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 one question: Why was I spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to fresh 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.
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 one question: Why was I spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to fresh 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.
Title: The Anniversary
Author: Alex Finlay
Publisher:
Expected Publication Date:
Review:
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a kindle and audio copy of this title to read/listen to and give my honest review The opinions expressed here are my own.
I've been seeing Alex Finlay's name around a lot. I love a good mystery and the blurb on this one really caught my eye. I jumped in hoping I would enjoy the writing and the story and I was pleasantly surprised. I had the option to read and listen along to this one and it was a great immersion.
I absolutely adore Brittany Presley's narration in any book she's done. I've read romance, fantasy, and now mystery by her and she does a fabulous job with her tone and pacing. Plus she is great at doing all the different characters. I loved how she voiced the FMC in this book. She really drew me into the character and made me feel the emotions. This was the first book I've listened to with Ari Fliakos and it won't be the last. He really did a fabulous job brining the MMC to life. I easily understood the character and was able to connect with him. This won't be the last book I listen to with him narrating, that is for sure. The dual POV worked so well and together these two really did a great job with the story.
I will admit, I kind of figured out who the villain was early on. I didn't want to be right, but I was. But even though I had my suspicions, Finlay still kept me on my toes. I kept pushing through to see if I was right and to see how he'd get us to the big reveal. The plot and pacing were a perfect mix. It was fast paced and kept me wanting to read and see what happened next.
I loved how Finlay grew the relationship between Jules and Quinn. How they just kept bumping into each other throughout their lives. I honestly wasn't expecting a romance woven into a mystery, but Finlay did it really well. It wasn't disruptive to the plot, it leant to it really well.
Finlay grew his world really well. I was easily able to picture scenes as they were happening. And his layering throughout the plot was fantastic.
I'm so often looking for new mystery authors who are able to immerse me in their worlds and make me feel for the characters. I've found myself a new favorite mystery writer in Finlay and will definitely be moving his books up on my TBR (and reading him in the future).
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 lives in Washington, D.C.
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