'Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead' returns readers to the world of Finlay Donovan and her antics as an accidental hit-woman. This time she has to put her skills to use to discover who wants her ex-husband dead. Along with partner Vero, she attempts to balance a love life, the Russian mob, and the looming deadline of her next novel. Once again, Elle Cosimano keeps readers guessing at what forces are at play in Finlay's case with a heavy dose of humor. Memorable for me in this book is the developing relationship between Finlay and Vero. The dynamic between these two characters is hilarious, while also feeling real.

Thank you to Elle Cosimano and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for a honest review of 'Finlay Donovan Knocks "Em Dead.'

Book two in the Finlay Donovan series just got even better I believe! Read the book in a day… I couldn’t put it down! Yet again found myself laughing out loud at their hijinks! Love how Finlay is coming in to her own as a divorced mom with Vero by her side to help!

Finished the first one yesterday. And started this one last night. I just really enjoy the tone and the whole element of her ex-husband being the target….another layer of fun to another great and fun story!

Great continuation of the first book! As to be expected, I was laughing out loud constantly reading about Finlay & Vero’s latest adventure! I enjoyed the reveal of who FedUp was, and I had no idea what direction the story would take. This is becoming one of my favourite series! It doesn’t take itself too seriously and is always just a great time! About to jump straight into the next!!

Fun, fast-paced read, very easy (popcorn lit). The second installment is just as good as the first. I loved the concept of Finlay being a hit woman, but she sort of segues into more of an investigator. After her hit woman days, she’s now more connected to the mob.
This is an addictive series and I’m excited to start the next book.

This was a good follow up to the first Finlay Donovan. More of the same but it is such a fun series that who really cares? I love the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving my review voluntarily. I've had the Finlay Donovan books on my radar for a while and am finally getting around to reading them.

This is the 2nd book in the series, and I haven't read the first book, but I felt this book did a good job of encapsulating the backstory. There's been a hit put out on Finlay's ex-husband, and despite loathing him as a person, this poses a threat to the father of her children. It also puts their children in harm's way when they have visitation. Naturally, Finlay doesn't want anything to happen (although she's fantasized about it a few times) and tries to get to the bottom of the mystery.

There's plenty of humor in these pages, and just the sort of book I needed after reading some heavier non-fiction titles. I loved the relationship between Finlay and Vero, and can't wait to catch up on the rest of the series!

Love this series! So funny and the perfect cozy mystery with a bit of romance. Love all the side characters and I always laugh at these books!

Another wonderful book in this hilarious series! I loved following Finlay and Varo again and watching them try and work out their secrets while Finlay tried to protect her ex-husband, Stephen, from certain demise and Vero tried to keep her secrets underwraps. This book was laugh-out-loud funny and I read it in less than 24 hours!

A great follow up to the first Finlay Donovan novel & with a hot cop!! Flew through this one as I was constantly wondering what Finlay would do next. Ex-husbands! Russian mob! Book deadlines! A fun twisty turvy novel that left me wanting more from this kooky group.

If you're worried that the second installment in this series isn't going to be as good, don't fear! I'm here to tell you that it is just as good. I loved this book. Finlay Donovan and Vero might go down as two of my favorite characters in a series ever. I love how they work together so much. I love that we get a continuation of the story from the first book, but one that involves more twists and turns. This whole universe is just fun. Plus, the love triangle between Finlay, the hot cop, and the lawyer couldn't get any better. It is fun and fast paced. Definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

If you liked the first Finlay Donovon book then you’ll enjoy this one as well. Finlay is having a hard time completing her next book and again falls into chaos trying to protect her ex-husband. This is a cute sequel in the series. It’s a cozy read with low stakes, but still a fun time.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book. The opinion in this review is my own.

The whole time I was listening to this, I was thinking of how it reminds me so much of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. And then I just looked at my review of the first book and realized I said the same exact thing then. Love triangles. Zany murders. Getting out of tight spots just in time. A cop you want to get romantic with but also need to keep your distance from due to your nefarious activities. Lots of parallels. I think it’s a quick and easy listen/read and I know a lot of people love this series. I think it’s ok. Vero still stands out to me as the best part.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Elle Cosimano for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve wanted to check this series out for a while, so I’m so excited they were all available. I loved the first book. This book started off really fun. The ex-husband is my least favorite character. The reasons he divorced her bug me and then he has the audacity to pry into her dating life. So the plot had a lot to do with him, but overall I still enjoy the series. I find it cozy. I definitely love the hijinks.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries!

Am I the only worried about the kids - it's like she just doesn't even care about them except complaining about how she needs more money b/c she has kids. She never does anything meaningful with them or helpful for their future. Sometimes the book doesn't even mention where they are, who's feeding them dinner, putting them to bed.

A great follow up to book one. I laughed out loud so many times. Finlay always manages to get into some kind of mess and it's always funny. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook to review. All opinions are my own.

Finlay is a master at getting herself into precarious situations. Funny and a quick read. Looking forward to the others in the series.

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano, 357 pages. Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2022. $16.
Language: R (128 swears, 5 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: ADULT - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: SEVERAL
On an online forum, FedUp has called for a hit on Finlay’s ex, and Finlay (31yo) and Vero are doing everything they can to stop anyone from completing the job—Finlay might want to kill him sometimes, but she doesn’t actually want him dead. Trying to stay one step ahead of the hitman and write another manuscript for her demanding agent, Finlay entangles herself further with both the police and the mob.
The antics escalate, Finlay’s love triangle unbalances, and shootouts turn into car chases. Continuing Finlay’s story is not a rewash of the first, which I expected. Finlay and Vero have new obstacles to overcome, building on the experiences they had and also branching into new illegal territories. The last chapter tied up most of the plot points satisfactorily (all of them except the romantic strings to pull readers into the next installment), leaving readers with a hook in the epilogue.
Finlay is portrayed as White on the cover, Veronica and her cousin are implied Hispanic, there are Russian mobsters, and the majority of other characters are implied White. Georgia is part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for alcohol use; illegal activity; partial nudity; kissing; groping; sexual harassment; mentions of drugs, pornography, human trafficking, sex toys, orgasms, and sex; and persistent innuendo. The violence rating is for assault, corpses, blood and gore, gun use, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

3.5 stars

Finlay is such a fun series. I enjoy all the mishaps, and the laugh out loud moments. This was a good follow up, and expect the following books in the series to be as good or better.

The sequel still has me giggling, though book one cant be outshined this is still worth reading. The complete craziness of this series is what makes it so great.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books