MinotaurÂ
Published May 6, 2025
Reviewed by Sharon Mensing
This was entertaining, if fairly pedestrian. Parents Weekend involves six sets of parents who arrive in Northern California for a dinner with their collegiate children, none of whom show up for the dinner. One of the girls has been discovered dead, but the others seem to have simply disappeared. Two of the parents are high-profile government officials, so the police are on the case immediately. The book’s focus moves from the investigator’s perspective to that of each of the students, to that of each of the parents. This provides the reader with nearly 20 characters to follow. Admirably, Finlay imbues each with unique enough characteristics so that keeping track of them is not a challenge. Nonetheless, with so many characters and none playing a particularly central role, the characterization has little depth. Each of the characters serves mainly as a plot device for this plot-driven thriller.
The story line is complex, relying mainly on the students’ shenanigans with a good deal of adult poor behavior included. It may be a statement about today’s world that it does not take any suspension of disbelief the find the plot twists realistic. The chapters are short as each character has his or her time explaining what is going on, or what happened in the past to contribute to the kids’ disappearance. This helps move the plot along. Because the reader knows the characters only on a surface level, however, it is hard to care much about any of them. After the plot reaches its resolution, the author provides a long epilogue-ish set of chapters telling us what happened to each student and family. For some readers this will provide the closure they long for at the end of the book, while for others it will be tedious.
The writing is straightforward and easy to read, making this a quick read. Most readers will have no trouble using the bare bones descriptions of setting to conjure an oceanside university to mind, so the lack of evocative language won’t be a disappointment. With workmanlike writing, surface level characterization, and a somewhat predictable storyline, this plot-based thriller will appeal to those who enjoy escaping into the world of poor behavior of the rich and the consequences that behavior engenders.