her Every Fear takes place within the somewhat claustrophobic confines of an apartment building ... Peter Swanson creates quite a mysterious stew here, accentuated by Kate’s near-constant anxiety, which she has learned to deal with, even if she can’t conquer it ...those readers who are tired of encountering the scenario in which the damsel in distress is rescued by a prince will find much to love here, given how Swanson puts a unique corkscrew on that plot device ... For those unfamiliar with Swanson’s work, start here and work your way back through his bibliography. You will be rewarded.
Swanson's third thriller, after The Girl with a Clock for a Heart and The Kind Worth Killing, nods both to the Leopold & Loeb case and to Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley, offering twists and intensity aplenty ... Swanson is most persuasive when we're with the vulnerable but resourceful Kate... The book flounders a bit when Swanson enters Highsmith territory, attempting to inhabit the minds of sociopathic killers, but he does complicate things interestingly and engineers a tense and intricate finale ... A solid and quick-paced thriller—but one that seems to feature a pop-up psychopath behind every door and under every bed.
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 ... 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.
