Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank - Review

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

Who knew a story about a struggling author/divorced mother of two, being mistaken for an assassin, would end up being one of my favorite mystery series? If you are just now visiting my page, I'm talking about the Finlay Donovan series! I have no idea why I enjoy the Finlay hepatology so much, but I can't get enough of it. We're now at the point where we start looking up side-quest stories to fill our need for the series. I've read all about Finlay and her wild mishaps and unbelievable predicaments, but it's about time we look into her partner in crime, Vero. Some of Vero's secrets are starting to slip out, and the fans are curious about her past and how she met Finlay in the first place. Well, Elle Cosimano took a break from writing about Finlay to give a Vero story with Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank.

"Veronica Ruiz is on the run for the first time in her life—though certainly not the last. After being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority, she packs up and heads to her cousin Ramón's apartment, planning to change her name and rebuild start over away from backstabbing girls and university drama (and far, far away from her arrest warrant in Maryland).

At the local bank on the first morning of her new life, it occurs to Vero that she'd be a better bank teller than most of the current employees: she may not have much money, but what little she does have, she knows how to manage. Unfortunately, the only available position is a cleaning job and so, desperate for a fresh start, she takes the bank manager’s offer.

But nothing in Vero's world has ever been simple, so of course shortly after she begins work, she overhears a conversation between her new boss and a security guard: someone who works there has been stealing. Seeing a window of opportunity, Vero sets out to find the identity of the thief, present the evidence, and then push for the perfect job. All of which would be easier if her irresistibly infuriating childhood crush Javi wasn’t living in the same damn town.

Offering the insight that listeners have been craving into fan-favorite Vero's past and a closer look at the moment Finlay and Vero first meet, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a can't-miss addition to the Finlay Donovan series."

As always, I listened to this novel via audio, with Stacy Gonzalez narrating the whole 2 hours and 27 minutes. I'm not going to lie, I'm so used to hearing Angela Dawe's impression of Vero that it felt like Gonzalez was an interloper in the series. It's unfair to judge like that, but the mind is stuck with familiarity, and Gonzalez couldn't do Vero justice. Dawe has ruined me. Still, if I ever do hear from Gonzalez again, hopefully it's something she didn't jump in the middle of.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a short story about Vero's origin. She was just accused of stealing money from her sorority chapter and is on the run after finding out there's a warrant for her arrest. She runs back home to her cousin Ramon's newly minted garage business and changes her name, hoping to start fresh. Her first order of business: finding a job. She applied to be a bank teller only to be told that they were looking for janitors. She's about to walk out when she overhears a conversation about money coming up missing in the system, and Vero takes the opportunity to play detective by finding the money and possibly being rewarded with a teller job.

VRBTB was clearly made for the fans. Vero, with her witty, unfiltered comments and brash TV-led decision-making, is a fan favorite. It was only right that Vero get her own spotlight. This story literally takes place right before she comes into contact with Finlay and her kids, and she is as authentic in her personality as she is with Finlay. She plays detective, trying to figure out which teller in the bank is stealing money, all so she can take their job once the culprit is fired. By the end of the book, we know she gets the job because of how she met Finlay, but at the end of the day, Vero, honey, was it worth it? Why work for a company like that if you know that's how they treat their employees?

Overall, I rated this book 3-stars. Was the story needed? No, but it's still a great addition to have in the Finlay Donovan series. The fans wanted, and the fans received. Now that we have some background on Vero, we can look forward to what she'll do about the debt owed in her name. And we find that out in the next Finlay book, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice.

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is available now!

#TheLittLibrarian #Review #HumorousFiction #Mystery