I always eagerly anticipate the next Alex Finlay mystery/thriller. This one follows a group of parents and college students as they participate in parents’ weekend at Santa Clara University near San Francisco. A group of college students go missing after the death of another student purportedly from drowning in a local cave system during high tide.

The chapters are short and fast paced, a format that I appreciate in this genre. They are also labeled with the family name for each perspective. I really appreciated that touch since there were many characters. Aside from the college students and their parents, there were also a bevy of campus and local police and FBI characters working on the case. If you’ve read previous Finlay novels, you may recognize Sarah Keller from previous investigations, but other than a brief mention you needn’t worry about that if you haven’t read them.

I initially started the audiobook which was narrated by Brittany Pressley. There were a lot of characters to keep track of in this story. Due to this aspect, I found the ebook worked better for me and switched to reading the novel. I found the mystery to be intriguing. All the families had secrets that might have an impact on what happened to the group of students. While I may have surmised part of the mystery, I did not see one of the resolutions coming and while I was not surprised, I found the ending lacking. It felt a little abrupt. I would have enjoyed more follow-up on the situation. Still, a solid thriller from this author, not my favorite but not my least favorite either.

Recommended to fast paced thriller lovers who might enjoy a bit of collegiate nostalgia.

Five college students go missing on Parents Weekend. An investigation ensues.

I found this book to have too many characters to keep straight. Each of the students have parents with issues that seem almost stereotypical of these types of thrillers. The book takes almost 20% of its time explaining each family one-by-one. Then the conclusion felt rushed. It also left a few of my questions unanswered.

Overall, Parents Weekend is not what I expected from one of my favorite authors. Not really bad, but not good either. 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced review copy.

I have a lot of Alex Finlay on my TBR, so this is actually the first book that I've actually sat down and read.

I liked Agent Keller and I suppose the parents too. I'm not a parent so it's hard to relate, but they care about their kids and that's what matters. I was intrigued by the story with what happened with the kids and it was a page turner for sure. I'm looking forward to knocking the other books off my TBR list now.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books & NetGalley!

I felt like this was an absolutely brilliant book! I've been a fan of Finlay's work for years. He knows how to write a mystery with heart, that actually does make me laugh sometimes and feel invested in the relationships of the characters. Typically I don't really care about that in this genre.

His inclusion of Keller again first made me roll my eyes. I'll admit I can be somewhat biased against law enforcement main characters, but she's a real one and I like her and I get her now. I love how he includes her but not as a series. I often lose interest in that. She's never the only main character.

I initially was worried because there are a lot of characters in this book and sometimes I just don't care enough to learn them all and that can make it confusing but everyone here is interesting and stuck in my memory. I love that for me!

I’ve been hooked on Alex Finlay’s books since his debut, Every Last Fear, released in 2021.

I was beyond excited to pick this one up—and while I definitely did enjoy the story, I also felt a bit lost at times.

I should note that I read this one via audiobook, and while the narrator did a great job—and I truly enjoy her voice—there were so many narrators and characters that having only one voice for everyone made it difficult to decipher between (for me). I wish this audiobook had been narrated by a full cast—I think it would have enhanced the experience and truly brought the story to life in a way that a single narrator struggled to.

Part of what I loved about this story was the various perspectives, though. We get to see what the parents are up to, what the kids are up to, what the FBI agents are doing, and more.

When five college students to all go missing at the same time during parents weekend, people become suspicious—especially since one student has already died that weekend. Add in some high-profile parents, some previous kidnapping, and you have a complicated case filled with multiple culprits! So who did it? Who kidnapped the five kids? And why?

I can practically guarantee that you won’t guess the outcome!

I think my favorite character was FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller. I love how she thinks, how she moves through a case, and it was great revisiting her character, since she was also in Every Last Fear and The Night Shift!

If you’re looking for a quick whodunnit mystery where you likely won’t be able to guess the ending and might just be suspicious of everyone...then you’ve found the perfect read!

Ughhhhh. I loved the idea of this book. I felt like it was a great idea... but it just wasn't put together well. There were too many POVs. I found my self getting confused about who was who. This is very short but man it felt so long. I found myself losing interest so fast. I pushed through and it is really meh.

I won't be reviewing as I really didn't like it.

When Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella suddenly go missing during Parents Weekend, the whole campus goes into a panic—especially since just two weeks earlier, another student was found dead. The five missing students were part of a Capstone group, and a few of them came from high-profile families, which only adds to the pressure.

Their disappearance sets off a media storm and brings in the FBI, led by Agent Sarah Keller. As the search unfolds, secrets from both the students and their families start to surface, blurring the line between victim and suspect.

The story moves fast, with short chapters and multiple points of view that keep you flipping pages. I especially liked the backstories on each family—it added a nice “whodunnit” layer that made it fun to guess along the way.

Toward the end, I had that “aha!” moment when I figured out who was behind everything. Still, I was happy with how it wrapped up—and there was one final twist I definitely didn’t see coming!

All in all, another solid thriller from Alex Finlay. Big thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur, and the author for the ARC—I really enjoyed the read.

The premise is great, but the execution was only okay. It was definitely a 4 star read until the end, but the end felt way too rushed. I enjoyed most of the characters, even if most were not very likeable, but there were so many that it was easy to mix them up at first.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

The concept of Parents Weekend is fascinating to me as it did not exist when I was in college. (Could be the school I went to though.) So I was all in for this premise, five families plan a night of behaving badly at their kids’ college doing Parents Weekend, basically acting like college students again. And then, said kids do not show up for the dinner they have planned that first night and off we go.

True to form, this was a fast paced and quick read that was very entertaining. I love Finlay’s books, with each one I know I am in for a good time and this was exactly that. I loved the drama with each of the families, and listening via audio was great but with all of the families and the multiple POVs I was glad I had the ebook to follow along. I think this will be a great vacation read and definitely recommend it for your summer TBR.

I don’t know what it is about Alex Finlays books but it is easy to get sucked into his story telling and finish his books so fast.

I really liked this story and I was really invested into the storyline and the well-being of all the characters in the storyline.

It did sometimes feel a little confusing as we were folksinger four different families and the cop and her family so if you don’t like many POVs this is not for you.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 308
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

🎧📖Parents Weekend started of full of suspense and mystery. As it progressed and introduced all the families and college students involved, it slowed down some. I was still fully interested. Anxiously waiting to see how things wrapped up. I was a bit disappointed in the twists and ending.

All in all it was a good and enjoyable read/listen.

I was lucky enough to get both an ARC and ALC. Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St Martins Press.

The narrator did a good job bringing the authors story to life.

Night Shift might be my favorite of Alex Finlay’s books, so I was so excited to see Agent Sarah Keller return in Parents Weekend!
I loved the multi POV, despite there being so many. It was a bit hard to keep track of at first but as the book progressed all the characters were clearly defined and it wasn’t an issue.
The throwbacks and Easter eggs to previous books were a lot of fun. There was an interesting blend of characters I enjoyed reading about and each one brought a different perspective that could have taken the book in any direction, making the twist difficult to figure out.
I could be wrong, but I feel as if the end perhaps set the stage for more books with Agent Keller to come, and I hope I’m right! Alex Finlay is one of my thriller favs and I’ll pick up one of his books every time!

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books for sending me an eARC via NetGalley.

Alex Finlay is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His books tend to keep me guessing all the way.

Five students at an esteemed college go missing. Right after another students body is found. Natasha Belov's body was found in a cave. Everyone assumed she was caught in the cave and drowned when the tide came in. But could it have been murder and could the five students who have gone missing be responsible. And where are these students now.

At the Parents Weekend all of the parents are waiting for their child. Each tells their pov about their lives and their child. Some are not as close as they appear. Many secrets are revealed. Could one of these parents been responsible for the girls death or the other five's disappearance? Maybe these students are pulling a prank. Some of them are known to do that.

There is a lot going on in this book. A lot of povs and each chapter told by a different one. The FBI agent has her pov also. So that is another character.

While I liked most of the characters I have to admit there were some I wanted to smack. Even a couple of the students needed a good smack but overall they seemed to be good kids. What they go through is a rough thing for anyone.

I never figured out who was the killer. I had lots of guesses but was wrong.

This book hits a tiny bit on sexual abuse by an adult. Nothing in detail though. It also hits on the loss of a child to cancer and another one who attempts suicide. There is also a suicide after an affair. Just so you know.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Loved the multiple POV in this book. It really kept things moving (I could NOT put it down) while dropping in little clues. This is one of those books where you know everyone is guilty of something, but which one is guilty of THE THING is harder to figure out. I'm on the fence about the ending - in some ways it was completely believable, but in others it felt a little over-the-top. Overall, a great thriller!

Alex Finlay is a favorite author of mine, so I was very excited to get an e-arc of this through NetGalley and Minotaur Books!

Parents Weekend was an easy book to binge. I loved the short chapters, the twists and turns, and the nail-biting ending. The story does have a rather extensive cast of characters, so I was a bit overwhelmed at first, but eventually settled into the story. I enjoyed Agent Keller's chapters the most, but found the actual mystery to be a little lacking in terms of complexity compared to others that I've read. Although this features a recurring character, it can be read as a standalone and doesn't give away any pertinent info about previous books that featured this character.

Overall, this was a very solid mystery/thriller! I'm excited to continue reading from Finlay in the future.

A refreshing academic thriller.

Thanks St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Synopsis-

It’s the parents weekend dinner party at Santa Clara University. 5 families are awaiting to celebrate their kids’ the end of first year college. But the 5 students - Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella never show up for the dinner. What could be preventing them and what are the circumstances behind them going missing? Amidst college gossip, local social media trolling and sleuthing, FBI special agent Sarah Keller has a challenging case at her hand yet again.

Review-

The listening experience with the audiobook was fabulous thanks to Brittany Pressley She is excellent at modulating her voice and adapting them to so many different characters, she is a one woman multi cast narrator army! My enjoyment of the book is definitely attributed to her narration.
Initially, the introduction of 5 different families/characters of varied backgrounds was slightly hard to register and keep track of. But as the plot unfolds, it became fairly easy to follow the ongoings with each of them.

Oh the drama and secrets! Every set of parents have something going on either in the present or past that could have a direct bearing on their kids’ disappearance. With each thread unravelling separately, the suspense builds and I particularly appreciated Keller’s POV and her course of investigation with this bizarre case.

Finlay delves into quite a few important and relevant topics pertaining to college life - the havoc of tech and social media, harassment/ public humiliation/teasing, substance abuse and most of all the effects of dysfunctional families on vulnerable, insecure teenagers’ psyche.
Few of the reveals were predictable and though the climax was not a “wow” inducer, I did find this thriller fast paced, addictive and quite the wild ride overall.

Parents Weekend is the latest thriller from Alex Finlay, and it does not disappoint. Five college students disappear, their phones pinging in a remote park without a trace of the freshman. Told from multiple POV, and starting with a flashforward and then working to the prologue, the story hooked me from the first page. As the layers of secrets, lies, and betrayal fell away, I was left with a good mystery at the core. I will say, the twist was rather predictable, but still it was a good book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

When five college freshmen mysteriously vanish during Parents Weekend at an elite California campus, what begins as a missed dinner quickly spirals into a full-blown investigation. As panic spreads and secrets unravel, FBI Agent Sarah Keller is called in to untangle the truth behind the disappearances.

Before picking this one up, I read Every Last Fear and The Night Shift—both featuring Agent Keller - and gave them 5 stars each. They were so good! While all three of these books are technically stand-alones, I really liked getting to know Keller through her earlier cases first.

This one was a solid four stars for me. So many characters were introduced right away that it was tough to keep track of who was who. With such a big cast, it was also hard to connect with anyone - their individual storylines just didn't have enough depth. Once I got further in and the investigation picked up, I was way more into it!

Most of the story is told from the parents' POV, with a few chapters from the students - but Agent Keller's chapters were easily my favorite. Her chapters contained the most investigative elements and that's where this one really shined.

Overall, while it's not the most heart-pounding thriller, it was still a well-layered mystery that kept me guessing how all the pieces would come together.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a very taught thriller that did keep me guessing and on the edge of my seat each chapter. Having read Ever Last Fear and The Night Shift, I was happy to see Agent Sarah Keller make a return. While Finlay's writing was as good as ever, I found the plot a little hard to follow, with so many characters, plot lines, and perspectives to follow. I was also a little disappointed with the conclusion of the story, but I still had a great time reading it and would recommend.

lex Finlay is back with another fast-paced thriller - this time set in the academic world, which I love, and featuring the return of FBI Agent Sarah Keller, which I also loved.

I struggled to keep track of the characters in the beginning - because there are a lot - but once I was able to sort out the who’s who the story became the bingeable read that I’ve come to expect from Finlay.

Even though I successfully predicted the who/why early on, I was fully engaged from start to finish and enjoyed watching the plot unfold.