I received a complimentary ARC copy of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, A Novel, by Elle Cosimano from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press /Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…This book has it all a thrilling twisted mystery, romance, and a lot of laughter that will keep the reader entertained to the very last page….…

Lucy & Ethel meet Thelma & Louise in this third entry of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan series. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun picks up where book two leaves off with Finlay and her nanny/accountant, Vero, up to their necks in trouble whilst trying to discover the identity of a person who has been blackmailing an incarcerated Russian mob boss awaiting trial. The blackmailer who goes by the online handle of EasyClean is threatening to produce evidence that will put the mob boss away for good.

Due to events from previous books this mobster has leverage on both Finlay and Vero and threatens to expose them if they do not uncover EasyClean’s real identity. EasyClean is already on Finlay’s radar after he/she attempted to kill Finlay’s ex-husband, but also injured Nick, the police detective in charge of the case and someone Finlay has grown quite fond of. Currently Finlay’s life is a mess, she’s split from her lawyer boyfriend, she has a brutal case of writer’s block despite a looming deadline, her ex-husband is keen to reconcile, and Vero owes money to some bad people who are looking to collect. When offered a chance to do some research for her book at a week-long Citizen’s Police Academy they both jump at the opportunity to have a safe haven until they get to the truth.

Both Finlay and Vero are convinced EasyClean is a current or former police officer so they are sure they can kill two birds with one stone attending the program. The pressure is on to uncover the identity of EasyClean before they are exposed or worse…. killed. When the detective in charge of the academy is none other than Nick the stakes rise even higher. Add in murder, mayhem, a sneaky ex-husband, plenty of suspects as well as a blossoming romance and Finlay’s week gets even more complicated.

Another fast-paced, action packed, humorous and quirky mystery that we’ve come to enjoy in this series, like the previous two books, this one also ends with a cliffhanger suggesting more adventures in Finlay’s future.

This book has it all a thrilling twisted mystery, romance, and a lot of laughter that will keep the reader entertained to the very last page. My only complaint is sometimes there was too much happening at once that left it feeling somewhat overwhelming at times, but overall, I really enjoyed the book and I definitely recommend it.

#FirstLine ~ The man's voice cracked on the other side of the partition.

I read this book and also listened to the audiobook version as well. To say I am a fan of the Finley Donovan series is an understatement. I love how easy it is to get sucked into the story. There is humor, mystery and interesting characters, plus a story that is so perfectly plotted. You get to know Finley and her pals and are invested in their mishaps and misguided adventures. You will blast through the pages; both wanting to see how it ends and simultaneously trying to savor every word! I will read every book in this series and I want these installment to keep coming!!! I am a super fan and want everyone else to read this story too!!!

Another delightful installment in the adventures of Finlay and Vero! This was by far my favorite of the series. I loved the adventure, the way the clues came together at the end, and the hot cop moments we’ve all been waiting for.

The citizen policy academy was a delightful setting and the new characters added more fun and personality to the saga.

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
🚔 More adventures of Finlay and Vero
🚔 Wins for Team Hot Cop
🚔 Clues that take you in circles but come together at the end
🚔 A whimsical, fun adventure of a read that passes quickly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the first book, I hate a love hate relationship with the second book and now I feel a bit disappointed with this third instalment somehow.

I was excited to read it because the way book 2 ended , it left my imagination run wild with the possibility of so many great scenes that were to come in Finley life.

She and Vero are still strong and their game hasn’t changed much.
Witty, hilarious and suspenseful moments, they all add for a good story overall. But there are so many things that I just couldn’t wrap my head around them in here.
I guess i should just throw my disbelief out through the window and just enjoy the ride, which I’m sure it would have been more fun to do. But I’m me and can’t always do that.

Either way, just because it didn’t work well for me, it doesn’t make it a great story for other readers.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley (Read Now title)

Loved this one so much! I’ve loved this series from the get go. The third book in the series did not disappoint at all.

Another great Finlay Donovan book! I was worried the series would start getting too predictable, but so far I still really enjoy the series. The cast of characters are funny, annoying, and lovable alk at the same time - like family!

This series is one of my favorites. I enjoy the crazy shenanigans of Finlay and Vero. If you are looking for a read that rivals the Stephanie Plum series, this is it!

Oh my what fun! The sass, the laughs and the sleuths! I loved getting back into Finlay's story and will never be over this series! Picking up right where the last book left off, this book follows Finlay and Vero's craziness with the Russian mob.

All the over-the-top craziness, fun and antics, this is a great next installment in everybody's favorite comical mystery series! It's just so much fun!

The Finlay Donovan series is a non-stop comedy of errors. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is the third installment of the series, and it doesn't disappoint. Finlay and her sidekick nanny, Vero, experience one hilarious catastrophe after another. This series is worth the read if you are looking for sleuthing shenanigans.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is funny and charming with witty banter and an opening scene that immediately hooks you. However I had not read the first two books in the series and was lost in the overall plot - references to characters and prior story line - and would not consider this a standalone.

Ahhhhhh another Finlay Donovan book! I can say now after reading 3 of them that I have never been let down by one of these books. They are fun and have me on the edge of my seat until the end.

This third one was very fun, but it wasn’t my favorite of the series. Hey- they can’t all be a favorite! The only reason I say it isn’t my favorite is because it took longer than 2 days to read unlike the other two.

I recommend the entire series to everyone!

✨ Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun ✨⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Oh man. Finlay and Vero are probably two of the biggest hot messes in fiction and I love them for it! These books are silly, unrealistic, and a great escape! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Somehow Finlay has gotten on the wrong side of the Russian mob and now must complete a job for them before they off her… Yikes! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣*Insert a lot of far fetched silliness and unbelievable scenes where everyone and their dog is in danger!* ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣This one was fine. Fans of Finlay will enjoy it… If you were feeling lukewarm on this series, I’m not sure I’d recommend this one. Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun publishes on January 31, 2023

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur, and Elle Cosimano for an ARC of this book!**

Ever heard (or played) the piano classic, "Chopsticks?"

It's a simple enough song to play, hence why so many can sit down at a piano with little to no training and plunk it out in a matter of minutes. At first, it's exciting: you (or the piano player in earshot) can play it! But if you KEEP playing it for more than about 2 minutes, the tune starts to grate on you a bit, and it eventually sounds like you're simply playing the same two discordant notes, over and over.

And by the end of installment three, I felt like Cosimano was happily playing away...but I just couldn't ENJOY the tune anymore.

Finlay Donovan has made the transition (of sorts) from writer and mom to hit woman with her own brand of panache, aided by bestie and nanny Vero who is her steady (and sometimes snarky) sidekick. After Finlay's ex Stephen narrowly escaped with his life in installment two, Finlay and Vero are back...but of course, mob boss Feliks hasn't lost track of them...even from prison. Finlay needs to find out who the mysterious "Easy Clean" who put out the initial hit on her ex is before Feliks loses patience...and the bodies start piling up!

When Finlay and Vero discover the perp might be a cop himself, they figure it's best to jump directly into the police's natural habitat: and find themselves enrolled in a bonafide Police Academy (well, a Police Academy for CITIZENS...but why split hairs?) Newly single Finlay has ended her entanglement with Julian, the hot lawyer, but dashing detective Nick is suddenly closer (and cuter) than ever...but can Finlay trust him? With every cop a potential suspect or a lead, will the dynamic duo zero in on their target? Or will loose ends from their past come back to haunt them...and lead them RIGHT back to Feliks?

The beginning of this book had me SO hopeful it would fall in line with the Finlay I fell in love with in book one: there is a hilarious anecdote involving Finlay's toddler aged son (and having my own toddler boy now, especially, this made me chuckle) and I was hoping this would be one of MANY moments of hilarity involving Finlay's sometimes wild but always sweet kiddos.

But sadly...this ONE moment was basically...well, IT.

Finlay's kids get quickly passed off to relatives for the majority of this book, so she can attend the aforementioned Police Academy. Fair trade, if said academy provided the Leslie Nielsen-esque humor I was craving...but sadly, this was yet another idea that probably sounded fun in THEORY, but was somewhat pedantic in its execution. I was hoping for silly hijinks, but instead got a lot of what felt like the same sort of plot over and over again.

I'm not sure if the whole mob angle is just a bit much for me as a reader, since cozy mysteries (even silly ones) aren't usually in my wheelhouse, but I just found it all a bit tiring. Cosimano is a solid writer, so the pages move along, but I didn't feel any sort of emotional push and pull, a gasp at any revelations from Vero's past (one of the main reasons I figured I'd give book three a try after feeling much of the same about book two), or much of ANYTHING, even an interest in they will-they-won't-they between Finlay and Nick...more like a groaning, eye-rolling "get on with it already."

As much as I once fell in love with the frick-and-frack banter of Finlay and Vero, the wild antics of Finlay's silly kiddos, and the increasingly messy situations piling up around our charming heroine, this one for me was less "Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun" and more "Finlay Donovan Jumps the Shark."

3.5 stars

With the way book 2 in this series ended, I was really expecting (and hoping for) more Vero, so that was a bit of a letdown. Still a fun read though, and I will continue to recommend this series! Fingers crossed for more Vero in book 4 though.

What happens when the trusty sidekick becomes, well, not so trusty? A series loses a lot of its charm.

Finlay and Vero’s partnership is still strong, although maybe it shouldn’t be as they’re getting themselves and each other further and further into trouble. The Vero storyline in this book just felt like it wasn’t needed, especially because the story already has enough crazy in it without even more misguided, mistaken mayhem. The side plot made it a little hard to care about what all was going on with our (formerly?) favorite opportunistic nanny/accountant.

I loved the first book in this series and liked the second a lot, but the third time isn’t the charm here, because some of the magic has run out. The farce has been carrying on for three books now, and Finlay still hasn’t had to be honest or square up to what all is going on, even as things spiral further and further out of control. I mean, now we have mob bosses and gambling enforcers and potentially corrupt cops — which doesn’t quite jibe with the fun and crazy vibe Elle Cosimano has created with her quirky characters and offbeat plot. The hijinks, which have always been enjoyable, are still fun enough, but they’re a bit more tired now. And this book takes place at, essentially, a police sleepaway camp, which makes the setting feel too confined.

There’s still plenty of good stuff in here — Finlay and Vero are up to their usual sleuthing and spying (with varying degrees of success, naturally) as they take all sorts of police-led forensic classes. There’s tons of action, and the chemistry between Finlay and Nick gets ramped up several (enjoyable) notches.

This book seems to be hinting at building to something, but I’m not quite sure what that is, and after this book, I’m not quite sure Cosimano does, either. The storyline keeps getting dragged out over and over, while the same tomfoolery keeps happening again and again. I’m not sure it’s quite time for me to get off the wild ride this series provides just yet, but I might hit the brakes on it for a while.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Is the Finlay saga continuing? I truly am obsessed with these characters and stories that Elle Cosimano has created. Of course, Finlay and Vero find themselves stuck in the middle of some wild situations, that only they could get out of. I really liked that we got introduced to some new chapters, and how well they fit into the story, without feeling overwhelming or forced. It’s been a while since I’ve read the 2nd book, so I was hesitant that I wouldn’t remember everything that had happened prior. However, Elle does such a good job writing these series that she puts in little nuggets throughout to spark that remembrance of past events. Also, so happy that we had some more Finlay romance!! Our girl deserves it.

Finlay is back and better than ever. She’s whip smart, but also a hot mess. She’s constantly getting herself into chaos, yet manages to still be super cute, and someone you’d love to hangout with. Never have I read a more relatable main character in a comedy/thriller. I love this series and love the female friendships throughout. The loyalty Finlay and her crew have to one another is endearing. I loved this book and love how Finlay continues to gain confidence and find her strength (despite the questionable legal part of things). This book (the whole series!) is super binge-worthy!

Thank you to Elle Cosimano, the publisher, and to netgalley for this digital arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

And the fun continues in this third installment of the adventures with Finlay and her trusty sidekick Vero! The beginning had me laughing so hard I was practically in tears. I was on the edge of my seat as I read and read and then when I realized what was happening man I about bust a gut I was laughing so hard! Then we get on into the story with our girls trying to get the mob off their back as well as Finlays ex trying to shimmy his way back with her ugh! We also get some hands on fun at the police academy with Finlays new beau.

I'm just loving and adoring this series and can't wait to see what's next!

*Thank you NetGalley for this copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I think this book was a def a stronger book then book 2 and I liked it a bit more. I thought both the new characters and the new setting really uped the book for me. I also liked how this book developed a new plot but used the other two books as a starting off points. This book semmed a bit more groudned in reality and not so over the top. I also loved the thema and lousie dynmacs and this book had soem laugh out funny moments and i really loved reading this one!!

Another set of fiascos, hijinks and sticky situations with Finlay and Vero! I always enjoy these because they truly are a fun hoot of a time. There isn’t much more to say except that it was exactly what was expected of it. It was a wild and crazy time, fun and entertaining. I LOL’d quite a bit at the situations these ladies found themselves in. I must say I love Vero and her whip smart one liners! I also thought the pun of the title clever hee hee Also, that ending though…I can’t wait for the fourth installment.