4.5 stars. Finlay Donovan is kind of a mess. But the kind of mess I suspect many of us would be if we were single moms who accidentally murdered several people and in so doing got mixed up with the Russian mob. Once again, we have (most of) the elements that made Finlay Donovan is Killing It so engrossing and fun: strong female leads, including Finlay’s incomparable takes-no-shit partner in literal crime, Vero; all the hijinks one might expect from the aforementioned plot; a humdinger of a cliffhanger ending; and sizzling will-they-or-won’t-they tension. Julian spent most of the book offpage, though, so I’m guessing the love triangle may resolve itself in the next book? That’s a shame—the three-way tension is fun, though I (like the rest of Fin’s family and her editor, evidently) am rooting for the hot cop.

Very excited that Vero’s backstory and the cliffhanger means we’ll get at least one more in this series! Write faster, Elle Cosimano!!

4/5 ⭐️

Finlay, girl...get it together. But also, don't, because then it wouldn't be as much fun for us to read, right?!
The second installment of Finlay's life was just as exciting as the first. Very much giving "Dead to Me" vibes with Vero as her side lady.

Such a delightful mixture of murder, mystery, and sooo much humor! Couldn't stop laughing, really. Being a mom myself, I relate hard with her struggle to keep up with the kids and her job as an author. Miss Girl really is constantly on the struggle-bus, and matters are not made better when she learns her ex-husband has a hit on him! Her scrambling to find the answers was super anticipatory and interesting, had me feeling like I was in on solving a homicide waiting to happen.

Oh and the love triangle?! We love a love triangle, and to see our girl Finlay get so much attention adorned upon her. Not much happens, and I kinda wanted more, but I'm sure Elle Cosimano will deliver in the next one.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC!

Book 2 in the Finlay Donovan series picks up right where the first one left off without missing a beat. Cosimano did a great job reminding the reader of events from the first book with subtle recaps that I appreciated. Fin’s wit and accidental charm were present as well, but there was something missing for me this time around. Book 1 was an easy 5 stars…

But with this one, I didn’t really get those laugh out loud moments, and found myself turning pages a little slower. Overall this was still enjoyable, it just lacked some of the pizazz we saw in the first book.

Thank you to Minotaur Books / St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted eARC! Finlay returns February 1, 2022!

𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢’𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚋𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚕𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚠𝚗. 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝙸’𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎.

And with that opening scene, we're off! The second installment was like meeting up with an old friend with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Christopher is a pet goldfish, by the way. Finlay is not a monster.

Finlay is behind on her book deadline, juggling two love interests, wondering what her live-in nanny/sidekick Vero is hiding, and trying to find out who placed the ad for the hit on her ex-husband Steven. Oh yeah, throw in the Russian mob just for good measure.

The antics are over the top and plentiful, and I loved every word. I hope this series and its lively characters are around for quite some time.

I was so excited to have been accepted to read this because Finlay Donovan is killing it was such a great story and this sequel is just as amazing as the first installment.

This one follows the events of the ending of book one and without giving spoilers for book 1 I must say this series may become a new favorite for me.

There so much fun and entertaining and so hard to put down.

Finlay Donovan is for sure a new favorite protagonist for me and I will recommend this book for a longgg time!

4,5 stars!

Finlay is BACK! And we couldn't be happier.
Fresh from the craziness of what happened (and started at a Panera Bread) in the last book, Finlay just wants to keep her head down, her house above water, and finish her book.
However, Vero is acting funny and there's an advertisement asking for someone to kill her ex. Fin takes things into her own hands as she tries to discover who is behind the plot to kill her ex (mostly so she can keep her kids safe during visits). Her younger boytoy is MIA and he just privated his Instagram, and the cop everyone else wants her to be with might figure out her role in all the things she wasn't supposed to do. And then there's that whole novel she has to write.

Finlay is the heroine we all need. I really hope we get more Finlay. <3
Pretty please?

4.25 stars rounded down
thank you so much to st, martin's press and netgalley for this digital ARC <3

'finlay donavan knocks 'em dead' picks up right after the first book. i read the first book a few months prior and admittedly, i've forgotten a few details. however, i never felt the need to reread the book as cosimano did an amazing job of refreshing readers' memories, especially of important tidbits that are a must-know for this book. i would recommend reading the first one though, just because it's an amazing book and it will ultimately help with your general understanding of the sequel.

this book follows finlay roughly a few weeks after the event of the first book. someone had hired a hit on her ex-husband and finlay is determined to get to the bottom of it. in typical finlay fashion, she gets caught up in more than she bargained for as she tried to solve this mystery.

the general structure of the story is the same as the first but i found that it didn't hinder my enjoyment as much as i thought it would. the mysteries were still new and caught my interest. it has the same humor and charm as the first one, yet it still stands out on its own as the events differed. i think this structure really works, especially with cosimano's writing style. you can't help but get drawn into the mystery and see what kind of shenanigans ensue.

i did feel like this book lacked this spark the first book had. i didn't laugh as much as i did the previous book, though i won't deny that there were some moments that made me giggle. however, i'm excited for the next book and would recommend this (and the first book) to mystery lovers and people who need a good laugh. this series is *the* series to pick up if you're in a reading slump as the pace is fast and it holds your attention well.

Finlay's back and better than ever! In a fun follow up to the first in the series, Elle Cosimano has brought back Finlay Donovan, the "accidental hitwoman" and she does not disappoint. As Finlay tries to sort out her personal life, raising two children as a divorced mom, struggling to meet deadlines at work and an increasingly complicated love life, she is also trying to disentangle herself from a life in organized crime - a life that she didn't ask for but that keeps drawing her in. The characters are fun, there are plenty of chuckles and laughs in this book, and the plotting is excellent! I anxiously await the next in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book every bit as much as the first Finlay Donovan book. Finlay is a relatable mess. She's smart, capable, and the person most likely to make a stupid decision to help another person out, even her terrible ex-husband. They way she gets into and then out of the worst situations is highly amusing and both of these books have me turning the pages chapter after chapter until past my bedtime. Highly recommend for folks who love a mystery with a side order of humor.

I rarely love a sequel as much as the first book- but this one might even be better! I love Finlay and Vero’s strong friendship and how they can trust each other through all the craziness they unknowingly get themselves into! If you enjoyed the first one- you must read this one!

Finlay and Vero continue their wonderfully ridiculous shenanigans as they set out to determine who has put a bounty on the head of Finlay's ex-husband, Steven, and why. In the process of stymieing the success of this murder-for-hire, we get to see a familiar cast of characters back in action, as well as some unforgettable new additions.

It is entirely possible I liked this one even more than Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. Sequels are always tricky to pull off, especially if the first book is a hit, but Cosimano delivered! She maintained the characteristic wit, pace, humor, and thrill we loved in the first book and channeled it into this work, somehow making it feel like a fresh, entertaining extension of the world she created the first time around, instead of merely a repeat of the first book. *standing ovation*

There were, of course, similar elements to the first book, including the duality of the actual story with the story her main character is writing. Despite the ongoing (and juicy!) love-triangle, Cosimano also continues to highlights the power of female friendships when things get messy. Bonus points for showcasing a female divorcee--a group that doesn't frequently get to bask in the protagonist role all too often--as her confident, albeit a bit chaotic, main heroine.

A million thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC! I cannot wait for the 3rd installment of this series.

SO GOOD! Loved getting to know the characters more and all the twists! Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a good book It was a good sequel to the first one I enjoyed it very much. If you liked the first Finley book you will like this one too

Well Finlay Donovan is just plain fun. I love a goofy mystery and Finn and Vero do not disappoint. Crazy situations, a ride or die partner, a love interest and the Mob, this book is a fast paced break from reality.
Thanks to St.Martins Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Elle Cosimano did it again and knocked us out of the park with FD Knocks 'Em Dead. I was not sure how this would be different than the first one, but boy did that become clear very quickly.

The very first and last sentences in the book were equally chilling and yes, we are left with an even bigger cliff hanger than the first book.

The plot was airtight with no holes whatsoever. I felt like there were a few pieces here and there in the first book that may have been a stretch, but none of that was present in book 2. Overall it was far more thriller than cozy, though every now and then got a whiff of normalcy that gave us all the warm and fuzzies. And there was just a tad bit more steam in this one which gave it a nice little kick, though it's still very much kosher.

The humor of course with Sylvia and Vero is never lost, especially where dinoporn is involved :) But we delve deeper. We find out that even your most ride or die has secrets, and Finlay learns what she can and cannot accept. Overall it was very witty just like the first one with a kitchen Armageddon scene and chest freezers sitting in storage units across state lines, but the thrill element was very much there and that's what made this book just so wonderful!

100% recommend.

4.5 stars. I think I liked this book better than the first. Although it followed a similar trajectory and felt a little like a filler story at times, I was more invested in finding out what was going on. Like the first book, the end leaves a very clear cliffhanger that will easily pave the way for another book. Poor Finlay- her life is non-stop chaos!

Thank you for the advanced copy!

I loved the first book and was so excited to read this one but it didn’t quite hit my expectations. It was still a fun read not the humor didn’t hit quite as hard in this one.

Finlay and Vero are back! I absolutely loved Finlay Donovan is Killing It, and that cliffhanger had me begging for more, so I was thrilled to receive this ARC (Thank you Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley)!

Once again, Elle Cosimano has delivered a wacky murder mystery with some suspense and lots of lol's. As with a lot of middle books, you could tell that this was a sequel with another on the way, as there were some transitional plot points, but it still managed to feel like a complete story. I am really looking forward to seeing how this series will translate to TV!

My only qualm with this book is the story line for this one seemed a bit repetitive in some aspects -- once again, Finlay is writing a book that she doesn't have an idea for, and once again, she is using her real life problems for inspiration. How do none of the characters make this connection yet with all of the shady situations that she ends up in?

But overall, this is just as light and fun as the first book, and I look forward to the next one in the series!

I really enjoyed the first Finlay Donovan book and was excited to read the second! It picks up about a month after the first one and dives into the mystery of who would want to put a hit out on her ex-husband. It’s a fun book with lots of twists and turns. I love seeing the relationship between Finlay and Vero develop. It’s a good read!

St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books Thank You for the awesome opportunity to read this second Elle story!

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano was better than the first book!
And I loved the first one!

Finlay Donovan is amazing! This book was exactly what I needed after my last reading slump.
This book has the right amount of everything! Mystery, a bit of Romance, some funny parts!
Basically its brilliant and I freaking loved it!
Couldn't enjoy a book more than I did this one!
It made me laugh out loud and turn the pages till wee hours in the morning... But so damn worth it!
What a clever storyline with wonderfully rich characters.
I found Finley to be very engaging and delightful.
And you can't help but love and cheer Finley every step of the way!
I haven't read a book in one sitting in a long time.... But this one did for it me!
Highly recommend! Get. This. One.!!!!!

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and Author for this outstanding new novel!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐