Alex Finlay’s PARENTS WEEKEND cuts right to the heart of a very real nightmare that anyone who is a parent regularly experiences --- the possibility that their child might be abducted.

In this story, which is told mostly from the perspective of five sets of parents who are visiting a small private college in Northern California, we are thrust into the middle of Parents Weekend and the realization that something may be up when none of the five students show up for an agreed-upon private dinner with their folks at a local restaurant.

"PARENTS WEEKEND is a solid thriller that utilizes the popular multiple-narrator technique to keep readers off guard from start to finish."

Joining them will be FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, who recently relocated to the West Coast temporarily with her family to care for her sick father-in-law, who is dying. Readers of Finlay’s work will recognize Keller, who previously appeared in EVERY LAST FEAR and THE NIGHT SHIFT. She may be new to the area, but she is quite sharp.

Known as The Five, Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix and Stella have a podcast where they show off their sleuthing skills and their love of all things true crime. They had gotten involved in the case of a missing student from their campus, and it is quite possible that their disappearance has something to do with how close they may have gotten to the truth. The police and Keller are well aware that they could have marked themselves as targets of whoever is behind Natasha’s abduction. Upon learning that she was found dead, they want the truth and are blind to the danger that might befall them.

They also might have been targeted because of who their parents are --- among them, an infamous judge who ruled on a controversial high-profile case; a politician with a myriad of bodyguards; and a coach who is serving time as a convicted pedophile for crossing the line with his female students. There are plenty of red herrings and other characters added to the mix. All of this will keep readers guessing as to who is responsible for Natasha’s murder and the disappearance of The Five.

One of the most clever tactics that Keller devises is utilizing the cameras on a fleet of FedEx trucks that might have spotted the van used by Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix and Stella. She sees someone who appears to be wearing a Smurf mask driving it not long after a prior video that showed two of the students in the vehicle’s front seat. Keller eventually figures everything out, but the question will be whether or not it will be in time to save The Five.

PARENTS WEEKEND is a solid thriller that utilizes the popular multiple-narrator technique to keep readers off guard from start to finish.