Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano – Book Review

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what a cozy mystery genre is until I read Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. I wasn’t fully hooked upon reading the synopsis but hearing about this book repeatedly in Bookstagram, I knew that I had to read it. I say that a lot because I’m easily convinced when someone raves about a book, and frankly I am usually left disappointed. But trust me when I say that this one is worth it. A comedic, gentle suspense, murder mystery –  this is the perfect book to read this fall season.

SUMMARY

Finlay Donovan is a struggling novelist, a single mom of two who is in the middle of a custody battle with her ex-husband. One day she is meeting with her literary agent at a local Panera Bread to talk about the plot of her crime novel, when a woman overhears her conversation and mistaken her for a contract assassin. The woman slips her a note and offers her a huge amount of money to assassinate her despicable husband. Finlay has no intentions of going through this scheme but inadvertently accepts the job. With the help of her kids’ babysitter, Vero, they become partners in crime and become entangled into this chaotic situation together.

MY THOUGHTS

Finlay Donovan is most definitely not killing it! This was such a hilarious, wild ride and I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading this.

First, let’s talk about the characters. I just love reading books with characters who are in the literary world. Finlay is a hot mess but in the most humorous and adorable way. She is all over the place and undeniably doesn’t have it all together, but somehow everything jives well to create this perfectly endearing heroine.

“Sometimes, she’d said, you can’t see the whole story until it’s laid out on the page, and the only way to figure out what happens next is to write your way through it, one scene after the next, until it’s done.”

Aside from the main heroine, the supporting characters are very likeable and each one brings such an interesting personality to the story. Vero, the babysitter turned partner in crime, is probably my favourite. Vero is fun, witty, and is that supportive friend that you need in life who will push you to do things out of your comfort zone and will never leave you in the darkest of situations.

Delia, who is Finlay’s four year old daughter, takes after her comedic nature. She is quite adorable and brutally honest at times with her comments and observations. Georgia, a cop who is also Finlay’s older sister. She is the kind of sister that everyone needs, always there looking out for Finlay and her kids, but also never afraid to tell her the truth when she needs to hear it.

romances

A murder mystery that also has romantic storylines? Notice the plurality in storylines. Finlay may be a mess and even with a divorce in-progress, she still manages to be charmed by two alluring gentlemen. Julian, who is a criminal law student and a bartender that she met while she was in disguise. And Nick, who is not only Georgia’s colleague but is the main detective in the case that Finlay is entangled in. Yup, what a total mess Finlay is in!

conclusion

Overall, this is a book that I would totally recommend. Likeable characters, a love triangle, a comedy of errors, it’s fast-paced and well-written – this book has everything that I love.

Finlay Donovan Book #2 was released earlier this year and it is most certainly another wild ride. Stay tuned for my review on that. 

Book #3 is expected to be released in January 2023. 

my rating