I loved this book. It's my favorite after the first. I was dying for Finlay and Nick to finally get together and I liked that we had some lingering questions answered (even though it brought more up for me). I was hooked from the beginning and didn't want this to end. I can't wait to see where book four takes us and what else Finlay gets up to.

I really enjoyed this installment of this series! I found myself laughing out loud a good bit and was surprised at some of the outcomes. Definitely think this one was better than the last, but not as good as the first. Still looking forward to more adventures from Finlay and Vero!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC on the newest Finlay escapade. I'm not sure how Cosimano does it, but somehow every time I open her books, I cannot put them down.
Finlay is involved in another mess with her trusty sidekick/nanny Vero. Following the events of the last book, Finlay is tasked with discovering who EasyClean is from a Russian mob boss and taking him out at the same time tamping down her serious attraction to Nick, the hottie cop who is starring in her much overdue manuscript. There's just one small issue (well...more than one) Finlay is sure that EasyClean is a dirty cop. Yikes! On the case, Vero and Finlay enroll themselves in civilian police academy to try and smoke EC out. And because nothing is ever easy, massive amounts of hilarious chaos ensues.
Cosimano has done it again and sucked me into this series. I love reading the crazy antics of Finlay & Vero, I can almost see them as a modern day Laverne & Shirley/Lucy & Ethel. This book keeps me chuckling and flipping pages so fast I finished this in a day. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-galley of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun.

Elle Cosimano knocked it out of the park again, I loved the first two Finlay books and was excited to get my hands on the third.

Between Finlay and Vero's escapades, the reader truly never knows what trouble or what dead bodies will pop up. In book three, Vero and Finlay are off to a week at the citizens' policy academy, so surely nothing can go wrong with a constant policy presence. Think again. As Finlay and Vero go through the rigors of policy academy, they hit one road block after another in their hunt for EZClean. Will they make it out of policy academy in one piece? Or will EZClean get the drop on them first?

Finlay and Vero's world is never dull, that's for sure!

I enjoyed being back with our favorite mom+accountant/nanny duo. This one picks up right where book 2 left off, but with a fun premise of being mostly set at a citizen police academy. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book and thought it was smart of Cosimano to put all of her characters (mostly) together in one place for an enxtended period of time. Tension!

My biggest qualm is that the storyline started to get a bit redundant and formulaic for me, and I wished we had a different conflict from book 2. The major conflict stemmed from something that started at the beginning of book 2, so it was just a lot of reading to get to the resolution.

I always appreciate the escape these books provide. And by the looks of it, we'll get a book 4 (maybe?).

Thanks so much to Minotaur and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Elle Cosimano does it again! Over the past year, cozy mysteries have become quite popular but I can’t possibly see anything ever topping the Finlay Donovan series. In book three, Finlay and Vero get roped into attending a police academy for civilians run by none other than Nick, Finlay’s on again/off again romantic interest who she has to work overtime to keep her extracurricular activities secret from. We also get to learn more of Vero’s backstory and I especially love her increasingly entertaining interactions with her ex-love interest Javi. In the beginning of the book, Finlay and Vero find themselves still entangled with Feliks and the Russian mob after he hires them to investigate and carry out a hit for him. Adding to that, Vero has found herself in some hot water with a loan shark who’s ready to collect. And as if all of that weren’t enough, Finlay still has to take care of her kids, rewrite the end of her newest novel, and contend with her annoying ex-husband. If you haven’t had the chance to read this series yet, I cannot recommend it enough! You’ll find yourself endlessly amused by the situations Finlay and Vero find themselves in (I would honestly love to see this adapted!), engrossed in the mysteries they’re constantly on the fringes of, and rooting for Finlay and Vero to be open to the possibility of romantic love again. Finlay and Vero’s friendship remains firmly at the heart of the story and if you’re like me, you’ll always find yourself wishing for more time with them at the end of each book. My only wish is that Elle Cosimano could write more installments faster- a year between books is killer!

I feel like each Finlay book gets more unhinged than the previous one. This book definitely requires a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief, but what can I say, I REALLY enjoyed it. It was probably my favorite of the series, with higher stakes, and a mystery that kept me flipping the pages.

I would actually recommend reading the other books in the series before starting this one, I even felt like I missed a few things because it had been a year since I read the previous book.

👍
+ The intrigue/mystery was high with this one. I really had no idea who the person she was looking for was. It kept me guessing the whole time. And there was a constant worry that she was gonna get caught since she’s surrounded by police for most of the book.
+ I loved that we got more of the romance. In the first book, I was pretty split on who I wanted her to end up with, but I’m liking the direction that this is going in. I just want Finlay to finally just let herself enjoy it, which she kinda finally does.
+ At the center of the story though, as always, is the bromance between Finlay and Vero, two very flawed women, supporting each other, but also getting each other constantly in trouble. Finlay really has a knack for doing things that will get her further into the trouble she was trying to get out of.
+ Ended with a really good cliffhanger, and I’m loving the path it seems to be going down especially in regards to the ex husband, so I already can’t wait for the next book.
+ This is definitely a book that is really over the top, a lot of hijinks, shenanigans, hard to believe plot lines ensue, possibly more than the previous books.

👎 There wasn't anything I explicitly disliked in this book. FYI, there are A LOT of cops and cop plot lines in it.

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

This is the third in the series. Finlay and Vero were at a weeklong police camp which is like a summer camp feel but with boot camp. There are funny situations, romantic moments and clues to detect- all under the guise of researching for her next book.
I entered my husband's chili recipe awhile ago. Excited to see who she picks for her finished book.
Have you read these books yet?

Thank you stmartinspress and minotaur_books and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This is third book in this series and I think it’s best to start at the beginning of the series so that you get to know Finlay and Vero from the beginning. The situations they find themselves in are just mind boggling and totally unrealistic, but oh so entertaining. Their friendship and support of one another is both heartwarming and often hilarious. This book blends suspense, humor and a little romance. Finlay and Vero are dealing with a Russian mobster, an Atlantic City loan shark, a hired assassin and crooked cops. This series is just pure entertainment,

💜𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲💜
FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: thriller/mystery
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
📖 304 pages
🥳 𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 1/31/2023

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘆!

Oh Finlay 😂- this duo does it again! I just love Finlay and Vero s’much! Their adventures never cease to make me laugh and the trouble those two can talk their way out of is just👌🏼

The bathroom 🚽 stall scene 😂, what an opening, IYKYK. The sexual tension between Finlay and hot cop👮🏻‍♂️ 🤫

I love a book within a book and this one did not disappoint. It’s a series like any other and I’m so happy there will be a # 4!

This one follows Finlay and Vero as they navigate their way into finding the killer at the police academy. What ensues is endless chaos, wild adventure, and nail biting suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

💭 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝘁?

Thank you @stmartinspress @minotaurbooks & @ellecosimano for this #gifted digital ARC!!

Finlay and Vero are back in the third release of the Finlay Donovan series with an all-new adventure, and it's filled with the hijinks we've all come to love from these characters!

Trouble has a way of finding Finlay Donovan—from sneaky assassins to shady loansharks to slick detectives, Finlay and Vera bob and weave their way from one hilariously over-the-top scenario to another. With their usual slapstick aplomb, they find the clues they need just in time to solve the case.

Things may be looking up for Finlay and her ex, but that ship has sailed, and hot detective Nick is on the case (as is young bartending lawyer Julian). Throw in her two kids and a stint at the citizen police academy, and Finlay has her hands more than full yet again.

I have enjoyed the audiobooks for each book in this series, and returning narrator Angela Dawe does an excellent job with each character she portrays. It makes for a fun afternoon of listening to these accidental lawbreakers who always seem to come out on the right side of the law and the people who help them whether they want to or not.

Needless to say, shenanigans and revelations abound in this installment. There's also the perfect set-up for book 4, and I can't wait for more!

Finlay Donovan is stuck. Her latest novel has been rejected by her publisher until she adds more spice to the parts that need the spice. When her lead character and the hot cop finally find themselves alone on a beach together, she has a tsunami hit from out of nowhere. She just can’t figure out how to write the romance between these two characters. But she needs to. She and her nanny/accountant Veronica need the money.

Vero has been accused of stealing money from a sorority where she went to college, and she claims that she’s innocent. But that didn’t stop her from going to Atlantic City to borrow money from a loan shark to try to win the amount she had supposedly stolen. However, that plan didn’t go so well, and now she owes $250 thousand to a man who is not interested in setting up a payment plan.

The Russian mobster who has been keeping an eye on her work, Feliks, is somehow up-to-date even on Vero’s financial woes, so he sends his attorney to help Finlay and Vero out when they create a mess at Vero’s cousin’s auto salvage yard. A mobster may have been chasing them and got caught under a stack of car chassis. Before Finlay and Vero could decide what to do, Feliks’ attorney had shown up with a cadre of cleaners to help out and to offer them a large cash incentive to complete one small task for Feliks. All they have to do is find out who is the contract killer going by EasyClean and take care of him. Or her. That’s all.

The problem? Finlay and Vero don’t know who EasyClean is. They’ve been trying to figure that out ever since Finlay found out that EasyClean had agreed to kill her ex-husband by someone who had posted the job on a suburban mom message board. But a hot tip has them thinking the killer could be someone on the police force, so when the opportunity comes up to spend a week at citizen’s police academy, they sign up. The classes and activities can help Finlay with the romantic suspense books she writes, and maybe spending a week close to hot cop Nick will help her write her find the right spice blend for her bland scenes.

Of course, it could also put them in the sights of a contract killer who may still want her out of the way. Figuring out who EasyClean is could make them a threat to her (his?) business, but not figuring out who EasyClean is will definitely make a dangerous Russian mobster angry. What’s a suburban mom supposed to do to keep her two young kids safe, protect her accountant/nanny from the hands of an increasingly desperate loan shark, shield her ex-husband from those who want him dead, rewrite her latest novel, and find love with a hot cop? Well, whatever that is, Finlay is going to have to figure it out very quickly.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third novel in this quirky series that follows a mom into a dangerous underground community of contract killers, mobsters, dirty cops, and degenerate ex-husbands. Author Elle Cosimano blends humor, action, and romance with fun twists and lovely surprises to tell the story of a woman who stumbled into danger and has had to use her wits to keep herself and her family safe ever since.

I think Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun should come with a warning label. I read a lot, but I also have some attention issues. I tend to read a few pages and then check my emails or get a snack or whatever. I would read a few pages of this one, and suddenly 30 or 40 minutes were gone. If you’re cooking or doing laundry or needing to stop at some point to pick your kids up, then set a timer for yourself, or if you’re anything like me, you’ll get lost in the book until something big pulls you out of the action. I loved the idea of the citizen’s police academy, and I felt like the pacing of this book, the timing of the actions, and the moments of humor and romance were perfect. I would not change a single thing about this book. I loved every second of it.

Egalleys for Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun were provided by Minotaur Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Finlay and Vero are back! This time, they're trying to find a way to pay off Vero's poker debt, as well as find out who EasyClean is, now that they are indebted to Zhirov. To "lay low" and try to figure out which dirty cop EazyClean is, Finlay and Vero go on a weeklong citizens' police training. Of course, there are plenty of hijinks and humor as only these two can muster!

I think this was my favorite in the Finlay Donovan series so far. I felt like removing Finlay and Vero from their day-to-day allowed the pacing to move faster. I'm also really glad that things progressed with Finlay and one of her many love interests in this book. I always enjoy the cast of characters in this series, and this book was no exception. I really didn't see the twist towards the end coming and was totally surprised. Of course this ended on a cliffhanger, so we'll be back for another go around with Finlay and I can't wait!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Happy pub to day to Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by the amazing @ellecosimano! If you’re a fan of the series, I guarantee you’re going to enjoy this third installment where writer/mom Finlay and her nanny/accountant Vero go to police school for writers and law enforcement enthusiasts. And if you’re not a fan

of the series, I can only assume you haven’t read it yet.

Possible book 1 and 2 spoilers in the next paragraph, since the series is not really stand-alone:
Finlay and Vero are trying to uncover the identity of Easy Clean, a killer for hire who tried to off Finlay’s ex-husband Stephen, and the head of the Russian Mob is waiting for their report. Plus Vero is being pursued by a loan shark. To stay safe, they sign up to go to police school, which kills two birds with one stone because they believe Easy Clean is someone on the force. Finlay is also navigating her will-they-or-won’t-they relationship with Nick, the inspiration for the hot cop in her new novel. The one her agent warns her won’t sell if Finlay doesn’t add some steam.

And hilarity ensues.

This series is, at it’s core, a testament to the power of female friendships and I adore the way Cosimano handles that theme in these books. There are also plenty of cringey and relatable mom moments and a bit of romance for both our main characters.

The book ends with another doozy of a cliffhanger, and I will say the Finlay cliffhangers are killing me. I have no doubt the author is writing as fast as she can, but I’m not sure I can wait another year to find out what happens.

This is the first in the series that I listened to (shocking, I know), and I’m so grateful to @macmillan.audio for an ALC of this one and to @minotaur books for an e-copy that I could reference. The audio is super fun and the narrator definitely does a great job of handling the humor and gravity of the situations Finlay and Vero find themselves in.

Finlay Donovan, for those who haven’t yet “met” her, is a novelist who was meeting with her agent and discussing the plot of her latest book at a Panera when a middle-aged woman next to her overheard, believed, and hired Finlay to kill her husband. This was 2 books ago, and Finlay is still in waaay over her head!

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun opens with Finlay and her nanny/partner (as in crime, not romantic) Vera still deep in debt to the Russian mob. The mob boss has a simple job for the duo: find out the contract killer, who called himself (or herself) “Easyclean” in an online forum, or pay up. Finlay suspects the killer may be a cop, one in the same precinct as her sister, Georgia.

Luckily for Finlay, hot cop Nick (sorry, but that’s what she calls him) is running a week-long class for civilians. Finlay arranges for her ex to watch her two kids, and she and Vera engage in a lot of rule breaking, digging up bodies, “borrowing” cop cars, and more, in one adventure after another. In between they attend seminars and spy on the various police officers running the academy, in an attempt to figure out who is betraying his or her oath.

The Finlay Donovan books are fun. Vera continues to consistently amuse, and the kids are always good for a laugh. The tension between Finlay and Nick continues to ratchet up, and the plot contains enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. You’ll want to read the books in order, but don’t worry–this one ends with enough open ends to ensure that we’ll be reading more about this novelist/crime fighter/single mom in the future.

Another thrilling, fun-filled, action packed, over-the-top adventure with my favorite gal pals, Finlay and Vero!!

In this 3rd-installment of the beloved Finlay Donovan Mystery series, Finlay and Vero pack their bags and head to a recently developed Citizen's Police Academy. Nick, Finlay's potential love interest, is the cop in charge of the program and many of his departmental friends are there acting as instructors. Finlay is under the guise of researching her next book, but we all know how true that is.

She's actually there to try to find the mysterious character, Easy Clean. But like, yeah, she does actually need to finish that book. Will her protagonist get together with the cop?

As you can imagine, Finlay and Vero's time living in dorms, attending classes where they get put through police training along with Finlay's elderly neighbor, some over-enthusiastic podcasters and others, will not be without its hijinks. There's so much going on in this one. Finlay's ex-husband is circling around, trying to make amends, which Finlay wants no part of. Vero's past gets brought up in a big way and mob boss, Feliks isn't quite done with the ladies yet.

The Finlay Donovan series is one of my favorite Cozy Mystery series ever. The main reasons for that are the characters and the humor. Finlay has such a dry sense of humor. I absolutely love the way she describes everything going on around her and her feelings about it. I'm seriously in stitches half the time.

I have listened to the entire series on audio and definitely recommend that medium. At this point, the narrator, Angela Dawe, is Finlay Donovan to me. Her voice-work in that role is top notch!

The relationship between Finlay and Vero is perfect as well. They're so in deep together at this point. I love how even though, they are pretty different when you think about it, they are fully committed to one another and their friendship benefits them both equally.

The ending of this leads me to believe there will absolutely be a fourth installment. I'm not sure how many books are slated to be in this series, but I will be reading them all. Each and every one. Happily and with excitement.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I have been so excited for this release and it definitely didn't disappoint.

Mini synopsis: after accidentally becoming a hit woman, Finlay along with her accountant/partner in crime Vero find themselves deep in the murder for hire business. All accidentally of course! This time the pair has made it into a police academy, all research for Finlay’s next book (or for that hit for hire business 🤷🏻‍♀️)

In preparing to read this book, I reread the first 2 books in the series. And what I’ll say from that experience is that it just gets better for me! I loved that we pick up right where we left off: with a luxury car, a shell company, and a business proposal from Feliks. I love this series bc it’s so ridiculous but fun all the same. The scene with the mock trial had me literally laughing out loud bc of course the lawyer is gonna be Julian and the cop is gonna be Nick 😂 what could possibly go wrong with both your love interests on trial?

This series flawlessly introduces characters at the right moments & it doesn’t feel like they are just there to advance the plot. There’s a lot of people and moving parts, but they are all distinct enough to keep track of. I loved that we got more about Vero & her past and her motivations to continue to help Finlay. They are friendship goals!! I mean Vero finally has a stocking on the fireplace! 🥰

I just wanna mention the audiobook for a sec too bc it’s fantastic! The narrator does different voices and inflections for different characters effortlessly (& in a non annoying way!)

An easy 5 stars & im so happy there’s more to this series!!

happy #pubday to the third book of the #finlaydonovan series! 🎉

Finlay & her nanny, Vero, always seem to find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Finlay, a suspense writer and now-single mother of 2, roped herself in with a Russian mob, who is now expecting payment in return for a previous favor. meanwhile, Vero is desperately trying to pay back a Jersey loan shark before his people come searching for her.

the two friends work together to come up with Vero’s money while simultaneously fulfilling the mob’s request: find a contract killer before the cops do. Finlay & Vero find themselves enrolling in a citizen police academy thanks to Finlay’s cop sister & colleagues, one of whom is Finlay’s love interest. together, Finlay & Vero use what they learn in the police academy (along with their previous experience in crime) to find the contact killer, a person who is closer than they think.

i can definitely see why people rave about these books! a super light-hearted & fast read, it was easy to fall in love with Finlay and Vero; the two are hilarious together! while the events in the story lend itself to a suspense, I thought the tone of the story was more comical than anything. Finlay & Vero always seem to find themselves in the worst situations, with their friend Javi constantly stepping in at the wrong time and unknowingly getting the brunt of their actions.

i think I would have enjoyed this book more if i had read the first two books prior to reading this one. they refer back to a lot of events that clearly took place in the previous books, and while they were detailed enough that I eventually got the general idea, I was still frustrated over missing so many details (but that’s on me 🤦🏼‍♀️).

if you’re planning to check this one out, I would definitely suggest reading the series in order! and for all you Finlay Donovan lovers, this book ends on a cliffhanger, which means there will be more to love coming soon! ☺️

thanks to @netgalley, @stmartinspress & @ellecosimano for my #advancedreaderscopy of this book!

Well I had a fantastic time reading this book! This series is wild and crazy, and the satiations that Finlay gets into-half the fun is seeing her get into them, the other half is seeing her get out! This was another really entertaining, hilarious read in the series!

There are two external pressure points on Finlay. The debt owed to Feliks and what he wants her do to, and the lost casino chip. And oh, the developments going on there! So many chances for screw ups! But the internal pressure? Her romantic feelings, because oh boy, does she spend a lot of time with Nick in this book!

Finally this is the book that we learned more about Vero. She's played an integral part, and we really knew very little about her. So getting these new pieces of information, things are starting to make a lot more sense, and I'm glad that we learned them!

And oh, the way that things ended? Yeah, that was hard to put into words about how I feel about it. Especially since I don't know if there's going to be a 4th book. I mean, there has to be, it can't just end like that, I need to know what's going to happen next!

Loved this book, and I really hope that we get a book 4!

Happy pub day!!!! 🥳

Good Lord do I love me some Finlay and Vero! The insane shenanigans they get themselves into are a hoot to read! It makes me both want to be their best friend and stay far away all at the same time 😂 They are a hot mess in the best way possible.

This is one of my favorite series to dive into when I want a mystery to try to figure out, but also be entertained and laugh a lot. I really hope this series never ends because I need these two in my life!

The endings of the books always leave me like 😳 I’m so ready for the road trip they are about to embark on!

I am really excited to see this series as a show! It’s going to translate great to TV!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc and @macmillan.audio for the audio!! I loved listening while reading along.