I’d been hearing a lot of buzz around Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano, so I couldn’t wait to check it out for myself!
This book follows Finlay Donovan, a struggling writer and mother of two who’s dreading an impending custody battle with her cheating ex-husband. While discussing her latest book project with her agent at a Panera, a woman sitting nearby mistakes Finlay for a contract killer. That’s when things really take a turn for Finlay and her nanny/friend, Vero.
*I received this book for free from the publisher (Minotaur Books) in exchange for an honest review.
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Finlay Donovan is Killing It: My Thoughts
This is a murder mystery with a killer premise (see what I did there? 😏). Sure, it’s a little far-fetched, but also a hell of a lot of fun! I was looking for something darkly funny and utterly absorbing, and this fit the bill. Perfect for fans of the show Dead to Me!
It’s funny, with hilarious quips about motherhood and adulthood. I loved the characters – especially Finlay & Vero’s friendship. They kept getting themselves into more and more ridiculous (and dangerous) situations, and I had to know how they’d get themselves out. And I loved to hate Findlay’s ex-husband. 😆 Honestly, what a turd.
There was just one thing that threw me off a bit. Earlier in the book, we weren’t shown many moments where Finlay is really enjoying being in the company of her children. I understand that a lot of times, parenting probably feels like running around cleaning up messes. Obviously Finlay wants to keep custody of her children, but I felt like we didn’t see many ‘loving’ moments with her and her kids at first, or the rewarding side of parenting – but we do see some of that later in the book. (Please take this thought with a grain of salt though, as I’m not a parent myself!).
Overall, this was a highly entertaining, laugh-out-loud, action-packed mystery with fully-formed characters and hints of romance. Highly recommended!
Rating: 4.5 (out of 5) stars
Release date: February 2nd, 2021
Looking for more great book recommendations? Check out my list of entertaining cozy mystery books!
