The Anniversary
A Thriller
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4.3 • 121 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
From the national bestselling author of Parents Weekend, comes one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year.
"Everything I want in a thriller!”―Ashley Elston
"I could not put it down!”―Angie Kim
"Nonstop twists!"—Jason Rekulak
“A master of his craft.”―Jeneva Rose
Every May 1st, a serial killer stalks a small town. Every year he comes for them . . .
On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley hardly know each other.
Jules is high school queen bee in a small Midwestern town when she survives a brutal attack by the elusive May Day Killer—a predator who strikes every May 1st and then vanishes without a trace. Quinn, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested the same night after trying to break up a fight and nearly killing someone.
By morning, their lives are forever connected.
A year later, Jules is haunted by trauma and guilt, tormented by one question: Why was she spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to devastating news—the unsolved murder of his mother.
Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year: May 1st.
As the years pass, secrets surface, lies unravel, and the paths of Jules and Quinn draw closer together. Two mysteries edge toward the truth—what really happened the night Jules was attacked, and who murdered Quinn’s mother? All the while, the May Day Killer is still out there.
And the clock is racing toward another anniversary.
Twisty, high-concept, and emotionally charged, The Anniversary is an addictive murder mystery and nail-biting thriller—but it’s also a tender, heartrending story about fate, innocence lost, and two people bound by a single day. With its masterful structure and propulsive tension, The Anniversary reaffirms Alex Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A pair of high school classmates are bonded by their brush with a serial killer in this intriguing if predictable standalone from Finlay (Parents Weekend). On May 1, 1992, popular teenager Jules Delaney leaves a concert and is assaulted in her car by a man who she assumes is the May Day Killer, an elusive rapist and murderer who's been striking annually across the Midwest since the late '80s. On the same day, Jules's classmate, Quinn Riley, whom she's attracted to despite his lower social status, manages to scrape up enough money to attend the same concert for his birthday. Afterward, Quinn intervenes in a fight and almost kills the aggressor, landing him in prison. While Quinn is serving his sentence, his mom is bludgeoned to death at home. A year later, Quinn is released, and he dedicates himself to finding his mother's killer—an effort that puts him in contact with Jules, who's still distraught over her attack. Each of the novel's sections take place on consecutive May Days, with dark secrets slowly dripping out as the bond between the leads develops. Though Finlay's concept is strong, Jules and Quinn feel more like ciphers than fully developed characters, and the plot offers few surprises. This fails to stand out from the pack.
Customer Reviews
Good Read
Loved the pace of this novel. Just enough clues dropped along the way to lead you to the killer.
HIGHLY recommend
This is a great book that held my interest from the beginning.
Loved It
The characters were well developed, the plot was well paced and the story kept me on the edge of my seat. The author is a great storyteller. Looking forward to reading his earlier novels.