There was SO MUCH happening in this book. Enjoyed it for sure. Finlay Donovan is a flawed, but loveable character.
I felt like there may have been a few too many characters to track, but I enjoyed the book.

The Finlay Donovan series is always my immediate “get me out of a reading slump series. It’s comedic genius mixed with it dark background is the perfect mix for a lover of laughter and true crime. It gives me the thrills I need, the laughs I yearn for, and the twists I NEVER see coming. Especially in this book, I absolutely did not expect the big reveal, but I love how it panned out. Can’t wait to get to the third book!

I was issued these books for my unbiased review.

I really enjoyed these books. I was issued the entire series of Finlay Donovan stories. They are all stand alone, but I think that for the greatest enjoyment they should be read in order. The duo of Finlay and Vero are so much fun. They keep getting into crazy situations--and find their way out of them. Great read, funny and innovative. All the characters are well placed and just a pleasure.

Read them you will have a great ride!

This was a fantastic second book in the Finlay Donovan series. This series continues to be charming and hilariously thrilling. This series is bringing everything to the table for me: witty, fun, quick moving, thrilling - it's got it all! I will be quickly jumping into book 3 and likely will be binge reading the remainder of this series soon!!

Finlay Donovan is back and just as enjoyable as ever. Trouble continues to find her, and she just wants to make things right. Her amusing sidekick, Vero, is back too. The young and sexy law student/bartender, Julian, is vying for Finlay’s time as well, and the strong and handsome police detective, Nick, is trying hard to win her over. Steven, Finlay’s annoying ex husband who tends to get in the way, is also a strong player in this book. Even Finlay’s extended family seems to get caught up in the craziness. The scenes are comedic, yet serious, and full of adventure and surprises. I loved this installment and am looking forward to #3. This was a quick, fun, easy read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the digital ARC.

3.5 stars
A nice continuation of the story from the first book. Finlay spends the book trying to figure out who wants to kill her ex-husband. Unfortunately, there are a lot of options.
She's still got two men interested in her, the younger bartender/law student, and the police officer.
Vero is a delight, and I love the scenes with Delia and Nick.
I'm still enjoying the series and look forward to book 3, but I liked this a little less than book 1.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The development of the characters gets better and better. I was laughing out loud from the start. Looking forward to next book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to finally start reading this series!

These books are hilarious and such a fun read. The only problem that I had with this book is that she’s trying to stop Steven from being murdered. I’m fully on team Steven should not be saved. He didn’t do anything redeeming in this book. In fact, we found out more slimy things that he has done. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano--Finlay and Vero are back in another caper. Someone on a message board wants her ex-husband dead so Finlay sets out to figure out who it is and prevent his murder. The sexy cop and hot bartender/law student are also back, complicating Finlay's personal life. Throw in the Russian mob and hijinks ensue. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy.

This book was even better than Finlay Donovan Is Killing It and I NEED there to be more books in this series! I love the characters. I love the danger, the suspense, and the messes Finlay gets herself into. And I love that the author has taken all that and made it funny!
I hardly put this book down because this story quickly got crazy and more suspenseful and I needed answers. I enjoyed the twists, the non-cheesy romance, and I laughed out loud in the end. This book totally paved the way for more books to this series so I’ll be waiting with my fingers and toes crossed!

This is the 2nd installment in the Finlay Donovan series and it is so much fun! This is just an easy, fun, hysterical series that simply entertains the reader. Finlay and her sidekick Vero, once again are in loads of trouble as they try to solve the latest crimes. Finlay has writer's block, Vero is hiding something personal, the ex-husband Steve is in question and Finlay's love triangle is still going on (at least for the beginning), Are the characters and plot lines unbelievable? Yes they are, and that's what makes this so enjoyable!
3 1/2 rounded up to 4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this copy.

This was entertaining and fun. A good sequel as it stands— however I cannot wait to see how things play out for Finlay & Vero in the coming books.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for the promotional access for the upcoming release— they offered the whole series y’all!!!

I enjoyed book 2 in the series, but I didn't love the romance triangle. I'm not a fan of them in general while reading. This book definitely had a different feel to it. It was one thing after another with more comedy mixed in. I liked the fast pace of the story.

I read two of this series (read # 3 a little out of order). This is a great addition to the series. I have to love a female protagonist who is a harried divorced mom who has problems with her ex who is a writer who gets pulled by her own curiosity into solving mysteries. Here we have the added complication of her ex being a target for the murderer which does great things for revealing how messy things can be when you are angry at your ex spouse but recognize that they are still your child's parents. All is is done with Consimano's trademark humor. Now I will be ready for the last in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for providing me with the opportunity to read this and prepare for the last in the series in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book, "Finlay Donovan Knocks Em Dead," is the second book about Finlay Donovan. The first book is "Finlay Donovan Is Killing It." The characters in the first book carry over to the second book. "Knocks 'Em Dead" is solving the mystery of who is trying to kill Finlay's ex-husband. The book continues with the same quirky humor as the first book. However, the reader does not have to read the first book prior to "Knock Em Dead." Each character is summarized and explained well. If you liked the first book, you'll like the second. It is a lighthearted murder mystery. If you enjoy books written by authors like Frederik Backman or Graeme Simsion, I think you'd enjoy this book too. I look forward to reading the next Finlay book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher, Minotaur Books, and the author, Elle Cosimano, for the privilege to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is the second in the Finlay Donovan cozy mystery series, picking up not long after the events of the first book. This one has Finlay and her nanny Vero trying to figure out who put a hit out on Finlay’s ex-husband Steven, as well as who the person trying to kill him is. And, of course, the local Russian mafia is involved even if the guy in charge is currently imprisoned. This was a fun mystery with some great characterizations, but Finlay drives me a little nuts, which sometimes made this agonizing to read through.

With a hit out on her ex-husband, Finlay has been at odds with him because she won’t let the kids stay with him. He, of course, doesn’t believe her even when he’s attacked while the kids are in his care. Unfortunately, her attempts, with Vero in tow, to figure out who put out the hit and who has, apparently, taken it upon herself to kill Steven, only seem to incriminate her. Vero’s also keeping secrets, and Finlay discovers there’s a tangled web of women around Steven. Throw in the fact that the guy she’s kind of seeing, the bartender Julian, is out of town for a week with a bunch of other guys and doing possible questionable things because now he’s not really communicating with her, and Finlay finds her holiday season not quite as merry. Even if Detective Nick Anthony seems very, very interested.

Just like with the first book, I really enjoyed the mystery and I loved how nutty it made Finlay. Her life is already kind of a mess. Throw in someone trying to kill the father of her children, a father her children absolutely love and adore, and things get complicated. Honestly, though, I found it difficult to really get into this one. All the murder attempts were scary, but I found it hard to become really invested until a body turned up. Prior to that, it kind of felt like everyone was spinning their wheels. Sure, dangerous and scary things were happening, people were hurt, things were destroyed, but it mostly just made Finlay feel like she was chasing something instead of investigating something.

Ultimately, though, the mystery was my favorite part. I liked how much trouble Finlay always got herself into, the web she’d attached herself to growing and growing. I’m always tickled by how much deeper she digs her hole with the Russian mafia. The cast of players there just seems to grow, and I love how this suburban mom who struggles to even pay her own bills winds up mingling with some very wealthy characters. Her life is in the process of turning inside out, and it’s kind of fun to see, especially since one of her love interests is a police detective, not to mention her own sister is a cop.

There are two major gripes I have with this book, and the series so far, though. One is the romance. On their own, Julian and Nick seem like pretty ordinary, decent guys. But something happens when Finlay ends up in their mix. It feels like a love triangle, but also kind of not really. Finlay and Julian are, more or less, just hooking up and Julian feels like he both wants to be the guy Finlay turns to while also keeping things casual and locking her out of his life. Nick, on the other hand, wants a real, true relationship, and doesn’t care that she’s seeing someone else. I hate these dynamics, and they all feel like juveniles playing at love. I’m hoping Finlay picks one soon and sticks with it, because it just feels like it’s taking something away from the story for me.

Even worse, Finlay feels more like an absent mom than the dad the kids hardly ever get to see. She’s always rushing out to solve a case, or locking herself in her office to finish a manuscript she doesn’t even spend a lot of time writing and yet manages to churn something fantastic out at the end of a night. She clearly loves her kids and wants to protect them, but she always seems to be foisting their care off on someone else, from their real Aunt Georgia to their “Aunt” Amy to their grandmother. Vero’s their nanny, so I get why she’s taking care of the kids so much, but, as a mom myself, I love putting my kids to bed and it often annoyed me how often Finlay got home late, well after Vero put the kids to bed. It feels like she wants the kids, but not always the trouble of taking care of them. The times Finlay herself raised a hand to actually care for her children seemed few and far between.

Honestly, though, Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead just wasn’t a strong installment in the series to me. It’s fun, and I liked how nutty Finlay and Vero are, and I especially love Vero’s character, but other things muddied this one for me. I found the whole story mostly lackluster until the very end, when a very interesting and funny reveal is made. But these characters have just wrapped themselves up in their own webs that just keep getting latched together. The really fun part is the part the Russian mafia plays. Everything else just kind of felt agonizing to get through.

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is probably not going to be one of my favorite books in the series, but it’s lighthearted and fun with some scary things thrown in. It didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, but it was amusing to follow her as she followed the clues, and sometimes her reactions to things were kind of worth it. Otherwise I’m completely over the romantic entanglements, and I would love to see Finlay be more hands on with her kids. But it is also kind of fun to watch her dig her hole deeper.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rating: 3.75
Mode of Reading: Kindle
How did I pick this up: @NetGalley Read Now Promotion by Elle Cosimano and her publisher (Minotaur Books) in preparation for the latest Finlay Donovan book (releasing March 18 2025)
Short Yet Sweet Review: I believe that Ms. Donovan may be one of my new favorite reads - it's easy to consume, fun to read, and keeps your interest! The only reason my rating doesn't reflect that same sentiment is that 'it's a fun read' is all I keep thinking - not "It's groundbreaking, I'm in love, this is phenomenal, etc." but don't let this fool you; I've enjoyed my time with Finlay and Vero. This time, the twist was fun and comical and I did NOT see it coming. I found that this book made me want to know more about Vero and her back story and I feel like we only got a little introduction to it this time - maybe more in the next books. I love the connection that Finlay writes her new books based on the drama they are going through and I'm intrigued to know if we'll ever find out more in a romance sense: lawyer or cop.... I absolutely will be picking up the next book to find out more - the Epilogue has me ready to pick it up next!

(Short Review as not a true ARC - book was published in 2022!)

In this second installment Finlay and her cast of crazies attempt to keep her ex alive and discover who put a hit on him.

Fast paced, goofy, light hearted who dun it

Finlay 2.0 did not disappoint! I love that the book is funny, and the characters are all perfectly written, but it’s also legit a mystery, I had no idea who the culprit was until the end. Over all the series is so fun to read and also, team Nick for sure. 🥵👮‍♀️. Bring on book #3

This series is getting better and better, I love the mystery surrounding it all, and I’m always shocked by the cliffhanger and the who did it of the whole book, but I also love the love triangle, the relationship between Vero and Finlay and the other drama.

This book is super entertaining and keeps me hooked from start to finish, it’s so easy to fall back into the world post the cliffhanger and the characters all stay pretty much from book 1 so it’s really easy to get hooked on all the side plots and characters as well! Can’t wait to read book 3!