*** A BIG 5 STAR REVIEW *** FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT by Elle Cosimano

 

 

 "Getting the job done" for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It.

Finlay Donovan is killing it...except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. She soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from award-winning Elle Cosimano.

 

I read this book after several excellent reviews from my GR reading group members.  It has a unique premise that I bought from the first page.

 Finlay Donovan is a single mom, struggling writer, and recently divorced from her lying, cheating scum of a husband.  His latest attempt to cause Finlay pain is his threat to fight for custody of their children, whom neither his new wife nor he wants.  Their only goal is to hurt Finlay.  Finlay needs to sell her book or find some income to counter his claims.  It is with this determination that the unexpected happens. 

 While Finlay meets with her agent at a Panera shop, a customer hears Finlay explaining her new plot.  The customer misunderstood the conversation, thinking Finlay was a contract killer. The customer slips a note under Finlay’s coffee cup with a request to off her husband and the amount she will pay Finlay.  The amount takes her breath away and will help her circumstances more than the paltry advance the publisher offered.

Now the fun begins.

 I LOVED this story.  I can’t tell you how often I read blurbs on the back of books that promise a funny murder/mystery with a suspenseful twist, then only deliver on one or two of the promises.  Finlay Donovan is Killing It delivers on all three. 

This book has great characters.  Needless to say, Finlay is at the top of the list.  Vero, her former babysitter (fired by her ex), now the live-in nanny and her partner in crime, an easy-to-hate ex-husband and his new troublemaker wife, a hot bartender/law student Julian who is up for a relationship with an older woman, a sexy detective Nick who smells something fishy and follows Finlay around, and members of the Russian mob with wives who want them dead.  What could go wrong?

When I started reading, I couldn’t see Finlay committing murder, but who knows what steps a woman might take when the ex pushes them too hard?  Finlay is at the end of her rope, and with Veto’s encouragement, she may take the unknown customer up on her request.  After all, she does research killing for her books. 

Elle Cosimano is a new-to-me author who sets a fast pace at the beginning and carries that through to the end.  The story is packed with action, character development, twists, and fun.  I could not put the book down.  There is a more than satisfying ending with a tease for the next book.  Now I can’t wait to jump in and get more of Finlay Donovan.