The Anniversary

 

The May Day Killer strikes every May 1st. Jules survived him once. She’s not sure she will again.

Thanks Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen!

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay is the thriller I didn’t want to end.

One night in 1992 changes everything for Jules and Quinn — two seventeen-year-olds whose lives get tangled up in ways neither of them sees coming. Jules survives an attack by the May Day Killer, a serial predator who strikes every May 1st in small Midwestern towns. Quinn ends up in juvie after trying to break up a fight goes very wrong. Before he gets out, his mother has been murdered. 

Over the next decade, the story checks back in with Jules and Quinn on a single day each year, May 1st, as secrets slowly unravel and two mysteries inch toward the truth. 

What I loved most about this one? The killer isn’t some genius super-villain. He’s terrifying in a much more realistic way. And Jules and Quinn, total opposites who keep finding their way back to each other, are so genuinely likable that you just want things to work out for them. Finlay gives you enough time with these two that you watch them actually grow up and get shaped by their grief. Jules turns her pain into something good. Quinn channels his losses into a stubborn drive to help others. Broken, but tenacious.

The dual POVs kept things moving, and I flew through this one. Narrators Ari Fliakos and Brittany Pressley are both excellent. The narration absolutely holds up across the years-long timeline.

If you love a twisty thriller that actually has characters worth caring about, pre-order now so it’s waiting for you on May 12.

⚠️ Trigger warnings apply — worth checking before you start. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you liked this, you might also enjoy my review of The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives. 

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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.