4.5 stars. This series is a wild ride. It's completely ridiculous, but hilarious. I love Cosimano's writing. It's fast and witty and her characters are a good time. These books are a great quick read and perfect for travel or just a little change of pace.

This is the 3rd book of the series, and I have enjoyed every one of them. In this book, Finlay is in debt to Feliks, a Russian mob boss, after he paid for a car that Vero had 'borrowed' - for good reason - and wrecked. Feliks has a trial coming up, and now he wants Finlay to find a mysterious person named EasyClean as payment for her debt to him. One problem is that EasyClean may be a member of the police force, so Finlay needs to find a way to be around police officers. And of course, Finlay is also raising two young children and trying to finish another book.

I received an e-arc from the publisher St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via Netgalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Elle Cosimano delivers another wild, laugh-out-loud mystery with Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, blending crime, comedy, and chaos in perfect measure. This time, Finlay and her ever-resourceful sidekick Vero find themselves roped into a police academy program—not for research, but as a way to uncover a contract killer hiding in law enforcement while staying one step ahead of the Russian mob. The novel is packed with hilarious mishaps, sizzling chemistry between Finlay and Detective Nick, and the ever-present challenge of balancing motherhood with an increasingly criminal double life.

The stakes feel higher in this installment, with Vero’s mysterious past finally coming into play, but at times, the plot leans more into the absurd than the suspenseful. While the humor and witty banter keep the story engaging, some of the twists feel a bit predictable. Still, the book’s fast pace, lovable characters, and sharp writing make it an immensely fun ride. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is a fantastic addition to the series, proving once again that Finlay’s life is anything but ordinary.

(3.5) I love this series but this was my least favorite so far. It had typical 3rd book of a series to me. It did not hold my interest as much as the others but was still good and entertaining!

I loved the newest Finlay book! Thanks for the early copy Netgalley! Jumping back into this world is always a fun time! I’m so curious to see where the story goes from here!

So smart of the author to change things up in this book! Once again, a fun book with a great mystery and lovable characters who are easy to relate to and root for!

another delight of a mystery! i love watching the nonsense Finlay and Vero manage to get into each time, and how it somehow *always* gets worse. while i did enjoy this a lot, i really wish we'd focus on Finlay's romantic relationships less, there's zero chemistry between her and both love interests after 3 books which is kind of wild, and also just distracting from the actually interesting parts of the plot.

Finlay now finds herself under the thumb of the Russian mob, who believe her to be a cold blooded contract killer. The mob boss enlists her to find another contract killer and take care of them before they derail the mobs plans.

Finlay’s love life is starting to spice up with the situationship developing between her and the hot shot detective. Some mild spice starts flying between the pair, but again the story managed to keep me on the edge of my seat and wanting more.

At this point, Finlay’s life is such a hot mess that I’m just here with popcorn, watching the chaos unfold. This time, she and Veronica end up at a cop training camp (because why not?), trying to dig up dirt on a contract killer while also dodging law enforcement. Absolutely nothing goes to plan, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The love triangle? Still happening, still not sold on it. Nick has his moments (he is a cop, after all, and uniforms), but the romance is like background noise to me. I’m here for the Finlay-Veronica shenanigans, and once again, they deliver. Their dynamic is pure gold—crime-solving, accidental chaos, and snarky banter? Sign me up every time.

Oh, and Steven? Still the worst. But at least this time, he wasn’t my main source of frustration. That honor goes to the ever-growing pile of bad decisions Finlay keeps making. But honestly, that’s why we love her, right? She’s a disaster, but she’s our disaster.

Not as strong as book one, but still a wild, ridiculous ride. And yes, I will be reading the next one.

Lots of fun, and this time away from the house! Loved the forward momentum on everything - easyclean, Vero’s history, Feliks, the romance. Ends with a cliffhanger, but I’m looking forward to rolling the dice next.

While there was a lot to like about this installment in the Finlay Donovan series, it left a lot to be desired. Finlay and Vero are still a great duo, their antics are still entertaining. But I agree with other reviewers that this book felt like filler, that it's only a setup for the next one.

I think it didn't help that the whole story basically takes place at a police academy. So maybe that threw everything off. What might have been a nice change of pace just felt stilted. However, you can still feel the tension Finlay and Vero are always under. And the humor is still there as well. So it's a three star rating for me, I still liked it but it's my least favorite of the series.

I may age myself but Finlay Donovan is the answer to every girl in the aughts who read Aly Carter. I was extremely grateful to recieve the full series and couldn't finish them all fast enough.

The Finlay Donovan series does it again! These are the fast, fun, engaging reads that leave you wanting more! The perfect airplane, beach, vacation, ski vacation, quick, but sucks you in best kind of read read.

I flew through this continuation of the series and loved reading all about the police academy. There are always a few twists and turns that are unexpected in this series and ultimately a TON of heart. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the complimentary Advanced Readers Copy. All opinions are my own.

Finlay and Veronica find themselves deeper in trouble. There’s another dead body, more suspicious cops, difficult exes, lots of awkward moments, and some good laughs. This one was enjoyable, but the formula is starting to wear a little thin. This is definitely not my favorite of the series.

I really am enjoying the books more and more as the series goes on! The writing was better, the characterization and dialogues were sooo good and the mystery was also keeping me on my toes. Every time I tried to pause after a chapter, I couldn't because something shocking had just happened and I needed to know what was gonna happen next. Love Vero so much, excited to read her short story next!

I love Finn and Vero's friendship and all the literal "I would bury a body for you" energy they have. May we all have best friends like that. I was glad to see Finn making a choice in her love life, not dragging it on for 30 books like Stephanie Plum. That being said, I could not keep all the guys in this book straight. So many cops with so little personality. This book also didn't do much to push the series or the characters along. I would have benefited from a little recap of the previous book as I didn't "study" right before and it had been a while since I'd read the first 2.

A hilariously good time! I can’t get enough of Finlay & Vero’s antics in this series! Quick and highly enjoyable read.

This is the third book in the Finlay Donovan series, and it is so entertaining. Although this isn't my favorite read of the series so far, it's fast-paced and hilarious.

This story picks up where the last one ends off and we are thrown back into the world with sarcastic characters and crazy plot twists. Not as much happens in this story, and it feels as if we're setting up for the next book. We get tons of new information about our characters that will open up a billion cans of worms as we progress through the series. This book wasn't as gripping and exciting as the others, but a great read nonetheless.

We also get to see Finlay's romance with Nick evolve, which adds even higher stakes to the situation. Elle is perfect at creating a suspenseful last chapter that will have you wanting to immediately pick up the next book! I can't wait to see what happens with Vero and Finlay in Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this story!

I didn’t finish the 2nd book but gave the series another chance. I like the romance with Nick and the bits of Vero’s back story, but still find it a bit hard to buy into the outrageous hijinks.

I am probably just not quite the right reader for this series.

Entertaining 3rd installment in this series. I love that each one picks up right where the last one left off (easy to say when I have all 5 books accessible). In this novel Finlay and Vero are tasked with finding the identity of EZClean while attending a citizen’s police academy. No bodies to bury in this one but just as many close calls. The love story with Nick heats up some as Steven continues to cause problems. A bit more of Vero’s back story is also revealed. Looking forward to book 4.