Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun - Review

I received a digital copy from Minotaur Books via NetGalley. All reviews are my own.

I'm back on the Finlay bandwagon, and I'm absolutely loving this series! It's a rollercoaster of entertainment. We're now diving into Book 3, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano, and things are getting even stickier for Finlay and her friends. If you are new to the Finlay Donovan series, I highly recommend starting with Book 1, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, to immerse yourself in her world fully. Each book in the series is noted as a standalone, but you'll get more enjoyment if you start from the beginning. In the meantime, spoilers ahead!

"Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.

Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood."

I'm continuing the express ride by taking this story in, via audio. Angela Dawe reprises her role as Finlay in the quick 8-hour and 47-minute listen. At this point, if Angela Dawe does anything else, she will be playing Finlay in whatever role she takes on.

After accidentally being hired as a hitwoman, running into the Russian mob, and saving her worthless ex-husband from permanently being removed from the planet, Finlay's trouble is far from over. After the events in the last book, Finlay Donovan Knocks' Em Dead, she and Vero now own a very expensive and damaged luxury car, bought by the big mob boss himself, Feliks. If you're new to the scene of owing favors to the baddies, then you can guess that Finlay is now down with the mob. Feliks asks Finlay to find the contract killer (yes, the same one who was trying to kill Steven) who is currently blackmailing him from jail, and Feliks wants him gone. To do so, Finlay and Vero sign up for the citizens' police academy, allowing them to gather information from the inside while learning how to perform police work properly. It sounds like a mess, but it's messy fun! It's like walking into the lion's den after participating in a gaming hunt.

FDJTG has to be my favorite book in the series so far. This one was more fun and had more action. I mean, Finlay is in the police academy. So not only is she learning how to do donuts in the parking lot with the sirens on, handling a variety of guns, and doing tackling sessions with the nosy neighbor, she's also doing it under the nose of her cop cutie boyfriend, clueless sister, and the rest of the notable task force. We even get to see a brief mention of the bartender baby! I thought we weren't going to see him again, although that love triangle died out, but here he is!

While Finlay tries to weed out who the contract killer is among the cops, Steven is becoming increasingly sneaky, and her partner in crime, Vero, is becoming rather avoidant. As much as I wish Finlay would let the universe do its thing and get rid of Steven at the first moment's chance, I'm interested to see what exactly he's hiding. It's always funny how the people who do the most dirt, all of a sudden, aren't in the wrong. As far as Vero goes, we slowly get to see why she stuck around Finlay for so long. I'm pretty sure she has good intentions, but we won't learn the whole story until the next book.

Overall, I rated this book 4-stars. I really enjoyed this one! It's a step up from the slowness in Book 2, and it's still over the top. I was curious about how we would tackle Vero's secret while searching for the dirty cop. Still, my answers will come in the form of Vero's very own short story – a prelude, if you will, before we get into the fourth installment of the Finlay Donovan series. But before we get there, let's go check out Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is available now!

#TheLittLibrarian #Review #Mystery #HumorousFiction