Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano is the third book in the Finaly Donovan Series.

I love Finlay and Vero's adventures is this new installment.

This book captured my attention from page one!

Such a fantastic mystery and adventures!

Highly recommend!

I was fortunate enough to interview Elle Cosimano (for a second time) about her Finlay Donovan series. Like I said to her, the experience of listening to this audiobook was like reconnecting with old friends. I had missed Finlay and Vero and was happy and excited to see what they were up to! The new setting of Citizens Police Academy helped the story feel fresh. Unlike books one and two, FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN definitely feels like a piece of a series and less of a complete book that could stand alone. Not to be read without the other two first.

Finlay and her sidekick Vero are at it once again. This time, it's set at a week-long police academy type setting for civilians. I know you're wondering why they would sign up for this? Because it's Finlay and Vero, and that's what they do; get into crazy situations.
The book has the most hilarious opening that I've ever read.😄
If you're looking for a funny mystery series, look no more!

Single Mom, Finlay, and her nanny, Vero, find adventure again. Once again, it is Russian Mob vs soccer mom in this third book in this series. Laugh-out-loud funny, This book finds our dynamic duo at a Citizen Police Boot camp weekend to try and find the identity of a shady character known as "Easy Clean." Once again, there are dead bodies, close calls and veiled threats. All of the quirky characters from the earlier books make an appearance in this one...culminating in a cringe-worthy and hysterically funny mock courtroom scene. This one does feel a little more contrived than the first two books, but it is still a funny and action-packed enjoyable read.

All was hectic as Finlay and Vero continue to get into all kinds of trouble. I would read the series in order, as they do continue the threads from the earlier two books. Finlay has writer’s block as she tries to finish her latest book, while Nick remains unaware of her involvement with Feliks. All comes to a head as Finlay and Vero attend a training week for civilians to learn about policing. Thinking they would be safe surrounded by cops was one of those wrong assumptions. The book was exciting and left you wanting more. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The third installment of the Finlay Donovan series doesn't disappoint.

She and Vero, her nanny/accountant/partner-in-crime, are still trying to wrangle the kids, stay clear of Finlay's ex-husband, get the Russian mob off their backs, all while trying to finish her book that the editor won't accept until she puts in a sex scene with the hot cop that may or may not sound suspiciously like Detective Nick Anthony. It's a lot. And that's what I love above Finlay. She's got so much going on and she juggles it all, not gracefully, or with tact most times, but she forges ahead tripping up hilariously along the way.

There's definitely going to be another book, and at this point, I'm not ready to say goodbye to any of these characters, so I'm here for it.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun was very cute and a great sequel to the first two books. I really enjoyed the continued camaraderie between Finlay and Vero and watching them escape out of dangerous situations. It was also nice to see Finlay make up her mind on dating as challenging as this part of her life is for her. I did feel like this one stretched out a little too long. The other ones seemed like their action just had more substance and this one, although still a great novel, felt like it had a little more fluff, which is why I ultimately gave it 3.5 stars. Would still recommend to my readers.

Finlay Donovan is back, again! After surviving her ordeal with mob boss Feliks, Finlay now finds herself in the back pocket of his gang. Now she owes him a favor and Feliks is cashing it in from behind bars...find the identity of the contract killer before the police and they will call it even. Finlay's biggest problem is that the killer might actually be one of the police. Timing couldn't be more perfect when Nick is assigned to run a citizens police academy giving Finlay and Vero the perfect excuse to investigate their prime suspects. With an ever ticking deadline, on both her new book draft and her safety, Finlay once again juggles work, motherhood and going undercover with her partner-in-crime. Another mad adventure for Finlay and Vero. I was so looking forward to this third installment of "Finlay Donovan" and what I assumed would be a resolution to this series but based on the way "...Jumps the Gun" ends you have to assume a fourth book is on the way from Cosimano. Though I feel like this series is dragging on a little bit too long I will be just as excited to read book four to hopefully see how Finlay comes out on top. If you have yet to start this series, it's a great one for mystery readers who like a little comedy thrown in the mix. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed going on this adventure with Finn and Vero.

This is book 3 in the series, and with the way things left off, there will be a book 4 coming.

This book picks up right after book 2. If it's been a while since you have read book 2, I do recommend you do a recap. The beginning is pretty character heavy, and it's easy to get lost in who is who.

Vero is typical Vero in this one...I think I like her more in this book actually. The witty banter was unmatched. Finn finally goes after what she wants; I wanted a little bit more, but his is not that type of book!

I loved all of the funny moments in this one for sure! I felt like I was watching a movie and I was always excited about what was coming next.

What I liked:
-Quick and witty banter
-The good guy motive :)
-Solid plot

What I didn't like:
-It could have been shorter, but that's not an issue with the book. It flowed well.

I would recommend this book to everyone. If you love a mystery with some humor, Finlay is your girl!

This was a solid 4 out of 5 stars for me. I am looking forward to seeing what Finn and Vero get into next!

The good news: after my less-than-excited feelings about book two in this series, I felt like book three got back to what made Finlay entertaining: her relatably messy life, her annoyingly self-centered, her sometimes floundering writing career, and her will-they-or-wont-they romance with Nick.

However, I REALLY wish these were standalones. I think dragging out the search for Easyclean over three books made for a plot that started to feel stretched very very thin.

And while we finally (!) found out who Easyclean was, there was yet another cliffhanger. If you take a very popular cozy mystery series like The Thursday Murder Club, these mysteries wrap up at the end, which is satisfying and yet I still want to read future installments to see what happens to these characters I've become so fond of.

this was an excellent addition to the finlay series! i was laughing out loud at finlay and veto’s antics. while their lives may seem a bit farfetched, there is no shortness of entertainment and i was loving it. i think the author does such a great job continuing the story but making sure the new issues that arise aren’t stale or boring. this third instalment is by far my favourite and if you haven’t read this series yet i can guarantee you’re missing out!

thank you to netgalley and minotaur books and st martins press for my eARC!

I admit to being a late and slow adopter of Finlay Donovan. It just all sounded a little hokey to me, maybe even a little too Hallmark-channel for me. I don’t have the best track record with mysteries like these geared toward women. But one day a couple of months ago I came across the first paragraph from the first book (Finlay Donovan is Killing It), and I found myself shaking with laughter because I’ve been that mom. So I decided to read the first two books and then read this one for release day.

And, as much as I love admitting I fell in love with the first two books of this series, I actually felt this installment fell short of the shining mark of those two previous books. I mean, it’s still a Finlay Donovan book, and it still enthralled me, but I felt that in this book there were just far too many hens in the hen house and they were are too willing to just bend over backwards to accommodate Finlay, Vero, and her kids. Maybe you know what I mean, maybe you don’t. The amount of looking the other way and sloppiness in the plotting of this book just so Finn and Vero could get around wherever they needed to be whenever they needed to be there really stretched my capacity to suspend disbelief. I live about a mile from a HighWay Patrol training facility, and that place is darn near like Fort Knox for all the gates and checkpoints. There are cameras everywhere.

Two serious bones I have to pick with this book are there are just too many characters, both old and new, and I found myself having issues keeping track of them all. The other bone I have to pick is that both Finn and Vero, by the third book, should know by now how to take forensic countermeasures and yet they continue to just possibly leave DNA, fingerprints, tire tracks, and all other matters of possible evidence of themselves at the scenes of different crimes without seeming to care.

I miss Finlay keeping it a little more simple. I miss her and Vero just trying to take care of the kids, keeping Steven in the dark while trying to keep him complacent, and Finn trying to overcome her writer’s block by working through the wreckage of her life. I just hope we get to see more of that.

I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley and the author. All views and opinions expressed are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: General Fiction/Amateur Sleuths/Women’s Fiction/Comedy/Mystery/Suspense/Part of a Series/Crime Fiction

"Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun" is another great addition to the Finlay Donovan series. Quirky, funny, and a light read, it is a great break from the grittier crime novels.

When I saw that there was going to be a third book in the Finlay Donovan series I was so excited! This book is laugh-out-loud funny and will always keep you on your toes. Seriously, some of the situations in this book are so ridiculous you can't help but laugh! I absolutely love these characters, so it was nice to be back in their world for a third book. I am really hoping that in book four (fingers crossed that's a thing!!!) we will get more of Vero. She's a really great character and I would love to learn more about her mischievous past. This was probably my least favorite of the three books but I still absolutely loved it! Hoping to see more of Finlay Donovan in the future!

This is another really fun installment in the Finlay Donovan world! I love that these books are a great break from the intense/fantasy/serious reads I always tend to gravitate towards to. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is a funny, quirky, and a little bit romantic story, and I absolutely enjoyed it! I’m solidly on #TeamNick, and only wish we had more steamy moments 🔥 I really enjoyed that we learned more about Vero in this book, including her backstory and possible romances. She’s such a fun character and honestly is the BEST best friend for Finlay. Finlay and Vero keep getting themselves into the worst situations, and I can’t help but roll my eyes and laugh as they try to figure their way out.

Before I started this series, I really wasn’t sure if these books would be for me. I wasn’t 100% sold on the synopsis, and was worried they would be overhyped by bookstagram. After reading all 3 books in just one week, I can definitely say that I’m a Finlay Donovan fan!

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕠𝕗𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕕𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒 𝕟𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕓𝕚𝕘 𝕓𝕠𝕨𝕝 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚 @minotaur_books 𝕡𝕦𝕥 𝕞𝕖 𝕦𝕡 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕞𝕪 𝕠𝕨𝕟 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕒𝕕𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕚𝕡𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 ℕ𝕚𝕔𝕜’𝕤 𝕊𝕠 ℍ𝕠𝕥 ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚 𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕍𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕀𝕞𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝔹𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕦𝕚𝕥𝕤 #𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕝𝕒𝕪𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕟ℂ𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕚ℂ𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕠𝕗𝕗 @ellecosimano 𝟛𝕣𝕕 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕗𝕣𝕠𝕞 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕟 𝕁𝕦𝕞𝕡𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕟 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕤 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥-𝕡𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝟙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝟚.

𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕀 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕖𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕖-𝕒𝕣𝕔 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕦𝕡 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕖 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕀 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕒𝕕𝕞𝕚𝕥 𝕀 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕠 𝕀 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕟 𝕀𝕤 𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕀𝕥 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕒𝕟 𝕂𝕟𝕠𝕔𝕜𝕤 ‘𝔼𝕞 𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕀 𝕛𝕦𝕞𝕡𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕦𝕟. 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒 𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥! 𝕌𝕟𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖, 𝔽𝕦𝕟𝕟𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝔻𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕣𝕠𝕞-𝕔𝕠𝕞, 𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝕞𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕞𝕖 𝕘𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕖𝕟𝕕. 𝕀’𝕞 𝕒 𝕗𝕒𝕟 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖!

I picked up this book hoping to read and love a new genre; unfortunately, I could never really get into this book. I think this book is excellent for people who are already fans of crime fiction, although I have to say it just wasn't really for me.

I must preface this review by saying that I loved the first finlay book and absolutely was bored to tears by the second one so take this with a grain of salt 😅

finlay and vero are back with new adventures as they try to track down easy clean - and while there is a quick refresher conversation towards the beginning of the book, I highly recommend re-reading the second one before picking this one up because ya girl was CONFUSED 🤪

I loved all of the interactions between finlay, vero, nick and the police squad the most about this one! trying to solve the case right alongside them has always been the best part of this series

however, the rest of the plot was a bit repetitive and at the end, nothing really … happened? except to create more questions for the next installment. while vero and finlay found out what they needed to, it quickly went to a pile of dog poo (per usual) and the entire operation was a bust …

so tell me, what did I actually learn from this one? 😅

I’m still so interested in continuing this series and (hopefully) finally seeing a conclusion of how finlay’s life interconnects with felick’s plot!

I’m chalking this one up to a middle book syndrome where nothing really happens except to create action and further the plot

but a huge thank you to netgalley and minotaur for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: argentina malbec

Probably my favorite of the Finlay books, this latest installment is full of nonstop banter and action. It's a great midpoint book, as our heroines deal with the fallout of previous adventures even as new complications trip them up, and the ending had me screaming for the next book because what's going to happen??? As always, Cosimano does a fantastic job maintaining tension and raising the stake while still giving us plenty of laughs. Also, fans of Hot Cop rejoice. *fans self*

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man. Finlay and Vero just keep getting tangled further into an already very tangled web.
I'm glad Finlay finally let Nick in (as much as she could). It was interesting having them go to a police training academy for a week. This really helped them yet to narrow down who they might suspect of being EasyClean.

The ending was so abrupt and came to me out of nowhere. Talk about a cliffhanger though!
I'm still so excited for where this is going next. It's so funny that Finlay hasn't done the unthinkable (🗡️) but that she gets caught in these situations that still make her guilty.