Parents Weekend - by Alex Finlay

About the Book

"In the glow of their children's exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids - five residents of Campisi Hall - never show up at dinner. At first, everyone thinks that they're just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise. Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella - The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them - come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within? Told through multiple points of view in past and present - and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift - Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days we all remember in the dorms when our friends become our family"--

Book Synopsis

AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From the bestselling author of If Something Happens to Me, comes one of the year's most anticipated thrillers.

In the glow of their children's exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families gather over dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids--five residents of Campisi Hall--never show up to dinner.

At first, everyone thinks they're just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours tick by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella--The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths soon call them--come from very different families. What drew them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril--or a threat to the friend group from within?

Told from each family's point of view--and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift--Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days in the dorms when friends become family.

Review Quotes

A Barnes & Noble's "Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers"
A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Selection for May 2025 -- Best Books Voted by Librarians
A Goodreads' Readers' "Most Popular Books Published in May 2025"
A BookBub "Must-Read Mysteries and Thrillers of 2025"
A Criminal Element "Unmissable Mysteries" of Spring
A Novel Suspects Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers of Spring
A Goodreads' "Most Anticipated Spring Mysteries & Thrillers"

"From one of the genre's best . . . Finlay has a gift for intertwining many storylines and characters in a cohesive, compelling way. The tropes used here don't feel stale, and plenty of surprises and red herrings will keep readers interested. Fans won't want to miss Finlay's latest."--Booklist

"Finlay writes . . . with red herrings galore, and he caps the proceedings with a particularly shocking conclusion."--Publishers Weekly

"[Finlay] crafts a genuine page-turner with a cast of flawed and realistic human characters. Plan a weekend to devour this terrific thriller."--First Clue

"Smart, fast-paced and intense, Parents Weekend depicts every parent's worst nightmare. Alex Finlay is a master at creating complex, high-stakes thrillers that are charged with emotion. Readers will love this one."--Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing and She's Not Sorry

"Let's call it: there is nothing as addictive as an Alex Finlay novel. Prepare to sit transfixed as the action in Parents Weekend explodes from page one, introducing readers to five missing students and their families, each unhappy in their own way, with plenty to hide. In classic Finlay fashion, the novel combines astute character studies with shocking twists, turning the growing pains between parents and their college-aged kids into mesmerizing fodder for high-tension thrills. Finlay is at the very top of his game--I loved it and readers will too."--Ashley Winstead, bestselling author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour

About the Author

ALEX FINLAY is the bestselling author of several critically acclaimed novels, including the 2024 national bestseller, If Something Happens to Me. His work regularly appears on best-of-the-year lists and has been translated into twenty-five languages and sold around the world. Nearly all of Alex's books have been optioned or are in development for film and television. His May 2025 release, Parents Weekend, has already been scooped up by Hollywood for adaption to the screen. Alex lives in Washington, D.C. and Virginia.