She Treads Softly: The Anniversary

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The Anniversary

The Anniversary Book Cover

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay
5/12/26; 336 pages
St. Martin's Press

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay is a very highly recommended suspenseful mystery/thriller following an elusive serial killer in small towns of Nebraska dubbed the May Day Killer because he strikes his victims on May 1st.

On May 1, 1992, teenagers Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley both end up separately attending the same concert. Following it Jules is assaulted in her car by the May Day Killer. She is one of the lucky ones he allows to live and she reports it to no one until later, through a letter anonymously. The same night Quinn breaks up a fight, resulting in his being arrested and sent to juvenile detention. Jules is traumatized by her attack and begins to drink daily. While Quinn is in juvie, his mother is bludgeoned to death.

What follows is an addictive story spanning over ten years revisiting Jules and Quinn on May 1st. Jules continues to ask "Why was she spared?" even as she suddenly finds success as a model. When released, Quinn first wants to find out who murdered his mother, but he goes on to join the army, is injured, and returns to become a private investigator. The narrative alternates between the story of Jules and Quinn every May 1st catching up with the two. Their paths occasionally intersect over the years.

This excellent, well-written character-driven thriller moves at a fast pace with a compelling plot. It held my complete attention and I stayed up late to finish it since it quickly became un-put-dowable. As the years went by, I was equally interested in the lives of both Jules and Quinn. They both experienced very different trauma and hardships, but also worked to overcome them. This single day of the year held such trauma and dread.

Both of the characters were fully realized, with both strengths and weaknesses. Doing what he thought was the right thing changed Quinn's life as a teen and now he still persists in finding out the truth behind his mother's murder. Jules questions why she survived and eventually turns her traumatic experience into something that could help others. I had suspicions but was totally surprised by the twisty ending.

The Anniversary is an perfect choice for everyone who enjoys character-driven, suspenseful mysteries/thrillers. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

No comments:

Post a Comment

John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.