Review of Finlay Donovan is Killing It

I don’t usually read comic suspense (think Carl Hiaasen or Janet Evanovich) but for some reason decided to try this comic story of a recently divorced mother who finds herself hired as a contract killer. Check out my review of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.

Jen’s Quick Take on Finlay Donovan is Killing It:

This book is for you if you liked:

• Fast-paced comic mysteries by authors like Carl Hiaasen and Janet Evanovich, or Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
• Fans of cozy mysteries, as this one never gets too graphic or scary.
• Fans of shows like The Flight Attendant (which featured an equally bumbling main character) or Good Girls (which has a similar housewives on the verge feel).
• NOT for readers who need everything to be 100% plausible

If you are looking for full plot summaries since you forgot what happened in this book (or others) check out my Full Series Summary of the Finlay Donovan books by Elle Cosimano.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

To be published on February 2, 2021 by Minotaur Books. Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

What’s Finlay Donovan Is Killing It About?

Finlay Donovan is a stressed-out single-mom of two. 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.

As Finlay is discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts a job offer.

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.

Review of Finlay Donovan is Killing It

Do you like cozy mysteries and slapstick humor, and don’t mind a LOT of suspension of disbelief? If so, I think you’ll find this one highly entertaining.

It would be hard not to relate to Finn. She’s recently divorced and her husband is remarried and treats her like she’s incompetent. She’s not, but she is kind of a mess, juggling two very small children and a writing career.

One day her agent insists on a meeting to discuss Finn’s (long overdue) manuscript. They meet at Panera, where an unhappily married woman overhears their discussion and mistakes Finn for a contract killer. One thing leads to another and the husband in question ends up dead. Uh-oh.

Yes, I usually like my thrillers more believable than this. The plot depends on a LOT of coincidences and head-scratching events. But I liked Finn a lot and enjoyed watching her try to work her way out of her (admittedly improbable) predicament.

What Else Has Elle Cosimano Written?

In addition to some YA books, Cosimano has written other books in the Finlay Donovan series: book two is  Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead (2022), book three is Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (2023),and book four is Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (2024).

If you want to read further in the series, don’t forget to grab my printable character guide (or have it handy on your phone as you read!)