Review: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2)

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2)

Elle Cosimano

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…

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Contemporary

Full disclosure, when I read Finlay Donovan Is Killin’ It, I wasn’t really expecting much and I was so, so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it. I didn’t even mind the ending that was a little bit of a cliff-hanger. So when I saw #2 was available on NetGalley, I immediately requested it and dove right in when my request was approved.

Finlay is a single mom just trying to do her best. So what if her best means accidentally getting involved with her nanny in a murder-for-hire, the Russian mafia, and not to mention the confusing, yet steamy, love triangle with a young boy-toy law student and a hot and rugged cop who works with her sister (who also happens to be a cop).

Is everything in this story believable? No way. Is it still hilarious and fun to get caught up in? Absolutely. Finlay reminds me of Stephanie Plum, but a little bit more together (except for the dead body part taking up space in her washing machine).

Because these are set up as cliffhangers, you definitely have to read #1 first, but trust me you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait for #3 to pick back up on the story, learn more about the mysterious nanny Vero, and finally find out who EasyClean is.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 5 Stars

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Currently reading: TBD as to what’s next.

Up Next: Tons of ARCs and Goodreads Giveaways. Looking forward to getting back into this!

Happy Reading!