Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay @alexfinlayauthor @brittpressley @macmillan.audio @macmillanaudio.bsky.social @netgalley #ParentsWeekend

the setup…
It’s Parents Weekend at the University of Santa Clara and four families are planning to be with their kids for dinner and cocktails the first night. Libby, Blane, Felix and Stella are all first year students who are residents of Campisi Hall and hang out together, along with Mark whose parents won’t be in attendance. When they all fail to show for dinner, the parents immediately get worried when they can’t be found and aren’t answering their phones. Campus police react quickly because another missing student was found dead a few days before, ruled an accident. And, one of the five is the son of a high profile Washington DC politician.

the heart of the story…
We learn about the five missing students primarily through the narratives of their parents, all with dissimilar backgrounds and dynamics. While we get some points of view from the students, it’s their families that define them and provide insights as to what might be going on. I enjoy multiple points of view and these parents provide lots of “color.” FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is assigned to help out local law enforcement as she’s temporarily relocated to San Jose from the New York office. Her keen insights, deft touch and astute teaming with the local police chief made this an exceptional procedural.

the narration…
Brittany Pressley is a wonderful storyteller and managed the multiple narrators exceptionally well. Her pacing was perfect.

the bottom line…
I have to admit the family drama was just as compelling as the investigation into the missing five. There’s nothing really twisty here, just a solidly interesting mystery and procedural. Special Agent Keller is a recurring character and I can’t wait to go back and read the other two books (not an issue meeting her here first) as she was my favorite.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 6, 2025
• Narrator: Brittany Pressley
• Audio Length: 7 hours, 24 minutes
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio

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(Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)