Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead - Review

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

The Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano has quickly become one of my favorite binge-reads. I'm already on book #4, but before I dive into the next one, I wanted to share my thoughts on the second book, Finlay Donovan Knocks' Em Dead. If you haven't read Book 1, Finlay Donovan is Killing It, be warned, there may be spoilers ahead.

"Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it..."

Just like before, I decided to listen to the story via audio. Angela Dawe makes her reappearance to tell Finlay Donovan's wild tale about being an accidental murderer-for-hire. This journey took approximately 9 hours and 20 minutes to complete, which I accomplished in a single day. It was soooo entertaining! I'm happy to see Dawe reprising her role, and I hope she can continue to do so throughout the rest of the series.

FDKED takes place shortly after the events in FDIKI. Finlay and her partner in crime, Vero, solved a murder, watched her ex-husband's fiancé get led away in handcuffs, stayed alive and off the police's radar by the skin of their teeth, and finally got paid for doing all the things they mistakenly didn't do! Sweet deal, right? Up until Finlay received a note stating that someone had put a bounty on her ex-husband, Steven's head. And now we're here. Finlay is making it her mission to figure out who is trying to kill her ex-husband and why, all while still trying to keep her accidental assassination business under wraps from the cops. The same players from FDIKI make an appearance, as well as some newcomers, and big bosses come into play in this new story.

It's no secret that I had a great time kee-keeing with FDIKI, and I did the same with FDKED. But I was hoping for more. The stakes are definitely higher in this book as she delves into the dark web, Russian Mob bosses, and a silent killer trying to eliminate her idiot ex-husband. However, there was a shift in the writing, where we focused more on planning what to do and less on finding out who this mystery person is. Honestly, I wanted more murder-for-hire shenanigans.

Another thing I wish I had gotten more of is her tryst with the young, hot lawyer. We barely saw him in this story, and it felt as if he was poorly written off. What was the point of adding him to the narrative if we weren't going to use him heavily? Cosimano could've played up the love triangle between the Bartender/Lawyer, the Cop Cutie, and the disgruntled ex a little more. And when is Nick (the cop) going to stop pussyfooting around? Either arrest her or take her down, Chris Brown style.

One thing I did gain from the story is my growing interest in Vero. Vero has been ride or die since day 1, but we're now starting to see some cracks in her brazen façade. As daring and reckless as she can be, we're also noticing that she is hiding something big from Finlay. On a side note, did anyone else think Vero was Asian, or was it just me? Dawe makes her character sound like an old, mischievous Asian woman instead of someone whose last name is Ruiz, and I find it hilarious that it took me so long to figure out that she's Spanish. It didn't dawn on me.

Overall, I rated this book 3-stars. It wasn't the knockout Book 1 gave, but it was still enjoyable. I won't say Cosimano fell into the dreaded sophomore slump, but instead hit a pothole on the way. I'm invested in the Donovan family shenanigans. I can't wait to see the secrets Vero unveils in the next installment, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, as well as Vero's standalone short story, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank.

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead is available now!

#TheLittLibrarian #Review #Mystery #Humor #HumorousFiction