I loved book one. I didn’t love book two. What did I think of book three in this comic cozy mystery series? Check out my Review of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano!
Jen’s Quick Take on Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
- A fast-paced comic mystery that feels a little like Janet Evanovich or Carl Hiiasen
- More violence and menace than a cozy but nothing super graphic
- These are NOT standalones; it’s like one continuous story with each book ending in a cliffhanger so
- You really need my Full Series Summary of the Finlay Donovan books by Elle Cosimano
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano
Published on January 31, 2023 by Minotaur Books. Thanks to the publisher for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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 two is Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead (2022), and book four is Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (2024).
Review of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
After my less-than-excited feelings about Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead, book two in this series, I felt like Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun started edging back to what made Finlay entertaining: her relatably messy life, her annoyingly self-centered ex, her sometimes floundering writing career, and her will-they-or-won’t-they romance with attractive police officer Nick.
Plus, the reveal at the end of this book was fun and in perfect sync with the tone of the books.
I am not the hugest fan of cozies or of comic mysteries. I am a new fan of the Thursday Murder Club series, books that I find genuinely funny but also that do a great job of developing the characters over the course of the books. I feel like these books could use a bit more character development.
I REALLY wish the Finlay Donovan books were standalones. I think dragging out the search for Easyclean over three books made for a plot that started to feel stretched way too thin by this book. I was completely over Vero and Feliks and the Russian mob plot line. I did think the police academy subplot was good, with funny moments and a few new characters.
The good news: in this book we finally (!) found out who Easyclean was.
The bad news: there was yet another cliffhanger at the end.
I think it is really preferable to write a mystery series in which each book wrap up the murder plot at the end. I don’t mine dangling subplots about the characters’ personal lives, which means I still want to read future installments to see what happens to these characters I’ve become so fond of.
I will probably read book four in this series but I really don’t love the cliffhangers and the stretched-out plot. I think that standalones with a recurring cast of characters (and I’m fine with the romance plot being stretched out into a slow burn) are the way to go!
If you are in the middle of this series and need a refresher, download my Finlay Donovan series guide, which has character lists and major plot points to help you as you read!
Cliffhangers drive me crazy. I would much rather have a standalone than have a storyline like that run over into the next book.
First I’ve heard of this but it sounds good.
i agree, dragging this out for 3 books was a lot, especially when they’re only released each year so someone reading as they’re released literally had to wait 2 years for any kind of resolution. I also didn’t like everything else wrapping up and then pivoting to this new cliffhanger to keep readers hooked; as you mentioned we should want to come back for the overall story and characters. And I’m sure I’ll need to reread multiple books to be caught up with the whole sorority treasury thing before the next one is released. Good idea, decent writing, could be happening more quickly.