Alex Finlay with Hank Phillippi Ryan
Schedule
Mon May 11 2026 at 06:30 pm to 07:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
An Unlikely Story | Plainville, MA
About this Event
Join us in welcoming Alex Finlay, bestselling author of Parents Weekend, to discuss his newest thriller! In The Anniversary, two people are forever connected by the events of a single day. Twisty, high-concept, and emotionally charged, this novel is an utterly compelling story of the hunt for a serial killer. But it’s also a heartfelt novel about fate, innocence lost, and two souls who find that sometimes being broken is the only way for the light to get in.
Alex will be in conversation with Hank Phillippi Ryan. Tickets will be bundled with a copy of The Anniversary which Alex will sign at the event. Tickets are required to attend. We hope to see you there!
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please reach out to [email protected].
Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at An Unlikely Story up to 30 days following the event.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
From the bestselling author of Parents Weekend, comes one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year.
Today became an anniversary they would never celebrate.
One fateful night in 1992, Jules and Quinn’s lives 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 predator who strikes every May 1st in small Midwestern towns.
A year later, Jules is struggling with trauma and guilt, tormented by the question: Why was I spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to fresh heartbreak: the unsolved M**der 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 converge, 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 anniversary.
Twisty, high-concept, and emotionally charged, this novel 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. The Anniversary reaffirms Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.
ABOUT THE 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 is the director of the thriller/mystery section of the Leopardi Writing Conference in Italy, and a board member of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. He lives in Washington, D.C.
USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan has won five Agatha Awards, five Anthony Awards, the Daphne, the Macavity, and the Mary Higgins Clark Awards. As on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, she's won thirty-seven Emmy Awards and many more journalism honors. A past president of national Sisters in Crime, a founder of Mystery Writers of America University, and a board member of International Thriller Writers, Ryan lives in Boston.
Where is it happening?
An Unlikely Story, 111 South Street, Plainville, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 33.34



















