All Fall Down by Tom Bale is a 2016 Bookouture publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was trending for a while a few weeks ago, so I thought I should probably check it out and I’d say it was worth all the attention.

‘All Fall Down’ is a taut, edgy, psychological thriller, coiled up tighter than wound spring.

Rob and Wendy are having a nice evening, cooking outdoors, when a badly injured man stumbles onto their lawn. Later they find out the man has died. At first, it seemed like a very bizarre incident, but Rob begins receiving disturbing notes, and a series of odd occurrences has the family on edge.

Rob’s business was involved in some questionable dealings which he is just now recovering from, and his marriage has reached a turning point, with Wendy expressing dissatisfaction, and their children, Josh, Evan, and Georgia are each deeply entrenched in their own lives. But, when they all go away together for a family holiday, things go horribly awry, when they are placed in a terrifying predicament, putting them in survival mode, for better or worse.

Whew! This story really put me through the wringer! My heart rate spiked a few times and I felt nervous and uncomfortable from start to finish. The psychological terror comes from not knowing who to trust, not knowing what the motive could be, and from inner turmoil within the Turner household. Rob and Wendy’s paranoia is catching as they question event from their past, wondering if it is all somehow connected.

I like stories that expose the fragility of human nature, that implies we are all vulnerable to suggestion, are all capable of almost anything when it comes to survival or protecting our family. This story winds around those loops with precision, exposing the darkest corner of the human psyche, proving we may all have a trigger that turns us into someone we wouldn’t be under normal circumstances, and also proves the power of familial ties, and even the power of love, despite the turbulent and unorthodox way it presents itself.

The characters are certainly unique, rousing me to pull for them, but still left me feeling unsure about trusting them explicitly.

What secrets are you harboring? How far would you go to save your family? How much are you will to hide? What sacrifices are you willing to make and can you live with those choices?

Thought provoking, dark and chilling, and utterly terrifying at times, this novel is one you must read if like suspense thrillers of any kind.