Finlay Donovan is a full time mom who finds herself short on resources after her attorney husband leaves her for someone else. In the first episode, she finds herself with a corpse that she may or may not have killed; fearing the worst, she disposes of it, and the next thing she knows, her name is on some sort of dark web list of killers for hire. By the time she realizes she’s innocent, it’s too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Other things have happened since then, of course, as we find ourselves now on the fifth installment. Present and accounted for is her nanny and close friend, Vero Ruiz, a woman with the kind of street smarts that can come in handy when the chips are down. In this episode there are several recurring characters, and the reader is strongly advised to go back and read the first Finlay before diving in. It’s not as if you can’t just start with this one, but you’ll be missing half of the jokes and jibes if you do.

My great thanks go to St. Martin’s Press Early Readers program and NetGalley for the review copy. This book will be available March 4, 2025.

Finlay’s nosy neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, assumes a central role this time around when a body is exhumed from her backyard. Her home is declared a crime scene, and before Finlay even has time to react, the woman has installed herself in Finn’s guest room. A beat or two later, Stephen, Finlay’s ex, husband of her two children, is arrested for murdering the corpse that’s been found!

One of my favorite parts of this series is watching the dynamics between Finlay and her ex. On the one hand, the guy is philanderer, and he’s kind of a weasel. Yet, though Vero urges Fin to let justice take its course and stay out of it, Finlay has to defend him. Stephen is the father of her children, and they don’t need to grow up being told their daddy is a murderer. Also? The child support will dry up quick as a whistle if Stephen no longer makes money. And part of what I love about this, is that, in broad strokes, it outlines a dilemma that any number of women with children face. Life is full of nuance, and although this is not literary fiction, not intended to be known for its depth, it does honor the shades of gray faced by so many women. It makes the whole story more relatable.

Mrs. Haggerty also proves to be far more interesting than we previously believed, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. However, I do admire Cosimano’s capacity to juggle a million tiny, moving parts without creating inconsistencies. Once or twice I have seen what looks like an inconsistency, but then it turns out to have been written that way for a reason, usually to expose someone or something.

As the series progresses, I see more critics howling that the series isn’t what it was. Of course they’re right, in a way; when the series grows, the author has to make changes to prevent becoming a one trick pony. But I admire the way Cosimano handles the growth.

One small moan: yes, yes, yes. We can see that Finlay is hot for Nick, her cop boyfriend (the only trite element so far.) And yes, yes, yes, we can see that Vero is madly in love with her sweetheart, a fellow who she’s adored since her teens. We get it. Finlay and Vero are not a couple. We don’t need it hammered in any further, or at least, I don’t. For that matter, I wouldn’t be all that disturbed if they were. But the increased emphasis on their two romances bears just the tiniest whiff if hysteria. It’s not necessary. Finn’s love for Vero and vice versa, is not a lesbian love, but about the family we choose. So, let it rest already. Relax! The lesbian role is fulfilled by Finlay’s cop sister, Georgia, who stays firmly in the background where, apparently, some in the industry believe lesbian characters belong.

Sheesh!

That wee rant aside, I enjoyed this book very much. I heartily recommend it to you, and I cannot wait to read the next in the series.

Elle Cosimano has done it again! This is my favorite book in the series! I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together!

Finlay and Vero are back at it again on an adventure this time to prove that Steven isn’t a murderer! A body is found in Mrs. Haggerty’s back yard and Steven is the number one suspect. Nothing is as it seems on this strange sequence of events! All the usual suspects are along for the ride, including “hot cop” Nick!

Run don’t walk to pick this one up it’s fantastic!

Thank you to Elle Cosimano, Minotaur publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is such a fun series and I really enjoyed this book! I love the characters and the shenanigans they get up to. It was an easy listen and the narrator was fantastic!

4.5 stars

Another fun & ridiculous Finlay & Vero adventure. Maggie (Mrs. Haggerty) & Cam were ridiculous but also a lot of fun!

I loved seeing Maggie & Nick's relationship finally developing & some more trust being built between them!

Oh man - the ending!! When's book 6 coming?

Angela Dawe's narration of the Finlay books is perfect 🤌🏻

Huge thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for advance copies!

Murders don't happen by accident....

...well, except to Finlay Donovan. She's a single mom to two young kids and an author whose stories are a bit too autobiographical for comfort. She has recently been mistaken for a hit woman, become involved with Russian mafia types, and had to dispose of more than one (or even two) dead bodies (which absolutely, positively were not her fault). Her suburban Loudoun County neighborhood is full of nosy, gossipy neighbors who know more about her problems with her cheating ex-husband then she likes, her daughter has been suspended from school for hitting a boy and her son's potty training is NOT going well. Even with the help of her nanny/friend Vero, Finlay has a lot going on (including her budding relationship with hot cop Nick), so she hasn't really paid a lot of attention to the problems of Mrs. Haggerty, the elderly widow who lives across the street and whom quite frankly she's never liked. A dead body was discovered buried on Mrs. Haggerty property (Finlay had nothing to do with this one), and as the owner of the property she initially was arrested for the crime. She's been released and somehow is now staying in Finlay's house, and the police's attention has now shifted to Finlay's ex-husband Stephen. He may have been (and probably still is) a cheating crumb, but he's a good dad and Finlay really doesn't think he's guilty. Even with everything else going on in her life it looks like it will be up to Finlay (again!) to find out who killed the man found under the rose bushes in order to clear Stephen's name (without letting Nick find out what she's doing).
Fun! Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun is what this fifth book in author Elle Cosimano's entertaining series is, featuring a single mother doing her best to be a great mom, write her books, keep her life's ups and downs away from the gossipy neighbors, and figure out if there is a future with Nick given the many crimes she has sort of committed and about which he remains (at least thus far) mostly unaware. Suspicious, but not in possession of any hard facts. She's totally relatable in a heart-in-the-right-place-but-kind-of-a-hot-mess way, the sort of friend who will always be up for a glass of wine (or four) when you've had a bad day. If Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum was crossed with Bridget Jones and plunked down in a Northern Virginia suburban neighborhood, she'd be Finlay Donovan. The plot twists about, with possible suspects popping up behind every bush and doorway, and Finlay and Vero do what they have to do to get to the truth. Fans of the series will have a great time with this latest installment, and readers of the afore-mentioned Janet Evanovich, Sarah Strohmeyer and Harley Jane Kozak should do themselves a solid and pick up a copy of this or any of the preceding entries...read it as a standalone, or have a blast and read them all (trust me, you'll thank me later). Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me early access to this witty bit of escapism.

4.5 stars

Finlay Donovan has finally done it for me! After listening to the first four books in this series and being largely underwhelmed, I switched to my kindle for this most recent installment. Whether it was the change in format or finally moving away from the drawn out Russian mob plot, I found myself appreciating the humorous elements in this one much more, especially with Vero's deadpan delivery. Mrs. Haggerty was a hoot, and I love to see bad husbands get what's coming to them. Can I join this book club?? This was definitely my favorite of the series so far and it's cliffhanger ending with Vero's past finally catching up to her has me excited for the next one.

This was such a fun read! I've loved reading this series from the beginning, and while the previous book wrapped up a lot of the stakes that had been building, I loved what this book did, and what it set up for book 6! I've just has such a fun time reading this series, though it does feel like it's coming to a close soon.

Finlay was a bit of a badass in the previous book, with how she managed to work all these different threats against each other, so she could get her desired outcome. So I really enjoyed seeing her having to deal with just a little bit less-just having the nosy neighbour having to live with her while her own place is getting fixed. Said neighbour a reason why she found out about Steven's infidelity, so that's an uncomfortable position.

Between having Mrs. Haggerty in her house, and then having Steven become a suspect, yeah, I really enjoyed watching Finlay investigate! That a book club became involved, and that there was something going on with them, was a delight to read!

This book wraps up a lot of the threads from the previous books, with the secrets that Finlay is keeping. There is going to be at least 1 more full length book, with what the last lingering thread to tie off, with the way that this book ended. I can't wait to see how that's going to play out!

This was another really wonderful read, and I can't wait to read more by Elle Cosimano!

Okay, THIS ONE is my favorite Finlay! Oh my goodness, what a fun time. Finlay and Vero are at their zaniest, the shenanigans keep on coming and once again, THAT ENDING! I absolutely loved seeing more of Mrs. Haggerty. This lady is an absolute hoot! Also, Cam is one of my favorite characters and we got so many great scenes with him. The action starts pretty much immediately and just keeps on rolling right to the end! I laughed, I gasped, I said, “OH NOOOO” several times. As always, it’s an absolute pleasure to be in Finlay’s world. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait until the next book!
CW: murder, death, domestic violence

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital readers copy!

A fun new installment of the Finlay and Vero series! I think I enjoyed this one even more than the previous books. I really liked how it tied things back to the beginning of the series. Actually. as things were starting to wrap up, I felt like this had “series finale” written all over it. Don’t worry! There’s one more surprise at the end to ensure another book!

Thanks to Elle Cosimano, Minotaur Books and St Martins Press for the advance readers copy. This was a great book to lift my spirits.

Elle Cosimano never lets me down, a great laugh. Bodies always find their way into Finlay's life. While dealing with her ex husband's troubles she has an unexpected house guest leaving me highly entertained. As always I look forward to where the next book takes us.

Finlay and Vero are at it again. Trouble just seems to find them wherever they go- even if they stay home attempting to take care of business! Recommended if you enjoyed the first books in the series.

As always Finlay Donovan is hilarious and funny!! I can’t wait for the next book. Her adventures are so fun to read. I could totally hang out with her if real life…if she was a real person! Highly recommend!

My favorite characters back at it again. You can read this as a standalone, but I would encourage you to read the books in order, as they build upon one another. Funny, fast-paced and intriguing are the three words that come to me when reflecting on what I read. We dive deeper into characters introduced in book 1 with a twist I didn’t expect. Thank you to Net Galley, Elle Cosimano, and Minotaur Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Finlay and Vero are back in this 5th installment of their crime dodging/fighting shenanigans. As Mrs. Haggarty is released from custody with no connection to the dead body exhumed in her backyard, Finlay’s ex, Steven, is taken in for questioning. Finlay and Vero take it upon themselves to, by any means necessary, prove Steven is innocent.

Finlay also has real mom-life problems: a toddler who won’t keep his clothes on, community gossip about her marriage/ex, a nosy neighbor, and a younger best friend that encourages to live on the wild side.

I thought this was a great continuation of Finlay’s crazy life, I LOLed at least twice per chapter, and I’m cliff-hanged waiting for next book!

A body is found in Finlay’s neighbor’s (Mrs. Haggerty) yard. After her release by the police into Finlay and Vero’s care (oh boy!), they decide that they have to find out what happened to not only get Mrs. Haggerty out of their house, but also exonerate Finlay’s ex, Stephen who’s now been accused of the murder. There’s no rest for this weary mother of two mystery author turned sleuth by way of mistakenly being taken for a mercenary for hire.

I loved it! I was curious what direction this book would take as things got a little darker and more serious in the previous book. The consequences of Finlay and Vero’s actions, adventures, and secrets are catching up to them. The big question now is is there a future for her and hot cop, Nick if she can’t be completely truthful and trust him, or does being truthful and placing her trust in him erase any future?

Highlights:
🔦 Mystery, suspense
🔦 Finlay & Vero’s friendship
🔦 Humor, sarcasm, wit
🔦 Hilarious side characters
🔦 Single mom, life after divorce, new relationship, trust
🔦 Low spice, closed door

Dawe’s narration is perfect! She gets the tone and humor just right. And her voices! She brings all the characters’ personalities to life. Her take on Vero and Mrs. Haggerty always crack me up.

Cosimano is my comfort author, and this is my comfort series. I like that she interposes real life family drama in between all the chaos. I’m grateful that she draws one aspect of Finlay’s story to a close while opening another, making room for more shenanigans and adventures. Fans of this series will enjoy all the familiar things as well as the slight shift. I loved every moment of it!

Thank you @macmillan.audio & @minotaur_books for my ALC & ARC in exchange for an honest review. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝘄𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 is available March 4th!

I really enjoyed this one and this is now my second favorite book in the series, after the first one of course! I love this series and this felt like it wrapped things up nicely, though I don't know if there will be another book given how Vero's story ended. So much happened in the first couple of books that in books 3 and 4 I was confused a lot of the time while trying to remember all the details from the prior books, but I didn't feel that way with this one. There was enough of a recap on prior happenings that I wasn't confused and was able to just flow with the storyline. I love how over the top these books are and how they serve as escapism from reality. Nick is such a good love interest and I loved Finlay's agent in this one as she added a lot of humor. I love grumpy old people so Mrs. Haggerty playing a larger part in this book was extremely welcome - I loved how sassy she was! A great addition to the series!

Just when I thought this series might be losing its spark, it pulls me right back in. The last couple of books had me questioning if it was worth keeping up with the series. Let me tell you that it definitely is!! While the first book remains my favorite, this installment firmly claims the runner-up spot. It had me laughing out loud and I was completely obsessed with Mrs. Haggerty—who, let’s be honest, stole the show in the best possible way.

Finlay and her ever loyal partner-in-crime, Vero, are at it again, diving into trouble like it’s their full-time job. But this time, the stakes feel more grounded, the plot more realistic, and less mafia madness. Mrs. Haggerty’s book club becomes a delightful twist that had me questioning my sanity at times. This group of book-loving ladies had their own skeletons, and their antics brought an extra layer of curiosity to the story.

If you are on the fence about continuing the series, consider this your sign! This book proves that Finlay’s adventures are far from over, and I am thrilled to be along for the ride.

Read if you like:
- Cozy mysteries
- The show Good Girls
- Bada$$ single moms

Thank you @netgalley and @minotaur_books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

As I've always said, Finlay = fun! This is the 5th book in the Finlay Donovan series and I would definitely recommend that you start at the beginning and read them in order. All of the characters that we know and love from the series are back. This is a continuation of the series, but honestly, it might be my favorite one yet, Some of the craziness from past books is toned down - like the Mob stuff. It's a little less outrageous than the past Finlays but I enjoyed it so much. I love that the quirky neighbor Mrs. Haggerty plays a big roles in the book. I also like that Mrs. Haggerty's book club is at the center of the book. Also, it once again shouts out my hometown so that makes me so happy! Go ahead and queue me up for Finlay Donovan #6 in 2026!

I would recommend this book for people who like the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovitch.

4.5 Stars

Just like all of the previous Finlay books, I could not put this one down. The stakes were high, the laughs were plenty, and the car wreck of a life that Finlay and Vero are navigating gets even more complicated when the geriatric lady and suspected murdered of their neighborhood moves on in despite the protestations of Finlay and Vero…why? Because her power is out and she needs to stay close to prove her innocence. Nick is back, so is the ex, AND EVEN BABY ATTORNEY! The story ended on a big cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see where we head next!

If you’re looking for a fun read, this is it. Finlay and Vero have never gotten along with their nosy neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty. But, when a dead body shows up in her yard, she turns to Finlay and Vero for help. Finlay’s ex-husband, Steven, is a suspect and Finlay wants to prove his innocence.

Sometimes you just need an entertaining book and I was in it for the cozy mystery vibes. It does help to read all the other books in the series before picking this up as there are characters and events that you will 100% be confused on if you don’t. I loved that it was a more simple mystery, less convoluted than previous books. I also liked seeing Finlay and Nick’s relationship grow, and the interaction with the kids. I would like to see more of Finlay and her sister. I bet they would be a riot together. Mrs. Haggerty was the WORST! I just needed Finlay to grow a backbone towards this old lady and be done.

Overall, it reminded me more of the first book in the series, and I loved that.

Also, Aimee Garcia is my Vero and I will not accept anyone else.

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress, & @minotaurbooks for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.