This is the third in the series. Finlay and Vero were at a weeklong police camp which is like a summer camp feel but with boot camp. There are funny situations, romantic moments and clues to detect- all under the guise of researching for her next book.
I entered my husband's chili recipe awhile ago. Excited to see who she picks for her finished book.
Have you read these books yet?

Thank you stmartinspress and minotaur_books and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This is third book in this series and I think it’s best to start at the beginning of the series so that you get to know Finlay and Vero from the beginning. The situations they find themselves in are just mind boggling and totally unrealistic, but oh so entertaining. Their friendship and support of one another is both heartwarming and often hilarious. This book blends suspense, humor and a little romance. Finlay and Vero are dealing with a Russian mobster, an Atlantic City loan shark, a hired assassin and crooked cops. This series is just pure entertainment,

💜𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲💜
FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: thriller/mystery
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
📖 304 pages
🥳 𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 1/31/2023

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘆!

Oh Finlay 😂- this duo does it again! I just love Finlay and Vero s’much! Their adventures never cease to make me laugh and the trouble those two can talk their way out of is just👌🏼

The bathroom 🚽 stall scene 😂, what an opening, IYKYK. The sexual tension between Finlay and hot cop👮🏻‍♂️ 🤫

I love a book within a book and this one did not disappoint. It’s a series like any other and I’m so happy there will be a # 4!

This one follows Finlay and Vero as they navigate their way into finding the killer at the police academy. What ensues is endless chaos, wild adventure, and nail biting suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

💭 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝘁?

Thank you @stmartinspress @minotaurbooks & @ellecosimano for this #gifted digital ARC!!

Finlay and Vero are back in the third release of the Finlay Donovan series with an all-new adventure, and it's filled with the hijinks we've all come to love from these characters!

Trouble has a way of finding Finlay Donovan—from sneaky assassins to shady loansharks to slick detectives, Finlay and Vera bob and weave their way from one hilariously over-the-top scenario to another. With their usual slapstick aplomb, they find the clues they need just in time to solve the case.

Things may be looking up for Finlay and her ex, but that ship has sailed, and hot detective Nick is on the case (as is young bartending lawyer Julian). Throw in her two kids and a stint at the citizen police academy, and Finlay has her hands more than full yet again.

I have enjoyed the audiobooks for each book in this series, and returning narrator Angela Dawe does an excellent job with each character she portrays. It makes for a fun afternoon of listening to these accidental lawbreakers who always seem to come out on the right side of the law and the people who help them whether they want to or not.

Needless to say, shenanigans and revelations abound in this installment. There's also the perfect set-up for book 4, and I can't wait for more!

Finlay Donovan is stuck. Her latest novel has been rejected by her publisher until she adds more spice to the parts that need the spice. When her lead character and the hot cop finally find themselves alone on a beach together, she has a tsunami hit from out of nowhere. She just can’t figure out how to write the romance between these two characters. But she needs to. She and her nanny/accountant Veronica need the money.

Vero has been accused of stealing money from a sorority where she went to college, and she claims that she’s innocent. But that didn’t stop her from going to Atlantic City to borrow money from a loan shark to try to win the amount she had supposedly stolen. However, that plan didn’t go so well, and now she owes $250 thousand to a man who is not interested in setting up a payment plan.

The Russian mobster who has been keeping an eye on her work, Feliks, is somehow up-to-date even on Vero’s financial woes, so he sends his attorney to help Finlay and Vero out when they create a mess at Vero’s cousin’s auto salvage yard. A mobster may have been chasing them and got caught under a stack of car chassis. Before Finlay and Vero could decide what to do, Feliks’ attorney had shown up with a cadre of cleaners to help out and to offer them a large cash incentive to complete one small task for Feliks. All they have to do is find out who is the contract killer going by EasyClean and take care of him. Or her. That’s all.

The problem? Finlay and Vero don’t know who EasyClean is. They’ve been trying to figure that out ever since Finlay found out that EasyClean had agreed to kill her ex-husband by someone who had posted the job on a suburban mom message board. But a hot tip has them thinking the killer could be someone on the police force, so when the opportunity comes up to spend a week at citizen’s police academy, they sign up. The classes and activities can help Finlay with the romantic suspense books she writes, and maybe spending a week close to hot cop Nick will help her write her find the right spice blend for her bland scenes.

Of course, it could also put them in the sights of a contract killer who may still want her out of the way. Figuring out who EasyClean is could make them a threat to her (his?) business, but not figuring out who EasyClean is will definitely make a dangerous Russian mobster angry. What’s a suburban mom supposed to do to keep her two young kids safe, protect her accountant/nanny from the hands of an increasingly desperate loan shark, shield her ex-husband from those who want him dead, rewrite her latest novel, and find love with a hot cop? Well, whatever that is, Finlay is going to have to figure it out very quickly.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third novel in this quirky series that follows a mom into a dangerous underground community of contract killers, mobsters, dirty cops, and degenerate ex-husbands. Author Elle Cosimano blends humor, action, and romance with fun twists and lovely surprises to tell the story of a woman who stumbled into danger and has had to use her wits to keep herself and her family safe ever since.

I think Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun should come with a warning label. I read a lot, but I also have some attention issues. I tend to read a few pages and then check my emails or get a snack or whatever. I would read a few pages of this one, and suddenly 30 or 40 minutes were gone. If you’re cooking or doing laundry or needing to stop at some point to pick your kids up, then set a timer for yourself, or if you’re anything like me, you’ll get lost in the book until something big pulls you out of the action. I loved the idea of the citizen’s police academy, and I felt like the pacing of this book, the timing of the actions, and the moments of humor and romance were perfect. I would not change a single thing about this book. I loved every second of it.

Egalleys for Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun were provided by Minotaur Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Finlay and Vero are back! This time, they're trying to find a way to pay off Vero's poker debt, as well as find out who EasyClean is, now that they are indebted to Zhirov. To "lay low" and try to figure out which dirty cop EazyClean is, Finlay and Vero go on a weeklong citizens' police training. Of course, there are plenty of hijinks and humor as only these two can muster!

I think this was my favorite in the Finlay Donovan series so far. I felt like removing Finlay and Vero from their day-to-day allowed the pacing to move faster. I'm also really glad that things progressed with Finlay and one of her many love interests in this book. I always enjoy the cast of characters in this series, and this book was no exception. I really didn't see the twist towards the end coming and was totally surprised. Of course this ended on a cliffhanger, so we'll be back for another go around with Finlay and I can't wait!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Happy pub to day to Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by the amazing @ellecosimano! If you’re a fan of the series, I guarantee you’re going to enjoy this third installment where writer/mom Finlay and her nanny/accountant Vero go to police school for writers and law enforcement enthusiasts. And if you’re not a fan

of the series, I can only assume you haven’t read it yet.

Possible book 1 and 2 spoilers in the next paragraph, since the series is not really stand-alone:
Finlay and Vero are trying to uncover the identity of Easy Clean, a killer for hire who tried to off Finlay’s ex-husband Stephen, and the head of the Russian Mob is waiting for their report. Plus Vero is being pursued by a loan shark. To stay safe, they sign up to go to police school, which kills two birds with one stone because they believe Easy Clean is someone on the force. Finlay is also navigating her will-they-or-won’t-they relationship with Nick, the inspiration for the hot cop in her new novel. The one her agent warns her won’t sell if Finlay doesn’t add some steam.

And hilarity ensues.

This series is, at it’s core, a testament to the power of female friendships and I adore the way Cosimano handles that theme in these books. There are also plenty of cringey and relatable mom moments and a bit of romance for both our main characters.

The book ends with another doozy of a cliffhanger, and I will say the Finlay cliffhangers are killing me. I have no doubt the author is writing as fast as she can, but I’m not sure I can wait another year to find out what happens.

This is the first in the series that I listened to (shocking, I know), and I’m so grateful to @macmillan.audio for an ALC of this one and to @minotaur books for an e-copy that I could reference. The audio is super fun and the narrator definitely does a great job of handling the humor and gravity of the situations Finlay and Vero find themselves in.

Finlay Donovan, for those who haven’t yet “met” her, is a novelist who was meeting with her agent and discussing the plot of her latest book at a Panera when a middle-aged woman next to her overheard, believed, and hired Finlay to kill her husband. This was 2 books ago, and Finlay is still in waaay over her head!

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun opens with Finlay and her nanny/partner (as in crime, not romantic) Vera still deep in debt to the Russian mob. The mob boss has a simple job for the duo: find out the contract killer, who called himself (or herself) “Easyclean” in an online forum, or pay up. Finlay suspects the killer may be a cop, one in the same precinct as her sister, Georgia.

Luckily for Finlay, hot cop Nick (sorry, but that’s what she calls him) is running a week-long class for civilians. Finlay arranges for her ex to watch her two kids, and she and Vera engage in a lot of rule breaking, digging up bodies, “borrowing” cop cars, and more, in one adventure after another. In between they attend seminars and spy on the various police officers running the academy, in an attempt to figure out who is betraying his or her oath.

The Finlay Donovan books are fun. Vera continues to consistently amuse, and the kids are always good for a laugh. The tension between Finlay and Nick continues to ratchet up, and the plot contains enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. You’ll want to read the books in order, but don’t worry–this one ends with enough open ends to ensure that we’ll be reading more about this novelist/crime fighter/single mom in the future.

Another thrilling, fun-filled, action packed, over-the-top adventure with my favorite gal pals, Finlay and Vero!!

In this 3rd-installment of the beloved Finlay Donovan Mystery series, Finlay and Vero pack their bags and head to a recently developed Citizen's Police Academy. Nick, Finlay's potential love interest, is the cop in charge of the program and many of his departmental friends are there acting as instructors. Finlay is under the guise of researching her next book, but we all know how true that is.

She's actually there to try to find the mysterious character, Easy Clean. But like, yeah, she does actually need to finish that book. Will her protagonist get together with the cop?

As you can imagine, Finlay and Vero's time living in dorms, attending classes where they get put through police training along with Finlay's elderly neighbor, some over-enthusiastic podcasters and others, will not be without its hijinks. There's so much going on in this one. Finlay's ex-husband is circling around, trying to make amends, which Finlay wants no part of. Vero's past gets brought up in a big way and mob boss, Feliks isn't quite done with the ladies yet.

The Finlay Donovan series is one of my favorite Cozy Mystery series ever. The main reasons for that are the characters and the humor. Finlay has such a dry sense of humor. I absolutely love the way she describes everything going on around her and her feelings about it. I'm seriously in stitches half the time.

I have listened to the entire series on audio and definitely recommend that medium. At this point, the narrator, Angela Dawe, is Finlay Donovan to me. Her voice-work in that role is top notch!

The relationship between Finlay and Vero is perfect as well. They're so in deep together at this point. I love how even though, they are pretty different when you think about it, they are fully committed to one another and their friendship benefits them both equally.

The ending of this leads me to believe there will absolutely be a fourth installment. I'm not sure how many books are slated to be in this series, but I will be reading them all. Each and every one. Happily and with excitement.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I have been so excited for this release and it definitely didn't disappoint.

Mini synopsis: after accidentally becoming a hit woman, Finlay along with her accountant/partner in crime Vero find themselves deep in the murder for hire business. All accidentally of course! This time the pair has made it into a police academy, all research for Finlay’s next book (or for that hit for hire business 🤷🏻‍♀️)

In preparing to read this book, I reread the first 2 books in the series. And what I’ll say from that experience is that it just gets better for me! I loved that we pick up right where we left off: with a luxury car, a shell company, and a business proposal from Feliks. I love this series bc it’s so ridiculous but fun all the same. The scene with the mock trial had me literally laughing out loud bc of course the lawyer is gonna be Julian and the cop is gonna be Nick 😂 what could possibly go wrong with both your love interests on trial?

This series flawlessly introduces characters at the right moments & it doesn’t feel like they are just there to advance the plot. There’s a lot of people and moving parts, but they are all distinct enough to keep track of. I loved that we got more about Vero & her past and her motivations to continue to help Finlay. They are friendship goals!! I mean Vero finally has a stocking on the fireplace! 🥰

I just wanna mention the audiobook for a sec too bc it’s fantastic! The narrator does different voices and inflections for different characters effortlessly (& in a non annoying way!)

An easy 5 stars & im so happy there’s more to this series!!

happy #pubday to the third book of the #finlaydonovan series! 🎉

Finlay & her nanny, Vero, always seem to find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Finlay, a suspense writer and now-single mother of 2, roped herself in with a Russian mob, who is now expecting payment in return for a previous favor. meanwhile, Vero is desperately trying to pay back a Jersey loan shark before his people come searching for her.

the two friends work together to come up with Vero’s money while simultaneously fulfilling the mob’s request: find a contract killer before the cops do. Finlay & Vero find themselves enrolling in a citizen police academy thanks to Finlay’s cop sister & colleagues, one of whom is Finlay’s love interest. together, Finlay & Vero use what they learn in the police academy (along with their previous experience in crime) to find the contact killer, a person who is closer than they think.

i can definitely see why people rave about these books! a super light-hearted & fast read, it was easy to fall in love with Finlay and Vero; the two are hilarious together! while the events in the story lend itself to a suspense, I thought the tone of the story was more comical than anything. Finlay & Vero always seem to find themselves in the worst situations, with their friend Javi constantly stepping in at the wrong time and unknowingly getting the brunt of their actions.

i think I would have enjoyed this book more if i had read the first two books prior to reading this one. they refer back to a lot of events that clearly took place in the previous books, and while they were detailed enough that I eventually got the general idea, I was still frustrated over missing so many details (but that’s on me 🤦🏼‍♀️).

if you’re planning to check this one out, I would definitely suggest reading the series in order! and for all you Finlay Donovan lovers, this book ends on a cliffhanger, which means there will be more to love coming soon! ☺️

thanks to @netgalley, @stmartinspress & @ellecosimano for my #advancedreaderscopy of this book!

Well I had a fantastic time reading this book! This series is wild and crazy, and the satiations that Finlay gets into-half the fun is seeing her get into them, the other half is seeing her get out! This was another really entertaining, hilarious read in the series!

There are two external pressure points on Finlay. The debt owed to Feliks and what he wants her do to, and the lost casino chip. And oh, the developments going on there! So many chances for screw ups! But the internal pressure? Her romantic feelings, because oh boy, does she spend a lot of time with Nick in this book!

Finally this is the book that we learned more about Vero. She's played an integral part, and we really knew very little about her. So getting these new pieces of information, things are starting to make a lot more sense, and I'm glad that we learned them!

And oh, the way that things ended? Yeah, that was hard to put into words about how I feel about it. Especially since I don't know if there's going to be a 4th book. I mean, there has to be, it can't just end like that, I need to know what's going to happen next!

Loved this book, and I really hope that we get a book 4!

Happy pub day!!!! 🥳

Good Lord do I love me some Finlay and Vero! The insane shenanigans they get themselves into are a hoot to read! It makes me both want to be their best friend and stay far away all at the same time 😂 They are a hot mess in the best way possible.

This is one of my favorite series to dive into when I want a mystery to try to figure out, but also be entertained and laugh a lot. I really hope this series never ends because I need these two in my life!

The endings of the books always leave me like 😳 I’m so ready for the road trip they are about to embark on!

I am really excited to see this series as a show! It’s going to translate great to TV!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc and @macmillan.audio for the audio!! I loved listening while reading along.

Finlay Donovan is back and better than ever! This is the third book in the series, and it does stand on its own, but the books are so much better if you start at the beginning. All the characters are great and the dialogue between them is on point and will have you laughing out loud. It's crazy fun and unbelievable at times, yet the author does such a wonderful job pulling you in that you set aside the outlandish incidents and just enjoy the ride. I can't wait to see where the author takes us next.

2023 came in hot with some incredible book releases and January’s ending on an especially high note: any new Finlay Donovan novel is cause for celebration and I am rejoicing from the rooftops today!

When readers were first introduced to Finlay, she was a newly-divorced woman and mother of two young children, a romantic suspense author whose meeting with her agent over lunch one day leads to being mistaken for a hit woman-for-hire.

Unfortunately for Finn, things went from bad to worse: bodies (not all of them in one piece) pile up, she’s suddenly on a first-name basis with the Russian mob, someone wants their $200,000 back, and the guy she’s interested in? A cop, naturally.

FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN kicks off shortly after book two ends, just weeks into the new year. Though Feliks is awaiting trial behind bars, the mob boss is still very much in charge and has a job for Finlay: locate a contract killer before the police. The only problem is that EasyClean just might be an officer themselves.

After caving to pressure from both hot cop Nick (forever #teamhotcop) and her agent, Finlay finds herself signed up for a week-long citizen’s police academy along with her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero. Will they be able to sleuth out the real killer or are they walking right into a trap of their own making?

This series is such a blast and book three is no exception! At just under 300 pages, FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN tears along at a blinding pace, its short chapters and high action making this an extremely quick read. The only downside? Now it’s over and the wait for Elle’s next book begins 😭! Highly, highly recommended for any reader looking for a wildly fun, easy escape!

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano

This is book #3 in the Finlay Donovan series. The first step I took when I got this book was to read the first two books. This is a must to get the vibe of the main characters in the story. Finlay Donovan who is a writer who gets involved with solving cases with her nanny Vero. The two women are the type that make you laugh out loud with the banter they have with each other. I believe this is what makes this series so fun is the banter the women share with each other. The mystery part of the story usually is farfetched for the reader to have to suspend belief to go along with the story.

I really just enjoy Finlay and Vero together they are crazy funny and the antics they get involved in is just nuts at times but that is what makes so many of us love this series so good. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, then this one will be one to read it is a must read. Especially if you love good banter between the crime solvers.

The story starts off with Finlay crawling around the bathroom floor of the men's bathroom trying to get to her son. Yes, that is gross but only Finlay can find herself in this situation. To finally get him out she has to pull out a snack to get his attention to get ahold of him and get him out of the bathroom. This is Finlay's type of luck with her kids, her books, her ex-husband and lovers. I don't know if I should feel sorry for her or just plain laugh how bizarre her life is.

Narrated by Angela Dawe who does an amazing job bringing life to Finlay and Vero as well as other characters making listening to the story so enjoyable. I highly recommend this series and listening to it on audio is superb.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan audio and St. Martin's Press for a free copy of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions of this review are my own.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is an edge-of-your-seat, fun, fast-paced, laugh-out-loud read that defies categorization. Spanning multiple genres, this novel will draw readers in for an unforgettable adventure. Elle Cosimano is a masterful wordsmith, weaving together an enthralling narrative that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. With each book in this series, the stakes are raised and the excitement is palpable. I could not put this book down!

Many thanks to my partners @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies.

Laugh out loud hysterical. Over the top fun.

There aren’t many things I look forward to in winter. Not the cold temps. Not the lack of sunshine. And definitely not the snow.

But the one thing I can count on in the midst of the bleakness… Finlay Donovan!

Each year, Cosimano delivers the exact serotonin punch I need in the form of outrageous hijinks and hysterical shenanigans as Finlay and Vero sleuth out another mystery.

This book picks up right where the last left off… Finlay and Vero need to unmask Easy Clean, a contract killer with possible ties to the police. With mob boss Feliks looming over their shoulders and demanding answers, they get up close and personal with all the possible suspects at… the citizens police academy.

<enter 300ish pages of belly laughs with a side of 🔥 whenever hot cop Nick shows up>

Like the other two installments, this fast paced book is a total laugh out loud binge read. With a completely implausible plot, we find Finlay and Vero in the most absurd situations. Yet that is exactly what keeps me coming back. Just *what* will they get up to next?!

Since each book in this series is a continuation of the previous, I recommend starting with the first book and reading them in order.

Looking for a pick me up? This pure escapist read with the perfect mix of humor and sizzle is just the book to do it.

🎧 I went back and forth between the print and audio version on this one, and I really enjoyed Angela Dawe’s continued portrayal of Finlay.

Finlay Donovan is back again and the stakes are even higher and more ridiculous! Finlay is still in debt to Russian mob boss Feliks. Meanwhile her next book is due and her editor wants lots of changes, especially involving the main character and the "hot cop". Since Finlay left it up in the air with sexy detective Nick in her personal life, she is having a mental block writing scenes involving her assassin and the "hot cop." When Feliks contacts Finlay and Vero to pay up their debt by identifying a meddling contract killer named "Easy Clean," they put everything together and realize he/she may also be a cop. In order to get more intel, they join a citizens police academy run by none other than Finlay's love interest, Detective Nick; whom she's been avoiding. From here hilarious shenanigans ensue how they usually do when Finlay and Vero are involved.

If you are looking for a hilarious, feel good read, I really recommend this series! I especially love Vero's character! The stakes seem to get higher and higher with each installment and I don't see how Finlay and Vero are going to keep avoiding detainment. Also, I don't know why I thought this book was going to be the finale but I was happily surprised when it ended in a way that hints we will be seeing more of FInlay Donovan! Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the gifted eARC!

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 1/31/23
Author: Elle Cosimano
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Angela Dawe
GR: 4.05

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I LOVE LOVE LOVE Finlay Donovan and her trusty sidekick, Vero. The story is narrated by Finlay Donovan. This is the third book in the series, Finlay Donovan and does NOT disappoint! The opening scene was hysterical. As the mystery is unfolding, I am laughing, gasping, and cheering, and even at times scratching my head wondering how she gets herself involved in these messes. My favorite five star read this year. While this is the third in a series, it could be read as a stand alone, however, the characters are fully explored in the first two books. The plot is a continuing plot, sort of.

Finlay has gotten herself into another heap of trouble with the Russian mob, again. This wouldn’t be a Finlay book without creating enemies along the way. Then her ex-husband, what a piece of work he is. I have not been a fan of his from the start. I do love her sidekick, Vero. Finlay and Vero attend firearm training, and forensic classes created for citizens, which helps them find the contract killer, who may be among the cops. Add in Vero’s past that is disclosed a little more and you have yourself the perfect mystery. The over the top antics is top notch in this installment. The characters were continued to be developed, well fleshed out, witty, mysterious, creative, and brilliantly done. The author’s writing style is complex, multifaceted, top notch, humorous, suspenseful, and absolutely keeps you engaged.

This book is full of non-stop action. Have I not said enough to convince you? Stop what you are doing right now and go BUY this book! Also buy the other books, as they are SOOO worth the investment! This series has a little of mystery and a lot of humor. I do highly, highly recommend picking up. I cannot wait for the next book!