The Anniversary

A pair of high school classmates are bonded by their brush with a serial killer in this intriguing if predictable standalone from Finlay (Parents Weekend). On May 1, 1992, popular teenager Jules Delaney leaves a concert and is assaulted in her car by a man who she assumes is the May Day Killer, an elusive rapist and murderer who’s been striking annually across the Midwest since the late ’80s. On the same day, Jules’s classmate, Quinn Riley, whom she’s attracted to despite his lower social status, manages to scrape up enough money to attend the same concert for his birthday. Afterward, Quinn intervenes in a fight and almost kills the aggressor, landing him in prison. While Quinn is serving his sentence, his mom is bludgeoned to death at home. A year later, Quinn is released, and he dedicates himself to finding his mother’s killer—an effort that puts him in contact with Jules, who’s still distraught over her attack. Each of the novel’s sections take place on consecutive May Days, with dark secrets slowly dripping out as the bond between the leads develops. Though Finlay’s concept is strong, Jules and Quinn feel more like ciphers than fully developed characters, and the plot offers few surprises. This fails to stand out from the pack. (May)