I just love the Finlay Donovan books! I’m delayed in my review because I just had to start from the beginning so that I could reread everything before this one! It brought just as many laugh-out-loud moments as I have come to expect in this series. Each time a new one comes out I worry that it will be the last one, so I was so happy for another cliffhanger so that I know another book is coming!!!

Another fantastic installment of the Finlay Donovan series. Love watching the characters develop as the stories go on, but especially loved the focus of this book on the neighborhood itself. Maggie was one of our main characters this time around and honestly, I NEVER would have predicted the twist in this one! Not in a million years. Also love how far Nick & Finn have come. This story showed that while we may have done some questionable things in our past, it doesn’t make us “bad.” Loved this and cannot wait for book 6! Thanks for the ARC!

Is it a literary masterpiece? No, but will I continue with this series? Absolutely. It's a fun read that will keep you guessing.

Finlay and Vero are finally done with all the murder and intrigue that has plagued their lives for the past 4 months. Or at least they thought so until a body is found in their elderly neighbor's yard, and suspicion quickly falls on Finlay's ex-husband. As a tenacious detective starts digging into things they'd rather not get uncovered, Finlay and Vero find themselves back on the hunt for the real killer if they hope to keep their own secrets buried.

Another fun caper with quirky characters that has some deep topics without ever feeling dark. I really enjoy how Cosimano takes on murder and the reasons for it with such goofy flair while maintaining the seriousness of it. It's a very fine line, yet she manages it brilliantly.
I continue to be amazed at the dumb things that Finlay and Vero do and how they manage to always escape with a new piece of the puzzle. It's a bumbling sleuth story where the sleuths are so charmingly incompetent that you forgive and ignore the fact that they should have been caught by now.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the fun read!

I LOVE the Finlay Donovan series. Finlay, Vero, Nick....they all just continue to make me laugh as they stumble through their accidental antics. I was thrilled to be able to review yet another ARC from this series. This one really threw me for a loop by making some of the secondary characters become a little more important. I had no idea these people could be like this! I don't want to say much more because I want to avoid any possible spoilers, but this is not one of those series where you're just waiting for it to end. In fact, the cliffhanger at the end made me want the next one to come NOW.

What a fantastic addition to the Finlay Donovan series! I love that we returned to Finlay’s neighborhood and the nosy old biddy across the street gets her story told. The author continues to write Finlay becoming involved in twisty and surprising mysteries, with her sidekick Vera. They are my favorite duo and I can’t wait for their next adventure.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This was the least insane Finlay book (in a good way) and I really enjoyed it. I’m proud of how Finlay behaved in this book - her relationships, her ability to tell the truth, and how she carried herself overall just made me smile. These books are so fun to dive into and this one is no different!

If you've read the previous Finlay Donovan books, then you know exactly what to expect with this entry. There's the hilarious snark from Vero, the unbelievable situations Finlay continually finds herself in, and the laugh-out-loud funny antics of her children. But it feels like the series is starting to lose some of its luster. It wasn't as exciting as the earlier books. Besides a lot of driving around, nothing much seems to happen. I did appreciate that there was a little movement forward in Finlay's personal relationship, but other than that, it didn't feel like the overall arc of the series was advanced in any way. So overall, just an okay book. It's entertaining enough for a couple afternoons, but not my favorite.

Title: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave
By: Elle Cosimano
Pub. Day: Mar 04, 2025

Genre:
Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Humor, Book Club, Audiobook

Trigger Warnings:
Murder, Sexual Content, Profanity, Gun Violence, Infidelity,
(**more graphic content, and profanity than the earlier installments, so rated it 3.5 stars and rounded up.**)

Summary/Review:
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave brings back the beautiful mess of chaos and charm that is Finlay Donovan. She’s a recently divorced mom of two, a struggling writer and woman who transforms everyday chaos into a wildly entertaining spectacle of messes.

In Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave the narrative surprises the reader with discovery of a body across the street from Finlay’s home, so the nonstop adventure begins with a house guest and nosy neighbor, a book club, an ex husband, and boyfriend. Always full of unpredictable twists, Finlay and Vero continue their wild ride of chaos that proves to be endlessly entertaining.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is slightly different from previous novels in the series. This installation has more Ms. Haggerty and less Vero. The reader learns more about Sylvia and the kids. The novel holds true to Finlay’s sharp, clever, and witty dialogue still filled with laugh out loud mishaps. The theme of the Finlay Donovan series balances the heaviness of heartbreak with hilarious disasters that revolve around the distinctive character, Finlay. The character depth in Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is wild and unpredictable with memorable themes of honesty, and trust. Home…where it all begins and ends.

Thank you to Elle Cosimano, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity of an Advanced Readers Copy. I am voluntarily leaving my personal review.

#FinlayDonovanDigsHerOwnGrave
#St.MartinsPress
#MinotaurBooks
#ElleCosimano
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

Elle Cosimano does it again!

This has been my favorite of the Finlay Donovan series so far.

When poor old (irritating) Mrs. Heggerty ends up with a dead body buried in her yard, she is outsourced to Finlay's house while the investigation is ongoing. So, in true Finlay and Vero fashion, they try to uncover the true identity of the killer and get nosy Mrs. Heggerty out of Finlay's house before she finds a skeleton (or five) in Finlay's closet.

The wit and humor are back and the heart-racing situations Finlay and Vero find themselves in are, too.

5 stars! I will be impatiently awaiting the next book in the series!

Yet another silly Finlay Donovan book! They are always so fun and my mom loves them so much. It's a blast to talk to her about them. I may be puttering out a bit on FD but I am going to try to keep up with the series. Time will tell!

When a body is found in Mrs. Haggerty's backyard, she has nowhere to go until her property is no longer a crime scene. Her grandson asks Finlay if she can stay at her house while he is out of town and she has no choice but to agree. Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with the elderly Mrs. Haggerty, who is the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch, but now that she is living in Finlay's home, actually taking over her room, they decide they need to solve the crime to get her out. Once again, Finlay's ex-husband, Steven is a suspect. The poor guy is always on the police radar, but maybe it's time for his infidelity to finally cause him some pain. Who is really responsible for the murder? Is it Mrs. Haggarty? What about the dead guys wife? There is something suspicious about Mrs. Haggarty's book club, what do they know?

I always enjoy tagging along as Finlay and Vero try to solve a murder. Although Mrs. Haggarty was an unwelcome lodger, she did Finlay a favour when it came to her children. She whipped them into shape and even got the younger one toilet trained. That as a humorous adventure in itself. During the investigation, Finlay and Vero end up finding out things they weren't ready for. A secret operation causes some angst for them both. There is some light romance between Vero and Javi as well as chemistry between Finlay and Nick, that adds a bit more to the story. Get ready for chaos, mischief, banter and laughter as Finlay and Vero share their crazy, messy lives. I am already looking forward to the next book, as Vero's past has caught up with her and we are left wondering what is going to happen.

I can always count on a Finlay Donovan book for a fun time, and the fifth book in the series did not disappoint!

This was a nice change of pace from the fourth book. It’s a bit slower paced and a little more simple compared to the previous book, which isn’t a bad thing at all! I found the fourth book to be really unrealistic and crazy, so I was excited to get more of a glimpse into Finaly’s nosy neighbour, Mrs. Haggerty.

Overall, this was just another fun and entertaining addition to the series! There’s never a dull moment, and I love seeing what crazy situations these characters get into. I really loved the tension and all of the twists throughout the book, and of course I loved being back with all of the fun characters in the series! Plus I enjoyed the aspects of romance thrown in as well.

As always, it left off on a cliffhanger which means another book is coming. I do feel like the series is getting a little redundant since there are so many books, but I will still be picking up the next book because I love this series!

Mrs. Haggerty was the star of the show. This book was suspenseful and did a nice job of continuing Finlay's story in a logical way, while introducing more of a new character and keeping things moving.

I'm looking forward to reading the next installment!

Someone is always watching and in Finlay’s neighborhood, it’s the vigilant Mrs. Haggerty. She is in charge of the neighborhood watch and logs everything she sees. After a massive storm, a body is found buried in her back yard. After being arrested, it’s finally her turn to reach out to Finlay and Vero for help. After finally being released, she has no where to go and ends up at Finlay’s house. However, Mrs. Haggerty begins sneaking around causing Finlay and Vero to get right back into fighting crime.

I swear I didn’t think the Finlay books could get every crazier and yet here we are on number 5. I did enjoy that they finally brought in the nosy neighbor as a main character. She deserved her own limelight and great to hear more of her back story. Who knows when this series will be over, but until Finally and Vero royally mess up and end up behind bars, I’ll just keep reading.

Finlay & Vero are at it again, this time attempting to clear Mrs. Haggerty & Steven's names. I do fear that their antics are starting to wear on me a bit. In particular I really hope Finlay finally grows a spine. However this was a fun little adventure that was excellent on audio as usual. The plot was fairly predictable but ultimately a fun summer read.

Also who else called that <spoiler>Mrs. Haggerty was a baddie?!?!</spoiler>

This was cute like always! This series is like those whodunit series that our grandmas were obsessed with (Like Cat Who), but in a good way! Always an entertaining read with plenty of drama and shenanigans to keep you intrigued.

This book was phenomenal! It was so much fun and a delight to read. I cannot wait for the next book. I loved that Finley and Vero were back home instead of Atlantic City or the police academy.

The audiobook narration was fantastic and really brought the characters to life. I’ve loved every book in this series and have given them all 5 stars because they’re just that good. The author’s references to past books make it so easy to follow along and definitely keeps the story flowing. The action and suspense kept me completely hooked throughout.

This was another win for me. I love the Finlay Donovan series and will continue to read books about the other characters. They are humorous and just fun reads! Loved it!