Tag: finlay donovan

Book Review: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave (Finlay Donovan #5) by Elle Cosimano

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Cozy Mystery + Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Elle Cosimano
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave—the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series.

Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet . . . but at least there’s not a body in her backyard.

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

THE SERIES CONTINUES.

I’m grateful I got a chance to listen to this book rather than digitally read because I am simultaneously over this series and need to know how it all ends, you know? I have no idea if the next book is the finale, but one can hope.

I still enjoy Finlay and her humorous ways. And blessed be that she FINALLY let Nick in on a few very important aspects of her life.

There is the same song and story of Finlay’s ex-husband being caught in the investigation cross fire but it did take him out of a lot of this book so I wasn’t too upset.

I ended up liking Mrs. Haggerty and the book club. She took no talk back and her pestering ways grew on me.

It’s another quick read with all of the things you’ve come to expect from this series. I’m just hitting that wall (as I usually do with long cozy mystery series) where the will to continue is waning.

Overall audience notes:

  • Cozy mystery
  • Language: low
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: murder

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ARC Book Review: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (Finlay Donovan #4) by Elle Cosimano

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Mystery
Length: 320 pages
Author: Elle Cosimano
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.

Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco’s already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay’s night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

IT WAS GOOD.

That’s how I generally feel every time I finish a Finlay book. Yes, I had a good time, but it’s also still missing something. Maybe better romantic development? I think I’m still getting hung up on the deliberate lying.

But this was fun. I liked the change of location and the way this was laid out. I loved seeing things all come together for the final showdown. There was a lot of good humor and enjoyment and I did like many of the Finlay moments we got. The complicated situations really went haywire here and I will say I was actually surprised by one big turning point.

An amusing installment, but kind of wondering where it’s going to go from here? What’s the end game? Will the things I’m looking for finally happen? I don’t know, this is where I start to struggle with cozy-type mystery series like this.

Overall audience notes:

  • Mystery
  • Language: low
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gun violence, murder, kidnapping

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Book Review: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Finlay Donovan #1) by Elle Cosimano

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Mystery
Length: 368 pages
Author: Elle Cosimano
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: February 2nd, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano. 

LOVE THE RIDICULOUSNESS.

I very much found this to be worth the bookstagram hype!

What really works for this book is if you can suspend some of your belief in how this entire plot works out. It’s going to seem utterly wild, but to me, that was the best part. I found myself laughing when I was explaining the plot to friends because it’s completely nonsensical. AND I LOVED THAT.

Finlay is a woman to cheer for. Down on her luck and looking for anything to pick her back up she ends up on this wild ride. Enter a babysitter with no filter and some hot guys on the side and I was into this suspenseful murder mystery.

Some of the pages were a bit slow. When the action is moving though it’s hard to put down. I thought this took turns I wasn’t quite expecting and that ENDING rocked me. Really didn’t see it coming and I’m excited to see what the sequel entails.

I would have loved even more larger look into the romantic sub-plot. Things move really quickly (but I think that’s the nature of this type of story?) so I wasn’t overly affected, just could’ve gotten to know the men more. A great, easy to read mystery novel that was different from those I’ve read before.

Overall audience notes:

  • Mystery
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kisses, implied closed door scene
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: a man who exhibits stalking behavior, manipulation, drugs & rapes women, blackmails (none of this is on page, but is discussed), murder, multiple cheating relationships

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ARC Book Review: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano

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Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Mystery + Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Elle Cosimano
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Release Date: February 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead—the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.

“A funny and smart, twisty and surprising series.”—Megan Miranda

Finlay Donovan is—once again—struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she’s dealt with lately is that of her daughter’s pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he’s a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of soccer moms disguised as hit-women, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she’d like.

Meanwhile, Vero’s keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay’s first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes… and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book’s deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn’t a noose at the end of it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

WILD RIDE.

Wow did I eat this up in a day. Even when I get frustrated with the story I can’t help but be charmed by the writing. It’s easy to consume and has a rollercoaster of events to keep things moving.

Finlay and Vero are at it again. Trying to solve the mystery of the hit put out on Steven. I couldn’t believe some of the things they were getting up to and some of the decisions being made. While I can’t fathom making some of them and have to suspend reality a bit (since it gets ridiculous at times) I still like how high stakes it feels. There’s many well timed moments and parts that I just couldn’t put the book down.

I don’t love Vero. Maybe it’s because I don’t fully trust her? I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop about her background and thank heavens all will be revealed [hopefully] in the next book because I NEED ANSWERS. Yes there’s more to come. A fact I didn’t know prior and want to state now.

I am alllllllll team Nick. ALL IN. This love triangle has also kept me intrigued and I like the push and pull from both sides. I want all the romance with him. I appreciate the many layers to this story and how deeper things keep going. It’s a bit twisted, with a good dash of humor and intense moments.

Overall audience notes:

  • Mystery + Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: heated make-outs & light innuendo
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted murder, gun violence, murder, kidnapping, loss of a loved one, extortion

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