I loved the first two books in the Finlay Donovan series and was excited to read the third book in the series. For me, this book did not live up to the first two. Book one’s premise of struggling single mom/writer/accidental killer with a quippy side kick and detective love interest was a fresh take on the genre but by book three, it’s become predictable and formulaic. I wanted to see Finlay taking on new challenges and growing as a character but instead it’s more of the same. I still enjoyed the story but would love to see Finlay go in a new direction in book 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press Minotaur Books, and Elle Cosimano in exchange for my honest review.

I love this series! I love Finlay and the shenanigans that she and Vero gets into. The opening scene hooked me and made me laugh. It is such a good cozy mystery series that I was not expecting to love as much as I do. The book is fast paced, and I read it in almost one sitting. I can not wait for another one to come out (even though this one is not out yet!) because it is quickly becoming one of my favorite series to read. I do recommend that if you have not read the first two then you should before picking up this one.

Elle Cosimano is such a fun author. She is able to blend humor and genuinely great mysteries and this creates the perfect reading experience. This started off with a bang of her traditional cold open with the kiddos and I loved it. It is funny, romantic, and the saga continues with such a fun mystery. I love this series and I am so happy to have gotten a copy of this.

I love this whole series! Each book is a little bit different and hilariously, darkly entertaining in it's own way. This third book is no exception. These are even more fun if you've lived in NoVa since the author does a fabulous job of capturing the desperate, competitive neurotic vibe that seeps into life in that region and ends up driving everyone a little bit mad. So glad I got to read this eARC.

Book Title: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
Series: Finlay Donovan #3
Author: Elle Cosimano
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press-Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery
Pub Date: January 31, 2023
My Rating: 3.5 rounded up!

This is book #3 and my third as well.
The novel opens with Finlay desperately trying to get her two year old son, Zach, to come out from a stall in the men’s restroom. Oh and there is a nervous man in the stall!!!

Story continues from the other two with Finlay and Vero in trouble –what’s new - this time with mob boss Felik .
(As I mentioned in the other stories this series reminds of the Stephanie Plum – Bounty Hunter and the trouble she and friends wound find or create!)

Nick the ‘hot’ cop (who is very interested in Finlay) has just started a civilian police academy so Finn, Vero and Finlay’s sister Joey sign up. They learn how to disarm and restraining ‘bad guys’. However, will all this training really work with these two?
Another fun yet typical Finlay story and yes! I am looking forward to Atlantic City!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press ~Minotaur Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 31, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano in exchange for my honest review.

I’m always excited for more Finlay shenanigans and Jumps the Gun didn’t disappoint. In the third novel Finlay and Vero find themselves being hunted by Atlantic City goons looking for payback, a Russian mob boss who is calling in a favor, an editor demanding steamy scenes, and their past mistakes. Not to mention, Steven attempting to help but making things worse.

The ladies decide to attend citizens police academy run by Finlay’s detective crush, Nick, under the disguise of research for her next book, but really they are looking for the rat in the department who shot at Finlay and Steven in “Knocks ‘em Dead”. The ladies excel at the academy while each work their charms to question the detectives.

Finlay and Vero’s friendship is fascinating because they are very loyal to each other, but they still have a lot of secrets, especially Vero. Although we finally learn a bit more about her past and who she’s running from. I love how they always back each other up, even when others try to pull them apart.

Jumps the Gun has it all. Humor, mystery, education, and romance. It finally happens and it’s wonderful. (IYKYK) Cosimano’s characters are fun, exciting to follow, and I thoroughly enjoy Finlay’s world. Personally, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Another zany, unpredictable Finlay Donovan! I never know what to expect from Fin and Vero, but they always deliver laughs. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book. I really enjoyed it. I do think that maybe this is a series that should be read in order. It could possibly be confusing if you haven’t read the previous book.

5 stars. The first book in the Finlay Donovan series has cemented itself as one of my favorite books of all time. I just cannot get enough of Finley, Vero, and their shenanigans. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun proved to be just as whacky and wild of a ride. The book was unputdownable. I never knew what was going to happen next and found myself constantly laughing along the way while Finlay and Vero tried to figure things out. I truly marveled how every single situation they found themselves in invariably seemed to go from bad to worse in the most hysterical fashion. This book was a little different than the last 2, because Finlay and Vero were both out of town at a retreat with the entire police department. Including sexy Nick. I do think this series needs to be read in order. Yes, the mystery is unique in each book, but they build upon events from the previous books. The bad guy in this one was actually introduced in the previous book… at least their moniker was. Finley and Vero still need to figure out who exactly EasyClean is. I love the burgeoning relationship between Finlay and Nick, love the friendship between Finlay and Vero, and love the mystery. As long as the Finlay books keep being written, I will keep reading them. And given the ending, it looks like we’ve got at least one more in store for us!

I enjoyed most of this book. The beginning is a little confusing as it makes a lot of references to what happened in previous books, which I have not read. I enjoyed the main characters. It’s a little frustrating as it left a lot of open questions. #FinlayDonovanJumpstheGun #NetGalley

"Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun" was a fun addition to the series. Zhirov is in jail and his trial quickly approaching, making him especially eager for Finlay to identify and eliminate EasyClean. A task that Finlay does not want to complete, but Zhirov has plenty of incentives to make Finlay see things his way. If Zhirov/EasyClean was not enough stress, Vero is hiding from a loan shark who wants repaid a sum of money that far exceeds what Finlay and Vero can easily obtain (and she has other secrets as well that will be revealed); Steven is back and wants to rekindle the relationship with Finlay that he ruined with his affair; Georgia has convinced Finlay that it is time to potty train Zach, which is an adventure; and Finlay is struggling with her book because she cannot write the romance/sex between the assassin and cop that her editor wants to see. If that was not crazy enough, the impromptu plan to figure out EasyClean's identity will involve a week at citizen police academy, which is being led by Nick, and which will involve numerous mishaps. The police force has a rather interesting and eclectic cast of characters. There is also an amusing incident that starts the book, and which will figure in more prominently in an unexpected manner later.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is quickly becoming my comfort series. I have always been a thriller / crime novel reader but as a fan of the murder-comedy podcast, My Favorite Murder, I’ve always been a bigger fan of the genre bend. It’s taken a long time to find books that do that well and Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan books do that for me. This one pushed the believability a little far for me, but I’ll always be a fan of Finlay and Vero and all the folks in their lives.

3 stars.

Book one was really impressive because it felt really fresh and unique. I read this (book 3) thinking it was book 2 and quickly realizing there hadn't been a time jump, I'd skipped a book! Book 3 continues the farcical story of Finn and Vero. At time over-the-top it is still fun and quirky. The books could make a fun TV series.

4.5*

This book killed it!
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the 2nd book honestly, it was more boring and seemed to paint characters in the wrong light but this one! Elle brought back ALL of the Finley / Vero vibes! I will follow them to their inevitable end and enjoy every moment of it 🤣

The different setting was refreshing and WAY less Steven is preferred.

I enjoyed this one so much for the plot but also bringing some of the best characters together plus some new great ones!

Eeee can’t wait to wait on the next one

Finlay and Vero are back! Andddddd, in more trouble than ever before! Feliks may be behind bars, but that isn’t stopping him from threatening the duo if they don’t find out who easy clean is. Lucky for them, a new citizens police camp just opened, which gives them plenty of time to try to find the dirty cop they believe is easyclean. Will being under Nick and several other cops noses give them away though?

I mean do I really even need to say anything? This is Finlay Donovan we are talking about! As per usual, she did not disappoint. These books just keep giving us the hysterical accidental hired killer vibes we all need in our lives! Or, maybe thats just me? Finlay and Vero keep me on my toes wondering what they will get up to next, and I just could not adore them more! I can’t wait to see where this story goes next! Please keep them coming @ellecosimano!

I love the Finlay Donovan series! They’re funny, a little bit mysterious and lighthearted. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is no different. While I did enjoy the third book, I was kind of hoping for more. I feel like the story line with Feliks and EasyClean has run it’s course at this point. I also wish we would get some chapters from Vero’s viewpoint since we definitely learned more about her and her past in this book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and if there are going to be more books in the series I would read them. They are entertaining and easy to read!

Elle Cosimano has done it again! I am a huge fan of the Finlay Donovan series and I loved this one. It took several twists and turns that I was not expecting! I liked the police academy classes. That added an extra interesting element to the story. Also Hot Cop, need I say more? This book ended on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see where it goes next! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press!

Yet another fun Finlay Donovan book has arrived! Get ready for more madcap adventures with everyone's favorite hot mess mom! This was an entertaining installment in this series that answered a few questions and moved some personal plot lines along.

Finlay Donovan is back at it. She made a deal with the devil in the last book and now it's time to pay up. Can she find out who is behind a blackmailing scheme before it all blows up in her face? And does she have the courage to take a chance on a relationship with the hot cop, Nick? And will they solve Vero's issues? Read to find out!

Does the plot really matter in these books? Finlay has gotten herself into a mess and things continue to unravel around her. That's the premise of the last three books. The cases kind of all run together for me, but the ride is always fun and unpredictable! I liked the Citizen's Police Academy setting of this book for a change up. I liked lots of Nick-time and getting some background on Vero.

Did some of this book feel like an area that we've already tread over? Yes. Was it entertaining and an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon? Also, yes. I love the characters here but would love some wrap up. Finlay continues to get into mess after mess, and it feels like the story/series is being stretched out longer than it should.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Finlay has been killin’ it, knocking ‘em dead, and yet she still jumps the gun into more crazy adventures with Vero, who is her accountant or nanny depending on who you ask.

I really loved the opener, we usually get a glance at Finlay in mom mode here and it always makes me laugh so much. Because I can relate.

I forgot a little exactly what happened with Vero at the end of book 2, but this book did a great job of filling in the gaps if you too forgot as well. These girls are always getting into crazy positions.

ALSO THE SPY AND COP. That’s all I will say. I’m glad they explored the romance part a little more in this romantic suspense. Though there are still many questions.

The final question though after all this scheming (who else didn’t guess the bad person correctly?!) is WHAT IS UP WITH STEVEN?!

I love Finlay! This series is so much fun. It's laugh out loud funny. I can't wait for the next one!!!

Elle Cosimano has done it again!
Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun was a fantastic read! I loved hearing the continuing adventures of all the characters.
The third book in the series was just as fun as the first!