Beautiful, popular college-bound Jules Delaney and struggling outcast Quinn Riley meet in eleventh-grade study hall and form an unlikely friendship. When their lives are tragically altered on May 1, 1992, they drift apart until their lives intersect years later when a child is found and a serial killer strikes again. Told over the span of 1992 to 2011, THE ANNIVERSARY by Alex Finlay is a propulsive thrill ride with an explosive final reveal.

On May 1, 1992, it all went down. Jules was attacked and left alive by the May Day Killer after leaving a concert. Quinn Riley attended the same concert as a birthday gift, but when leaving the event, he intervened in a fight and seriously hurt another young man. Quinn heads to juvenile detention for the assault, while Jules heads to college, telling no one of her attack. When Quinn is in juvenile detention, he learns of his mother’s murder. When released, he enters the army to escape, but thoughts of his mother’s killer consume him. Eventually, Quinn makes his way home and works as a private investigator. Jules spirals into the dark world of modeling before making her way home to Nebraska, where her sister is abducted shortly thereafter by the May Day Killer. Jules starts to bond with other survivors, and a case Quinn is working on opens up new avenues for finding the May Day Killer. As Quinn and Jules rekindle their friendship, the stakes rise even higher, and on a night that should be a celebration, a serial killer strikes again.

THE ANNIVERSARY by Alex Finley is an addictive thrill ride filled with twists and turns and characters that stay with you long after the last page. From the beginning, readers will become invested in Jules's and Quinn’s journeys as teenagers to young adults navigating high school, social circles, family hardships, and a horrendous night that changed both their lives. Quinn faces a lot of devastation and prevails, while Jules faces the aftermath of her own attack. The May Day serial killer is ruthless, and every woman is fair game on May 1st in small Midwestern towns. The novel moves at a brisk pace, with alternating storylines and chapter cliffhangers that keep the suspense and momentum climbing. The reveals are surprising, the layers of evil compelling, and the redemption of both characters very satisfying. This is a thriller but also a love story of two people who met in eleventh grade and were destined to be together after clawing their way through tragedies. Finlay does a superb job of drawing in readers, making them care about the characters, and startling them by revealing the monsters who hide in plain sight.