Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital e-ARC of this book.

I had really high hopes for the second Finlay book, and I think that's tough. I loved the first book, and I'm not sure if it's how it was tee'd up or if it was a time of life thing, but everything hit just right. But unfortunately book #2 feels forced. The relationship between Finlay, Vero, Julian, Nick, Steven, and all the side characters came across wooden. I wasn't nearly as invested in the plot or any of the relationships this time around, and I thought there were parts of Vero's story that took a bit of a turn in an odd direction. This also lacked the humor that came about so naturally in the first book.

Merged review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital e-ARC of this book.

I had really high hopes for the second Finlay book, and I think that's tough. I loved the first book, and I'm not sure if it's how it was tee'd up or if it was a time of life thing, but everything hit just right. But unfortunately book #2 feels forced. The relationship between Finlay, Vero, Julian, Nick, Steven, and all the side characters came across wooden. I wasn't nearly as invested in the plot or any of the relationships this time around, and I thought there were parts of Vero's story that took a bit of a turn in an odd direction. This also lacked the humor that came about so naturally in the first book.

Published Feb 1st, 2022
Adult, cozy mystery, contemporary

Think of a cozy mystery that's just like, a touch more stylish? And you'll get FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS EM DEAD. This is the second volume in the series, and I did not read the first, but now I really really want to — not because I was confused, but because I am fascinated. Bookshop link.

Cop involvement: Finlay's sister, Georgia is a cop and a love interest, Detective Nick Anthony is also a cop (he is regrettably very hot). Finlay shows little regard for the law, which I love in a cozy mystery. Four stars! Narrator gets a solid five stars.

The whole point of having multiple love interests but not actually developing any of them is starting to bother me. Also, the whole opening of how she refuses to listen to her editor's advice on what to write in her book because she is afraid of doing that in real life in relation to her love life has honestly been the most annoying part and it happened second time in a row.

The mystery was entertaining enough to pull it out for me but I don't know for how long I'm gonna keep reading this series if it doesn't fix those issues with side characters and their relationship.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader as a part of a Quick Takes Catch-up post, emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

---

I was a little worried how the premise would carry over to a sequel, and I clearly shouldn't have—largely because Cosimano didn't just repeat the way the first book went. It was very much an "okay, so now with that finished, what comes next?"—assuming that Finlay and Vero don't just wholly abandon their new revenue stream.

We get some important new information about Vero—making a lot of what she did in the first book make sense. Finlay makes some smart romantic moves—and there's some decent movement on the divorce front.

All in all, a solid sequel that shows that this can be a series with legs, not just a quirky one-off.

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is the second book in the series. The fans of the first book, are sure to enjoy this one as well. If you haven't read the first book yet, you should start there.

The Finlay Donovan books are full of humor, hijinks, mystery, comedy of errors, and intrigue. The second book continues where the first one left off, and continues in the same vein. I personally liked this book slightly less than the first one, but it was still a fun book to read and I'd recommend this series to fun mystery lovers.

Finlay Donovan is chaotic as always. I don't know why I thought (and maybe hoped) she would be a bit more together after the first book. that she would have learned a few lessons from what happened, but I was wrong. She still puts herself into impossible situations that she then needs to figure out how to get out of together with Vero. And she's still incredibly lucky in getting out of them.

Speaking of Vero, she is still a boss that I would love to have with me in any crazy situation. She's cool, she's caring, she's smart. We get to delve a bit more into her family life and her background in this book which I really enjoyed.

The romance feels like it gets a bit more settled in this one. I usually don't like love triangles, but I was rooting for both men in the first book, I couldn't make up my mind. In this one however, there isn't really a triangle, there is a clear winner. Who knows though, knowing Finlay, things might change again in the third book.

The mystery in this one seemed a bit less intriguing. There isn't really a murder to solve per se, which might be a reason why. I didn't feel the urgency and stakes as much as the first one. Not to say, it wasn't intriguing at all. There were still some twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, and edge of seat moments at the height of action.

All in all, this was a fun book to read. Especially if you like over the top mysteries with flawed characters, some romance, and heart.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the eARC and share my honest review.

Somewhere between a 3.5-4 ⭐

This book was just as over the top ridiculous and funny as the first one. It had a bit of a slower start, but quickly picked up pace as you read on. If you're looking for a mystery but don't want it to be dark, this is your book

Merged review:

Somewhere between a 3.5-4 ⭐

This book was just as over the top ridiculous and funny as the first one. It had a bit of a slower start, but quickly picked up pace as you read on. If you're looking for a mystery but don't want it to be dark, this is your book

I didn't read the first in this series but found this follow-up (which picks up a month after the earlier story) to be a fast-paced, quick-witted romp with Finlay Donovan, everyone's favorite devoted mom, struggling writer, and accidental contract killer once again teaming up with Vero, her side-kick in crime to figure out why someone wants Finlay's ex-husband Steve dead. , The writing style is flat-out clever enough to keep you turning pages, there's a bit of romance mixed in with the adventures, as well as suspense, mystery, and a few twists I didn't see coming. A light-hearted mystery read with laugh-out-loud moments which made this a perfect read for a chilly January.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I love cozy mysteries and have been branching out to different ones. I am so glad I started this series because this is the most fun I've had with a mystery series in a while.

Finlay is just fun. Vero is amazing. The two together are insanity walking. I can't wait for more craziness, chaos and nonsense from these two.