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Parents Weekend releases May 6, 2025

Five students seemingly vanish into thin air during their freshman year at Santa Clara University. The bizarre timing of their disappearance happens during Parents Weekend shortly before they are supposed to meet for a group dinner. Their parents are left feeling “ghosted” and continue the dinner in their absence. With the no call, no show happening the same day another student is found to have tragically drowned, some parents are left feeling uneasy while others are enjoying shots.

The author does two of my favorite things in this thriller - short chapters and multiple POVs. This book is fast paced and each chapter left me wanting more causing me to abandon all responsibilities. Apologies to my husband who directly suffered from this! (Me, writing this after midnight because I couldn’t sleep until I finished)

The first 5 chapters introduce new characters in each one. Initially, I found myself saying “wait, who is this?” and flipping back to check. But I caught on quick! Mr. Finlay does a superb job at creating some really lovable characters which I don’t always find in thrillers. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of messy characters for your entertainment!

The description does indicate a recurring character. Regrettably, this is my first book by this author. Since I haven’t read the others I cannot guarantee that there isn’t a spoiler. However, I feel pretty confident that this absolutely can be read as a standalone and nothing will be spoiled if this is your first too! It seems to me that the recurring character is a thread that the author has woven into his books, which I love. Hands down, Alex Finlay has me hooked and I’ll be binging his other books.

Side note, unrelated to the book itself. I checked out the author’s social media. He is constantly supporting and shouting out other authors. It’s one thing to love a book but to see the author is a genuinely good person is a pleasant added bonus.

Thank you to Alex Finlay, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"𝐇𝐞'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬."

Seeing an upcoming release from Alex Finlay available to request always makes my day better, but I was completely shocked and surprised to see a familiar character from EVERY LAST FEAR and THE NIGHT SHIFT! That's right, Agent Sarah Keller is back! She’s taken a temporary assignment in California so her husband can help care for his ailing father.

Sending a child off to college is often bittersweet, but for five families attending parents' weekend at a small, exclusive private college in northern California, it will become the stuff of nightmares. Five very different families arrive on campus to spend time with their child, who each reside in Campisi Hall and were brought together over a Capstone project. But when none of the kids show up for a planned dinner, the parents are annoyed but chalk the absence up to typical irresponsible college student behavior. But when hours pass and calls and texts go unanswered, the parents call in reinforcements.

It took me a minute to keep the families straight, but each one is hiding a secret, from the high powered woman who travels with an entourage because of her job to the Superior Court judge with a troubled past. There are SO many moving parts, and my attention was all over the place. I had no idea why the kids were missing, and I had no idea who was behind it and what their motive was. I appreciated the fact that this was a thrilled grounded in reality as I'm growing weary of thrillers touting their "shocking, unbelievable twists." This one made complete sense, and that's exactly what I needed!

Told in alternating points of view with varying timelines, PARENTS' WEEKEND will grip you from the opening pages, and if you're a parent, it will be a stark reminder that no matter how close you think your relationship is, you will never really know your child as well as you think. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for this early copy. At the time this review was written, this book was expected to publish May 6, 2025.

2.5 stars This book was an ARC from NetGalley. This book was very similar to Every Last Fear in layout and pacing. It even features Agent Keller. The further development of her character and relationship with Bob where the best part of the story. There was a large cast of characters both on the parent and student side of the story. This did a disservice to character development. Additionally, it was difficult to keep track of the carousel of characters in the first third of the book. Due to the short chapters, the story moved along at a fever pace. Overall, I found I just wasn't invested in the story or the outcome. It was fairly predictable, and felt a little lazy in delivery. The plot felt very YA. As an Alex Finlay fan, I would have to this is my least favorite of his catalog. #netgalley #parentsweekend #collegewhodunit #mystery #thriller

I really liked this book! It was a unique setting ;college campus during Parents Weekend) and I loved the alternating chapters to get the different characters perspectives! I love the FBI agent Sarah Keller and was fascinated by the process of her trying to find the missing college kids. This book wasn’t quite as “twisty” as some other thrillers but I still really enjoyed it nonetheless. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC! It completely made my day when I received the approval notification! I hope Alex Finlay continues to write for many, many years!

This is a great cautionary tale about so many things: the gossip mill, psychedelic drugs, social media, and obsession. Five students at Santa Clara College go missing before Parents Weekend and FBI agent Sarah Keller is called in to investigate. One of the students--Natasha--is discovered dead in a cave on the beach and no one can understand why or where the others are. It's a complex and elaborate plot that reveals many things about colleges students and their desire to belong, their jealousies over "crushes," and the extent to which one will go to be popular and "fit in."
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

good mystery and loved the different point of views. Loved that the killer was still a mystery til the end. Loved meeting the different parents over the weekend and how the kidnapping affect their relationships with their kids and after.

I loved this book from beginning to end! I was not surprised because Alex Finlay never disappoints! There’s even crossover characters from another book of his which was so fun.

When five college students go missing during parents weekend, FBI Agent Keller gets involved to bring them back to their families. While everyone speculates where they have gone, we get glimpses into each families life to see of their potential involvement. Lots of characters in this one, so pay attention. But it was such a good story that i finished it in a day!

This was a book that just draws you right in
.abd first honestly I thought there would be too many characters to keep straight but it is perfectly written that you get to know and understand each and everyone of them. I loved everything about this book.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Mostly a solid beach book, although I got a bit bored after the culprit was identified. A good novel to pick up for a plane trip, or for relaxing on a sandy beach. It has plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. At no point did I want to dnf. But upon finishing it, I felt let down by (1) the too-quick ending of those responsible for the crimes; (2) the lack of a clear explanation of how the crimes were carried out; (3) the improbable final twist; and (4) the absence of in-depth characterization.

The prologue tells us that five friends are in danger from an unknown source—whether one person or more is not clear. Then the story switches to their families, who are coming to visit for a “Parents Weekend” visit at their university. Each of these families has considerable problems—two marriages are disintegrating, two marriages have already ended, and one is a disgraced widower.

The only brightness on the scene, is the return of FBI agent Sarah Keller and her husband, Bob:
“There are two kinds of people in this world: those who arrive at the gate two hours early and constantly check to confirm they haven’t lost their boarding pass—the Sarah Kellers—and those who pride themselves on making it just under the wire—the Bob Kellers.”

The chapters were short vignettes about each of the different families, switching quickly from one to the other without really exploring any person in depth. This allowed the reader to read quickly and form hypotheses about who had abducted their children, and why they were abducted, without providing definitive answers. Plenty of misleading clues.

Sarah is assigned the case by her new California boss. She conducts a systematic investigation that eventually leads in the correct direction, after a convoluted fact-finding process.

After finishing it, I felt that among the twists and turns there were a few holes in the narrative, plot twists that seemed designed to bamboozle readers. (I can’t mention the worst without getting into spoiler territory, but suffice to say that Sarah put it together in her mind after the excitement, but there was no proof that this was what actually occurred.)

Still, for the most part it was an easy read, and kept me turning pages. It was plot-based and I prefer character-based narratives, so readers who prefer twisty plots will likely give it a higher rating than my three stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

Jumping from POV within chapters and having so many different narrators was a choice, and I’m not sure it worked for me. The pacing in this is good (as is most of Finlay’s novels) but the urgency wasn’t there. I didn’t care about these kids and once the mystery was resolved, somehow cared about them even less. The development of the thrill itself was just not well done, likely because it was bogged down by too many characters. This was just ok.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Finlay is a favorite author of mine. His latest work, Parents Weekend, was an awesome book! I loved it!

Super quick, super fun read, but...Am I a jerk for wanting a more twisty ending? I came out of this thinking "Sure, that makes sense." And that just feels a bit anticlimactic to me.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Agent Keller is back on the case. On a temporary move to California to aid her father in law, she is called in to investigate the disappearance of a group of college kids who don’t show for a university dinner.

Meanwhile, their parents do arrive and worry when none of their children are reachable. As Keller investigates, she discovers secrets about the parents: affairs, sex offenders, judge etc Every parent seems to have a secret which would be the cause of why the kids are all missing.

This book is def not as good as the last one but still a very good book!

Alex Finlay has a knack for crafting truly original and gripping plots. This time, he takes us to a university campus in California, as the school is preparing for the annual fall Parent's Weekend. The story kicks off with a heightened sense of unease, as the campus is still reeling from the recent and mysterious accidental death of a student. Campus Security is on edge and and tensions only escalate when, one by one, the parents of five freshmen report their children missing over the course of the weekend.

With the disappearance of these students, the university transforms into the epicenter of a high-stakes investigation. Security quickly calls in the FBI, and what unfolds is a heart-pounding race against time. As the agents and local police work tirelessly to piece together the mystery, they begin to unravel a complex web of secrets and suspicions. Every parent becomes a potential suspect, and every friendship a clue. What could these five students possibly have in common? Could any of the worried parents actually be involved? The layers of the story keep peeling back, revealing ever more chilling possibilities.

At times, the narrative stretches believability, but Alex Finlay’s expert storytelling keeps readers grounded and invested. His skillful pacing and ability to deliver twists at just the right moment ensure the suspense never lets up, even as the investigation spirals deeper into unexpected territory.

Prepare yourself for a breathless and exhilarating journey, as Finlay masterfully assembles the puzzle pieces, bringing everything to a stunning conclusion that finally explains what really happened to these missing students—and why. This novel is a whirlwind of suspense and intrigue, a perfect read for anyone who loves a fast-paced, high-stakes mystery where every detail matters and no one is quite who they seem.
Join the high paced race as pieces fit together finally revealing what happened to the students and why.
#stmartinspress #alexfinlay #parentsweekend

Another solid book by Finlay - loved the setting of a parents weekend at a college campus where a student cohort doesn't show up for a dinner with their parents. A fast-paced thriller that I would highly recommend for a summer vacation read!

Loved this book!!! This is a fast paced book! I sat down and finished this book in one sitting! Wish the ending was a little different. With that, I gave it 4 stars.

"Parents Weekend" by Alex Finlay is a sharp, engaging novel that explores the dynamics of family relationships against the backdrop of a college campus. The story delves into the lives of college students as they navigate the complexities of independence, identity, and the sometimes fraught interactions with their parents.

The narrative centers on a weekend event designed to foster connections between students and their families. Finley masterfully captures the excitement and tension that can arise during such occasions, illustrating how long-held family patterns and expectations can resurface. The characters are vividly drawn, each bringing their own unique struggles and perspectives, which adds depth to the story.

One of the strengths of the book lies in its humor and keen observations. Finlay uses wit to highlight the absurdities of parent-child interactions, making readers laugh while also prompting deeper reflection on familial bonds. The dialogue is sharp and realistic, effectively conveying the awkwardness and affection inherent in these relationships.

Additionally, the setting—a vibrant college atmosphere—serves as a perfect backdrop for the unfolding drama. Finlay paints a picture of campus life that resonates with anyone who has experienced the transition to adulthood. The juxtaposition of the students’ newfound independence with the expectations of their parents creates a tension that drives the plot.

Overall, "Parents Weekend" is a thought-provoking and entertaining read that resonates with themes of love, acceptance, and the challenges of growing up. Finlay’s ability to weave humor with poignant moments makes this novel a worthwhile exploration of the ties that bind families together, even amidst the inevitable conflicts that arise.

I absolutely adore Alex Finlay’s fast-paced, action-packed, and unputdownable writing style! Here are my top highlights of this book:

First off, I’m thrilled to see Every Last Fear’s Agent Sarah Keller back! She’s moved from New York to care for her father-in-law, now living with her loving husband Bob and their adorable twins.

The pacing is fantastic, with short, gripping chapters that make it hard not to keep turning pages. The mystery begins with five young adults disappearing during Parents’ Weekend—a case made even more intriguing when one parent is with the State Department, another a Superior Court judge, and the disappearance follows the recent, tragic death of Natasha Belov.

This family has plenty of secrets, from infidelity to betrayal and tragic losses, which hint at deeper connections to the disappearance.

What didn’t work as well for me: the high predictability of the mystery and the perpetrator, and an ending that left me a bit disappointed. While Agent Keller’s high-stakes race against time, sharp instincts, and her revealing of hidden family secrets were engaging, I wanted a twistier, more layered mystery. This one reminded me of a slower episode of a popular crime series—enjoyable yet predictable, with clues that felt easy to piece together from the start.

I also had some difficulty tracking the large cast of characters, needing to flip back a few times to keep the families straight. Here’s a quick recap of the key families:

The Roosevelts (Divorced parents: mother works in the State Department, father is a teacher and former writer, son Blaine was abducted as a child),
The Maldonados (David, a doctor with marital issues, and Nina, his fuming wife, have a daughter Stella with a rebellious streak),
The Goffmans (Alice, a divorced school administrator, is raising her bullied, introverted son Felix alone),
The Akanas (Ken, a Superior Court judge known for convicting a movie star, and Amy, his grieving wife, mourn the loss of their youngest son while raising their model daughter, Libby),
Mark Wong (Best friend of Blaine, with a troubled family background).
Keeping all these characters straight was a bit challenging, and finding out the resolution felt easier than remembering all the names!

Overall, it’s a lighter mystery for my taste, but I have high hopes for more complex and twisty cases featuring Agent Keller in the future. I’m rounding up my rating to 4 stars for the pacing, thrills, and, of course, the unstoppable Agent Keller! I’m excited to read more of Finlay’s work—hopefully with even more juicy twists!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this page-turner’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Parents Weekend is a thriller by Alex Findlay. The story centers on a group of families connected by their students’ capstone at Santa Clara University. When the parents arrive for parents weekend expecting to meet up at a large group dinner for the capstone, none of their children show. And to add further worry, another student was just found dead. Agent Sarah Keller, having recently transferred from New York is assigned to the case as it seems that there may be foul play involved.

The parents group reads like a modern Gilligans Island. The assistant Secretary of State, th high-profile judge and the plastic surgeon and wife (no professor or Mary Anne here however). Each has troubles that seem to follow them from their own lives making the case even more tricky.

I enjoyed this book. A solid thriller with plenty of twists and turns and well defined characters. Four stars for good action, fast moving and an interesting ending.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.