Finlay Donovan is an author and a single mom who, despite the best intentions, just can't seem to stay on the right side of the law. Along with her nanny/accountant/more than willing partner-in-crime Vero, the two of them have a habit of stumbling upon or inadvertently creating dead bodies. Not wanting to draw attention to their hard-to-explain activities, they have to find a way to solve the crime without any fingers pointing back at them.

In Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, Finlay has just escaped her last jam with the help of a Russian mobster. Now she owes him a favor. He needs her to track down a contract killer who just might be a cop. Fortunately, Finlay's hot cop boyfriend, Nick, has started a citizen's police academy. Despite her reluctance to head into the lion's den, the academy provides her and Vero the perfect opportunity to figure out who the real killer is. All while maneuvering around two small children, an ex-husband, a romantically interested cop, and the mob.

In Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, Finlay and Vero don't even have time to clean up from their previous adventure when they head off to Atlantic City under the guise of a girl's trip. In fact, they need to rescue Vero's friend Javi, try to get Vero out of her massive loan shark debt, and try to get Finlay out from under the thumb of the mob. Before they can even grab the kids and get on the road, ex-husband Steven forces his way onto the trip, followed shortly by Finlay's mom.

Once in Atlantic City, the girls sneak away to find Javi and instead find two dead bodies (including Vero's loan shark) and a dog named Kevin Bacon. Unable to call the police without facing some questions they had no good answers for, Finlay and Vero must once again hide some bodies. Returning to their own hotel, they find that Nick has come to town, along with three other members of the police force, one of whom is Finlay's sister. Nick doesn't want to let Finlay out of his arms, let alone his sight.

Trying to juggle her kids, a jealous ex-husband, a cop boyfriend, her mother's marital issues, saving Vero's childhood crush Javi, and figuring out who murdered the loan shark, Finlay might as well be in a circus as a casino. It will take a good roll of the dice to come out of this mess!

These characters are so much fun. Finlay and Vero make a great team. They are part Cagney and Lacey, part Lucy and Ethel. They manage to be clever and reckless at the same time, which adds to the excitement as they always seem on the verge of being discovered. The mystery in each novel is engrossing and challenging. There are plenty of exciting action sequences in each book and a few steamy romantic scenes to boot. The supporting characters mostly add spice and emotional stakes to the story. The one exception is Steven. He played a critical role in some of the earlier books, but now he has grown tiresome and disagreeable. Less Steven in favor of characters like Mrs. Haggerty, Finlay's neighbor and fellow citizen's police academy alum, would be a lot more fun. Finding out more of Vero's and Javi's history in Dice also opens up some interesting opportunities for them in the future.

Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan books are a blast. I love the structure, with each book a complete adventure while also laying the foundation for the next story. They are funny, sweet, occasionally steamy, and always exciting.

Angela Dawe narrates the audiobooks and she is perfectly cast. Her pacing, inflection and distinctive character voices draw you into the story and convey the book's emotion and humor at every step. I love her voice for Vero which captures her fierceness and raw emotion perfectly. Dawe takes great material and elevates it. This is such an enjoyable series and I look forward to many more adventures with Finlay and Vero.

I was provided a copy of these books by the publisher.

BOOKS: Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead AND Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Series: Books 2 & 3)
AUTHOR: Elle Cosimano
PUB DATE: 2/1/22 by Minotaur Books & 1/31/23 by Macmillan Audio
PAGES: 368 & 320
RATING: 4 stars & 4.25 stars
GENRE: Mystery/Thriller
A BIG thank you to @netgalley & @stmarinspress for gifting me an advanced listening copy of Book #3 in exchange for my honest review!

MINI REVIEWS: I don’t want to give away any of the details in this fun mystery series, but I will say that Finlay and Vero were up to their old antics in books 2 and 3! I love a mystery thriller that makes me giggle in spots. Those two together are a dynamic duo but also a HOT MESS! I enjoyed the introduction of new characters (following the 1st book), and there’s also a little a’ la’ carte of romance. I know I’m late to the game, but I’ve read all three of these in the past 5 months and am presently reading the advanced reading copy of the 4th book in the series, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, and it’s SO good!

Happy Reading!

Seriously...this series is perfection. "Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun" is the third book I have read and each time, I love it more and more. Cosimano brings wit, heart, and mystery together in a way that is completely entertaining and utterly addictive. Finlay has become one of my favorite characters in a mystery series. And that is saying something.

I wanted to love this one. I feel like by book 3 they just feel like more of the same. We have a similar plot with just a few things and continue to repeat. I still like finlay an companions, but that isn't enough for me to love it anymore

I do think the narrator does a good job bringing Finlay to life

3.5 stars rounded up!

While I think this was my least favorite in the series so far, it was still such a ride. I have so much fun with these characters and it's just so fun to see what shenanigans these characters get up to. I liked the addition of the romance and it's nice to see Finlay in a good spot. It's a crazy, wild ride, but it's still a series that I'll continue to read!

This is the third book in the Finlay Donovan series and unfortunately what happened (which often does for me in series), they fizzle out. I rated the first book five stars and really enjoyed it. Second book I rated four stars. It was good, but I didn’t love it and here we are at #3 and you can probably guess, but I rated it three stars. So the enjoyment is dwindling.
I think part of the problem is not being able to give much more to the story and characters in the third book that wasn't there in the first book.. Finlay Donovan is a writer - and yet that seems so trivial to the story at this point - however she gets mixed up in crime and solving crime which somehow also involves her ex husband and she has a sidekick/nanny. While I like the main character and I like the idea of this because I thought it was well done in the first book. I could not have cared less about the crime and who did what, when or where. I didn’t care and it’s been so long since I finished it now that I don’t even remember how it wrapped up and I don’t care about that either. There were a couple of funny lines, but it’s not enough for me to run out and get the next book in the series.

I loveeee the Finlay Donovan series and was so excited to read the latest in the series! I love jumping into Finlay’s fast-paced, fun, and at times chaotic world with these books! While the plot can be far fetched, I love the pacing and devour each book in the series!!

This one was fun as Finlay and Vero got to go to the citizens police academy where they get themselves in some ridiculous situations 😂 I loved it and listening to this one in audio format was AMAZING! Can’t wait to read the next in the series!!

This is a fun series with characters that are relatable I even if the situations they are in aren’t always so

I really enjoyed the third installment in the Finlay Donovan series! I love the character dynamics between Finlay and her nanny Vero, they are like Thelma and Louise (without the cliff). Super fun, I also enjoyed the bulk of the novel being set at a police training academy, there were lots of opportunities for near-misses and double-crossing. The ending was a surprise too, and made me excited for Book 4! There was a little bit of spice, closed-door.
I really enjoyed the audio narrator, she did a great job distinguishing the voices.

Finlay and Vero are at it again. Though this is my least favorite out of the 3, this was still a fun time! I liked the audiobook/the narrators which made this such a fun and easy read!

I cannot wait to see what happens next in the 4th book.


My rating: 3.5 stars



Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook book!

Thank you for the gifted book Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own.

Finlay and Vero are in deep with the mob after they did her a favor in saving her ex-husband from the hit out on his life. Seeking safety and a way to do some sleuthing, they enroll in a citizen's police academy run by hot cop Nick. Finlay is just trying to keep her head above water as she wades through all her responsibilities of managing her kids, a book deadline, and her less than legal after dark activities. This 3rd book in the series takes you on a whole new adventure.

I love how Cosimano throws a new setting into the series in this book with the police academy. It added a closed room mystery vibe while also not excluding the circumstances and characters of the previous two books. I loved the summer campy vibe and how it continued the plot of the drama of the other books. It once again wrapped up the story enough to satisfy us, but also left me salivating for book 4!

Finlay Donovan is back, this time she's enrolling in a police boot camp for civilians, catching bad guys and has a hot live interest still. These books are just ok. Feels like the 3rd one is dragging on. Will be surprised if I pick up the 4th book. Kind of over Finlay's story. Wish they all had more romance

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third instalment to the hilarious Finlay Donovan series. This mystery thriller series has been so much fun to listen to and I have really enjoyed all of the characters. Finlay and Vero are such a fun duo to read about. They always get themselves into the strangest predicaments and in this novel they wind up in a police bootcamp. If you enjoy a thriller with lots of humour, I highly recommend this series. The audiobooks are well-narrated and make for a really enjoyable commute. I am looking forward to finding out where the story goes next!

I loved the first book and the second was great but this…ugh idk it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing either. It feels like it just dragged out her story even more, and there’s another one after this. Someone mentioned this felt like a side quest and it really does. I appreciated Finley finely having her moment with Nick and the bad guy isn’t quite who you expect it to be but I still couldn’t get excited to get through this.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

the other books in this series were so fun and full of hijinks and capers, but this one seems forced. all good things must come to an end and for Finlay Donovan, that should have been the last book.

*Disclaimer- I read the first book in the Finlay Donovan Series, but skipped the second, and went straight into the third.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third book in the series penned by Elle Cosimano. While this book was filled with tons of Finlay mayhem, it fell a bit short. I was a huge fan of the slapstick comedy in the first book, but by the third it felt a bit overplayed and forced.

My biggest issue with this book was how much time Cosimano spent recapping. Being apart of a series, I understand the want/ need to remind readers of key events. Unfortunately, this particular recap felt a little long. I would have preferred to dive straight into the story and sprinkle in a few recaps as needed.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version. The narration was done by Angela Dawe. I am still on the fence if I loved or hated her narration. Dawe used different voices for each character. Having a distinctive voice made the story come alive, but was difficult to listen to at certain times.

Overall, this was a fine book. I am not sure I would revisit it. However, if Cosimano continues the series, I will undoubtedly check it out!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Elle Cosimano, and Macmillian Audio for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is definitely my favorite of the series so far! I loved the move into the police academy and the close proximity to all of the police officers. I can not wait until the next one comes out!!! Also, I absolutely love the Narrator and think she does such a great job with all the characters.

This book has such an incredible and original storyline! I loved the wittiness of the plot! Finlay was such a fun character to follow. The audiobook format was very engaging. It was hard to step away from it. I have already recommended it to several of my friends. I'm excited to read more of the series!

—f i n l a y t h r e e—⁣
Whats a book series you love or one you really want to read??⁣
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Is it just me or is there no greater duo than Finlay and Vero??? They are perfect complements - both fierce, funny, and fearless in their very individual ways. Admittedly, I listened to this book, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, a while ago, but I definitely cannot forget their wacky hijinx, the bonkers setting this time around (a police academy that they are somehow a part of, what), and the crazy chemistry and fun dynamics between all the characters. ⁣
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This is the third installment and just as funny and propulsive as the previous two. I swear I just have this face 😬 while listening. Which reminds me, these books are GREAT on audio. Perfect for a road trip (which is what I was doing when I listened to this one).⁣
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Thank you so much to @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for the audiobook! It was a great old time! ⁣
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#bookstagram #bookreview #teamaudiobook #finlaydonovan #bookreviewsneedlovetoo #booksaremagic #littlebooknook📚

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is Book 3 in Elle Cosimano’s series. And although I LOVE this series, book three was just ok for me. I definitely LOVED books 1 & 2 and still have high hopes for book 4 when it arrives.

I enjoyed the narration. It really keep the storyline moving. It was just the book itself was a little too far fetch and unbelievable at this point for me. In my honest opinion it didn’t add any value to this series whatsoever.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Listening Copy in exchange for my honest opinion. I did enjoy it however, it wasn’t my favorite but am I here to continue to read about Finlay and Vero, 100%.