The Anniversary: A Thriller

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.

Author: Alex Finlay
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: 05/12/2026
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.18lbs
Size: 9.46h x 6.49w x 1.19d
ISBN: 9781250360755


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 03/01/2026 pg. 87
Publishers Weekly 03/23/2026
Booklist 05/01/2026

About the Author
ALEX FINLAY is the bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including the 2025 instant national bestseller, Parents Weekend. His work regularly appears on best-of-the-year lists and has been translated into twenty-six languages and sold around the world. Alex's books have been optioned or in development for film and television, including Parents Weekend, which was recently acquired for adaptation to the screen. Alex is the director of the thriller/mystery section of the Leopardi Writing Conference in Italy, and a board member of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. He lives in Washington, D.C.