Review of "The Anniversary: A Thriller" by Alex Finlay

 

In some ways, this novel reminds me of the 1978 romantic comedy 'Same Time Next Year', in which a man and woman meet every year on the same date, and we observe changes in them and their relationship as the years go by.

'The Anniversary' isn't a comedy. In this story, we catch up with Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley every year on May 1st, to see how tragic occurrences when they're teenagers affect their lives going forward.

*****

On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley are high school seniors in a Nebraska town. They're friendly in study hall, but belong to different social circles.



Jules is the school beauty; has well-off parents; and dates a football player.







Quinn works at a hamburger stand; lives with his widowed mother Nadine; and helps take care of his mentally challenged brother George.





May 1st is a disquieting date because of what newscasters call the May Day Killer. The perpetrator seems to strike every year on May 1st. So far, five girls from all around Nebraska were abducted on this date. Three of the victims were found dead in roadside ditches, and two actually survived.



May 1st also happens to be Quinn's birthday. Unfortunately, May 1, 1992 is a memorable birthday in a bad way. Quinn gets into a fistfight with a bully, and the ruffian hits his head and is badly injured. Quinn is arrested and sent to juvie, and while Quinn is locked up, his mother Nadine is murdered and his brother George is sent to a care facility.



May 1, 1992 is dreadful for Jules as well. After arguing with her boyfriend Brad at a grunge concert, Jules leaves alone. She's abducted and raped by the May Day Killer, who tells her 'You're one of the lucky ones' and lets her go. But first, the perpetrator takes Jules' driver's license and warns her 'DON'T TELL ANYONE OR ELSE!' Jules keeps quiet but she's fearful, and becomes increasingly depressed, and anxious.



From here, we visit with Quinn and Jules each subsequent year on May 1st. I'll give some examples.

❖❖ May 1, 1993.

Quinn is released from juvie and joins the army. Before leaving for basic training, Quinn visits his brother in the care facility, and spends a night in his old home. There Quinn finds the hammer that killed his mother, which leads to the arrest of mom's boyfriend Randy.



Jules is a high school graduate who's given up her college ambitions. Jules still hangs out with her old high school crowd, is haunted by the rape, drinks too much, and is horrified when she hears the killer struck again. Feeling guilty about not reporting her assault, Jules sends an anonymous letter to the FBI.



❖❖ May 1, 1994

Quinn was injured in Somalia and is out of the army. He's in Italy, bringing a letter to the family of his dead comrade Giuseppe. Quinn meets Giuseppe's sister, and they have a brief romance.



Jules is in Italy working as a fashion model, and she's come to realize the job is lucrative, but not glamorous. Jules lives in a tiny apartment with other models; deals with wolfish men and lecherous photographers; and drinks too much and uses cocaine. Jules meets a British model named Paul, and they have a casual on-off romance.



An FBI agent named Jack Smith phones Jules in Italy, and says they traced the anonymous letter to her. This leads to Jules helping the FBI.



❖❖ May 1, 1995

Quinn testifies at Randy's trial, and Randy is convicted of killing Quinn's mother Nadine. Afterwards, Quinn learns that - shortly before Nadine's murder - she was worried about something at work, and planned to tell the police. Quinn then decides Randy is innocent and sets out to uncover the real perpetrator.



Jules is back in Nebraska, and she and the other survivors of the May Day Murderer, Carrie and Lucy, have periodic meetings with FBI Agent Jack Smith. All the girls are troubled and acting out in some way.



❖❖ From here we go on to May 1, 1996, May 1, 1997 (and so on), all the way to May 1, 2011.

I don't want to give away spoilers, so I'll just say Quinn eventually takes a job with a private investigator agency, and - in addition to doing his regular private detective job - pursues his mother's killer.



Sadly, Quinn experiences further tragedy in her life, and eventually establishes a nonprofit called 'Find Them', that focuses on missing girls and women.



Over the years, Quinn and Jules meet from time to time, and eventually become close friends as they mature.



By the end of the book, all is revealed, and in my view, some parts of the finale are not believable. That said, the story is compelling, and shines a light on the REAL LIFE issue of women going missing.

Recommended to mystery fans.

I had a digital copy of the book as well as the audiobook, narrated by Ari Fliakos and Brittany Pressley, who do a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Alex Finlay, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for copies of the novel.

Rating: 3.5 stars