The Anniversary
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Overview
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.
Praise
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”
“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
“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