Elle Cosimano

I read ‘Finlay Donovan Is Killing It’, the first book in this series back in April. I was so taken by the quirky humour and the clever way Elle Cosimano turned the bizarre events that lead Finlay Donovan to become an accidental hit-woman into a successful, if more than a little clichéd, romance novel that Donovan is writing, that I picked up the next book and dived in.

Of course, the second book had lost the advantage that the first book had, of being a startling idea and a fresh and bold conceit. This time I knew what to expect and I wondered whether there would be enough there to make the second book worthwhile. I was pleased to find that the second book was just as much fun.

Elle Cosimano had come up with another way to complicate Finlay Donovan’s life and to have her and her friend, Vero at risk. Finlay discovers that someone is trying to place a contract to kill Finlay’s ex-husband – something Finlay can’t reveal to the police without revealing all the illegal things she did in book one. She also becomes aware that complications with Vero’s past are catching up with them and may make things worse.

I liked that Finlay was more grown up in this book and didn’t do her annoying headless chicken act.

The book is easy to read, with short functional sentences that don’t feel sparse but don’t slow things down any either. The humour is still there and still works and the plot has the ‘I can’t look away from this’ appeal of watching the fall of a set of dominos that have been laid out in a complex and improbable pattern that you won’t be able to see until they’re all down.

What I liked most were the exchanges between Finlay and her agent. Finlay, under pressure to produce her next book, is again translating the bizarre events of her life into a novel. As she and her agent discuss the pitch for the book, Elle Cosimano has some fun exposing the kind of ‘which tropes will sell the best?’ conversations that I assume she must have had with her editors. For example: should Finlay keep the hot cop AND the young lawyer or make her character choose between them? What amused me most about this was that she was explaining to me the clichés the book I was reading was based on and then still managed to twist those clichés into something fresh enough to be fun.… (lisätietoja)

suspense, contemporary, cozy-mystery, thriller, mystery, ex-husband, nanny, verbal-humor, situational-humor, friends, friendship, family-dynamics, family-drama, snarky, mystery-writer, dachshunds, mothers, siblings, boyfriend, law-enforcement, threats, amateur-sleuth, relationship-issues, relationships, relatives*****

One vehicle, one Finlay Donovan mystery writer, one Nanny with a warrant out in Maryland, one peculiar mother of Finlay, one unruly ex-husband, and two rowdy children are headed for one casino in Atlantic City to rescue a feckless relative from A. the mob and B. law enforcement. Not riding with them is Finlay's cop boyfriend or the two stiffs they find. But there are a lot of laughs! The whole read gives spiraling out of control new meaning!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!… (lisätietoja)

Hilariously Adventurous....................

Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun by Elle Cosimano takes you on an adventurous ride of a divorced woman. It is my first time reading Finlay Donovan and I just love it. The plot does not let you sit straight for a minute. It felt like a roller coaster ride. Finlay's character development was awesome and how she handled every situation was superb. With each page the twists were more and more interesting. Every time my heart thumped with all the action. The plot was a pinch of sweet, salt and chilly. The other characters were also well developed. And, the climax it leaves room for more stories to pour in. It is just to die for. Praises are more but words are less. I am definitely reading the full series now.

Undoubtedly, the book deserves 5 stars. Thanks to my Book Club for providing me with an opportunity to read and review the book. It was crazy reading it with them.… (lisätietoja)