I don’t usually read funny mysteries but found the first installment in this comedic mystery series to be charming. What did I think of the sequel? Check out my review of Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead!
Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead by Elle Cosimano.
To be published on February 1, 2022 by Minotaur Books. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.
Review of Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead
It can be hard for a sequel to a popular book to be just as amazing as the first. Sadly, I felt this was the case with Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead.
The first book in the series, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, featured a main character who was truly at the end of her rope.
Finlay’s husband left her for someone else, she struggles to manage two small and unruly children, and she’s a writer whose agent was pressuring her to produce her next manuscript.
When Finlay, in desperation, is pitching a seemingly far-fetched book idea to her agent, a woman sitting nearby mistakes Finlay for a contract killer and wants to hire her. Finlay, who needs money desperately, leans into this new side hustle with hilarious results.
Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead features Finlay in decidedly less dire circumstances. She’s published her book and has a reliable nanny. Her agent is no longer ready to drop her, her cheating husband has been somewhat neutralized, and there are not one but TWO hot guys interested in her. Where to go from there? Well, that’s sort of the problem. The level of conflict and peril in this book feels significantly reduced. Finlay is kind of living her best life!
The cliffhanger in book one is that (MILD SPOILER) someone has now put out a hit on her ex-husband, Steven.
But why should she care? Why should she spend so much of Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead trying to protect her shady ex? When does she have time to write books? Why should both the love interests from book one be almost completely sidelined in this second installment? Why has the wig-scarf also been sidelined? What would Sylvia think of this book? These are the mysteries I’m puzzled about.
I like Vero, Finley’s nanny, but this book was mostly Vero and Finlay running around trying to crack a mystery that felt like a continuation of book one.
I’m all for series mysteries but I think they should be pretty much self-contained. If you haven’t read the first book, I think you’ll be fairly confused. And if you forgot what happens, you need my Full Series Summary of the Finlay Donovan books by Elle Cosimano.
In her afterward, author Elle Cosimano discusses how hard it was to write a comic book in a pandemic, and I completely understand. I am hoping that in book 3, Finlay gets her mojo back!
What Else Has Elle Cosimano Written?
In addition to some YA books, Cosimano has written other books in the Finlay Donovan series: book one is Finlay Donovan is Killing It (2021), book three is Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (2023), and book four is Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (2024).
If you need a refresher, don’t forget to check out my Full Series Summary of the Finlay Donovan books by Elle Cosimano.
I thought this sounded fun but I didn’t realise it was so strongly a continuation of the story from the first book (which I haven’t read yet). You’re right that series mysteries need to be far more self contained for the main plot, especially when it’s only the second book in the series. I’ll still be checking this series out, but here’s hoping the third book will come back strong again.
The first book has a cliffhanger that segues right into this book, and that plot is continued (and concluded) here. I feel like in a mystery series, you should ideally be able to read each book without having read the others. But I don’t feel like that is the case here.
“should she spend so much of Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead trying to protect her shady ex? When does she have time to write books? Why does her agent always think her half-baked ideas are genius?”
LOL, this sounds more like an alt-reality book than a mystery one!
Haha I mean I get that it’s supposed to be kind of fun and frothy, and not realistic. But I still think it needed higher stakes.
That does sound like a good book. Good to know to read from the 1st book.
Hope you try it, Mary!