The Anniversary
- Judith D Collins
- Apr 18
- 3 min read
By: Alex Finlay
Narrators: Ari Fliakos, Brittany Pressley Macmillan Audio
ISBN: 978-1250360755
Publisher: Minotuar Books
Publication Date: 05/12/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC) (ALC)
From the bestselling author of Parents Weekend, comes one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year.
Every Year He Comes For Them.
On one fateful night in 1992, the lives of two seventeen-year-olds are changed and intertwined forever. Quinn Riley, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested after he innocently tries to break up a fight but ends up nearly killing someone. Jules Delaney, high school royalty, survives an attack by the elusive and terrifying May Day Killer—a serial predator who strikes every May 1st in midwestern small towns.
A year later, Jules is struggling with trauma and guilt, tormented by the question: Why was I spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to fresh heartbreak: the unsolved murder of his mother.
Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year—May 1st. As secrets unravel and the paths of Quinn and Jules collide, two mysteries edge closer to the truth. All the while, the May Day Killer is still out there—and the clock is racing toward another May 1st.
The Anniversary is an utterly compelling story of the hunt for a serial killer. But it’s also a heartfelt—and heartrending—novel about fate, innocence lost, and two souls who find that sometimes being broken is the only way for the light to get in.
Twisty, high-concept, and emotional, the novel reaffirms Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.
Praise
A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Selection for May 2026
A Library Journal Mystery Pick of the Month
A Goodreads “Top Mystery and Thriller Book of 2026”
A Shelf Reflection “Most Anticipated Book of 2026”
A Nerd Daily “Most Anticipated Book Releases 2026”
A New York Post “Page-Turning New Thriller to Read”
“Somehow, Finlay manages to improve with each amazing book, and he has crafted another terrific suspense novel that demands to be read in one sitting. Jules and Quinn fly off the page, and readers will be emotionally engrossed in their journey to see where they are in their lives each May 1.”
―Library Journal (Starred Review)
“Two people are forever connected by the events of a single day. Piece by piece, Alex Finlay expertly reveals the secrets and lies that bind them together. Razor sharp, smart, and emotionally charged―it’s everything I want in a thriller!”
―Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Lie Wins
“The Anniversary is Alex Finlay at his best, an addictive murder mystery, nail-biting thriller, and tender love story, all beautifully told through a masterful story structure. I could not put it down!”
―Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls
“This ingeniously structured thriller races through the 1990s with two sympathetic heroes and nonstop twists. It’s phat, it’s fly, it’s all that and a bag of chips!”
―Jason Rekulak, New York Times bestselling author of The Last One at the Wedding
“An unputdownable thriller that never telegraphs what’s coming next, or lets the reader off the hook. The twists and turns in the separate, tragically connected, journeys of Jules and Quinn is simply one of the best crafted novels of this, or any year. In the May Day Killer, Finlay has created one of the most compelling and mysterious villains anywhere in the genre. The Anniversary is a must-read, and why Alex Finlay ranks with Coben, Crais, and Connelly as one of the very best in the business. Hey, “Hollywood,” if you’re listening, your next blockbuster is between these two covers!”
―Jon Lindstrom, USA Today bestselling author of Hollywood Hustle and Hollywood Payback
“Alex Finlay is a master at creating complex, high-stakes thrillers that are charged with emotion.”
―Mary Kubica
“There is nothing as addictive as an Alex Finlay novel.”
―Ashley Winstead
“A master of his craft.”
―Jeneva Rose
“One of the leading thriller writers today.”
―Sarah Pekkanen
About the Author
Photo Credit: Kristina Sherk Photography
Alex Finlay is the bestselling author of the 2021 breakout novel, Every Last Fear, the 2022 Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Mystery and Thriller, The Night Shift, the 2023 Library Reads Hall of Fame recipient, What Have We Done, and the 2024 blockbuster national bestseller, If Something Happens to Me. Alex’s novels are regularly on "best of the year" lists and have been translated into twenty-five languages and sold around the world. All of Alex’s books have been optioned, secured, or in development for film and television, and his May 2025 release, Parents Weekend, was an instant national bestseller and has already been scooped up by Hollywood for adaption to the screen. Alex lives in Washington, DC and Virginia. WEBSITE
