The Anniversary

THIS is the Alex Finlay book I’ve been waiting for! He had me a little nervous last year with Parents Weekend, which didn’t quite rise to the level of his other books in my opinion, but this feels like the vintage 5-star Finlay whose 2021 debut novel Every Last Fear got me hooked on his writing.

In 1992, popular and pretty 17-year-old Jules befriends quiet and introverted classmate Quinn. Though they come from different worlds, she’s the rich girl who sees something in Quinn, whose single mom makes ends meet for he and his non-verbal brother George. They live in a small Nebraska town that isn’t known for much - except for being in the multi-state path of The May Day Killer, who strikes every year on May 1st. For a few victims, he strangely allows them to live after assaulting them, though he takes identifying “trophies” from them.

As fate would have it, The May Day Killer strikes close to home one May 1st night - a day that also happens to be Quinn’s birthday. This night changes the course of his and Jules’ lives, as the book revisits them each May 1st for the next decade. Both are dealing with tragedy and trauma as new events add to their struggle to find answers and heal. I’m leaving things vague as the blurb says a lot. Personally, I’d recommend going in blind.

Why does this book work so well?

Finlay writes those short, punchy chapters that alternate back and forth from Jules to Quinn’s POV. This cleverly keeps the reader wanting to read more, as each character’s story gets temporarily interrupted by the other’s. I didn’t find that annoying at all - it only increased my curiosity and desire to keep going!

The addition of a ‘some will, some won’t’ scenario regarding whether the victims die kept this from being just another serial killer story where it’s one death after another. The victims who are spared don’t know why and the reader won’t either until late in the book, which again fed my curiosity.

Jules and Quinn are both messes in their own ways, but they’re relatable and likable enough that I wanted both to find their answers and heal. It was also nice to see a popular girl treat a quieter kid with kindness and respect. More of that please!

My only minor issue, and it’s surprisingly a tiny one, is that I didn’t think the final reveals were all that difficult to figure out, though Finlay did a stellar job of throwing out misdirections that kept me questioning my guesses constantly.

This was an immersion read with my Kindle and the ALC narrated expertly by Ari Fliakos and Brittany Pressley. I highly recommend this excellent mystery thriller in either or both formats!

★★★★ ½  (rounded up)

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley and author Alex Finlay for the DRC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC to honestly review. This is out now.