Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead by Elle Cosimano Book Review

About the Book:

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 hit-women disguised as soccer moms, 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...

My Review:

This second novel featuring Finlay has a totally different plot focus than the first. Rather than being hired to assassinate someone, she is trying to keep her ex-husband from being assassinated. She and her sidekick Vero have the same kinds of adventures, getting into dangerous situations trying to do good. Finlay juggles her relationships with two fellows, similar to another popular humorous series. There is some humor included.

The plot takes a while to get going but then there is consistent action. Finlay had previously grazed a confrontation with the mob and this time she gets in a little deeper. Now she not only has to figure out how to write her next novel and raise her kids, she also has to prevent the mob boss from running her life. We readers are left hanging at the end of this novel so we will she how Finlay fares in the next one.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Elle Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Writers Award winner, and an Edgar Award nominee. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a People magazine pick and was named one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021. The third book in the series, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, was an instant New York Times bestseller. In addition to writing novels for teens and adults, her essays have appeared in HuffPost and Time. Cosimano lives with her husband and two sons in Virginia. Photo credit: Holly Virginia Photography

Minotaur Books, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)