The first two Finlay Donovan books were cute, funny and I looked forward to #3. Alas, it was not worth my time to read it. I doubt I will read #4 which looks like it will be coming as there is a cliff hanger to follow up on in the next story.

In book #2, Finn and Vero became indebted to the Russian mob boss. In book 3, they are tasked with finding out who EasyClean really is and giving up that name. They are convinced it is a police officer, but which one? They go off to police camp to find out and the adventures were never ending. Oh please let them end.

The drama was too over the top and never-ending. Every time I thought ok, things will settle down now, they would be off and running/driving/climbing, again. It was exhausting reading their adventures and much of it could have been saved for another book instead of using up these ideas now which really took away from the story.

The first two books made me laugh, but this didn't even make me crack a smile. Disappointing. 2 stars. I read this as Hurricane Ian was battering my place and it was not enough to distract me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I LOVED the first Finlay Donovan book (Killing It) but was so-so on the second (Knocks 'Em Dead). I feel like the story lends itself so well to a series -- and Finlay and Vero are both great characters -- but I really need some forward motion because the plot is feeling very slow and repetitive. I'll still recommend this to fans of the series, but I'm hoping book four moves things along a bit.

Finlay and Vero are at it again! This time Finlay is hired by Russian mob boss, Feliks, to find “EasyClean” & Vero needs to pay Marco $200K or she’s dead meat! They hideout at a police academy training for a week with Georgia and a group of cops. One of them is “EasyClean”! This is a quick, entertaining read enjoy the shenanigans! Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for a copy.

In the latest installment of Finlay Donovan, we see more escapades and adventures by everyone’s favorite author turned accidental hit woman. This time set at a citizen’s police academy where she and the ever antagonistic Vero are trying to uncover the identity of EasyClean and get the mob off their back. Chaos ensues as always and improbable situations flare up constantly.

As much as I love the Finlay Donovan storyline - this one felt flat in comparison to the others and left us on a cliffhanger that surely means Book 4.

I love this series. I cannot recommend it enough. I am glad Vero has more of a place in the story now. I still think the first book is by far the best. I love that they still think she is a paid hire for murder. I thought this one was good but I hoped for more of a story line. Not just the descriptions of the police camp and everything revolving around that.

Finley Donovan cannot avoid trouble. Her last adventure, when she tried to save her ex-husband from a contract killer resulted in a very, very expensive Aston Martin being damaged. Her nemesis Feliks Zhirov of the Russian mob helped her out of that mess but now he’s calling in the favor. Finley has to find contract killer EasyClean and kill him. Meanwhile her friend/nanny Vero has problems of her own. She owes a loan shark almost a quarter of a million dollars for bets she lost while gambling to pay off money that her sorority sisters thought she stole. Both women are trying to avoid some pretty dangerous characters. What better place to hide out than a citizen’s police academy?

Of course, there are problems there too. Finley’s latest novel has been rejected because it needs more romance. Hot cop (and sometime boyfriend) Nick is at the academy so she can combine police protection with romance. What could go wrong?

Finley Donovan Jumps the Gun is Elle Cosimano’s best. Finley Donovan is a star! Her humor and sarcasm drive the well constructed plot. Finley and Vero’s antics at the police academy are laugh-out-loud funny. Keep writing, Elle Cosimano! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Elle Cosimano for this ARC.

Elle cosimano has jump the gun. Another 5 star. Finlay donovan is in my eyes the best series ive read in a long time. It has wit, humor and charm. The characters suck you in with their cleverness and hoe they get out of every situation they are in. I desperately need the 4th book in this series because this is how every mystery should be like. I wish i started this series soon than i did this year. I will admit i jusged this book by its cover and i was so wrong this was one of thr best books ive ever read in my life. Found my new favorite author

I love the Finlay Donovan books and the third installment in the series didn't disappoint!

Finlay Donovan can't catch a break. She's been contacted by a Russian mob boss to do his bidding, she needs to catch a killer, there's a dead body that needs to be cleaned up and her son keeps running off when she turns her back. With her nanny/accountant, Vero, by her side Finlay is deep in the search for a killer and ends up at a police academy week for civilians. With the mob closing in and time running out Finlay needs to figure out who is to be trusted and who's not what they seem.

I will say this wasn't my favourite book of the series but this had the signature wild antics that Finlay always get up to and was quite entertaining. The police academy felt like filler at times and I really just wanted the romance to heat up and for the killer to be found. Other than some lulls in the plot I really liked this and thought it was a lot of fun to read. I'll continue to read any further Finlay Donovan books that get released and there should be more since this one ended on an intense cliff hanger. The side characters really added to the book and I can't wait to see what Finlay and company get up to in future books. I would recommend this series to any cozy mystery lover!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a great, easy read! I loved the first two books & this one didn’t disappoint. I love Finlay & Veros friendship & can’t get enough of the hot cop wowza! There were some really great side characters. I liked that it wasn’t super predictable & I didn’t guess the ending.

Thank you St Martins Press/Minotaur Books for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

After devouring the first two books of this series I was ecstatic when I received an advanced copy of the third, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, which is out in January 31st. Like the previous stories, I was catapulted into Finlay’s chaotic life which is anything but ordinary. Messy, clever and just the right amount of sass, Finlay is sure to charm you as she juggles motherhood, writing, and murder.

This series of mystery books is bound to have you laughing out loud while at the same time at the edge of your seat. It follows the soon to be divorced mother of two and author, Finlay Donovan and her partner in crime (who happens to be her nanny) Vero, as they find themselves in the most stickiest of situations. Dead bodies, car chases, and even the Russian mafia, nothing is off limits when it comes to this duos antics (not that they have a choice in the matter)!

I highly recommend this page turner to any thrill or mystery book lover!

I was so glad to dive back into the chaotic world of Finlay Donovan. This novel opens with a hilarious scene that any parent can appreciate, and stays at that frenetic level throughout. Will Finlay always make the calm, rational, safe choice? Certainly not, and sometimes you do need a bit of suspended disbelief to stay on her rollercoaster ride, but really that's just part of the fun and Finlay's particular charm.

When you truly didn’t believe Finlay Donavan COULDN’T POSSIBLY get into more incredibly hilarious trouble? THINK AGAIN!

This third novel by Elle Cosimano follows a mother of two who’s assumed to be a hit man when discussing her writing ideas by a woman in a Panera, gets hired to kill their husband—and it gets crazier from there! Last we left off someone was covertly hired to unalive Finlay’s ex-husband, and when she has their attempts foiled—they turn to blackmailing the mob boss involved. So that same mob boss has blackmailed Finlay into discovering who the hit man is.

Sprinkle inappropriate bathroom trips with toddlers, sexy mechanics with repressed feelings, wildly unexpected twists, and the perfect pairing of an ostentatious former nanny turned partner in crime with a courageous mother who gets caught up in hilarious antics every turn to find a hit man hiding in a police force and you get this crazy ride!

I swallowed this ARC whole & it definitely met my expectations! Thank you so much to St Martins Press & Netgalley for my most anticipated read to review!

I loved it, of course. I love Finlay and Vero. For some reason I thought this would be the last book and it was a trilogy but there is definitely more to come.

As always, I enjoyed this installment of the Finlay Donovan series! I wished there would have been more action and movement in the overall plot, but Finlay and Vero remained riveting and fun characters. While there was a dearth (in my opinion) of super action-packed scenes, I did like that there was movement in Finlay's romantic life. I'm hoping for a fourth and looking forward to it!

The third installment of this series is as funny, zany and downright enjoyable as the first one. Finlay and her nanny/accountant are still on the job for the Russian mobster in jail and Vero still owes money to an Atlantic City loan shark! They enroll themselves in a citizens police academy to get closer to their mark but things rarely go as planned with these two involved! And of course we can’t forget Nick, the hot cop who isn’t totally aware of Finlay’s previous involvement in some illegal activity! A fun read for sure that will make you laugh out loud.

Finlay and Vero find themselves attending a week-long training with the police academy for two reasons: to avoid a debt collector, mob boss Feliks, and research for Finlay's next novel. It's a hilarious story with plenty of excitement. A solid mystery with several great turns. A great read that's best if read following the other two, but stands on its own two feet.

I SCREAMED when I got the approval for this arc! The first two Finlay Donovan stories are two of my favorite reads of the year and I have been dying for this third installment. Cozy mysteries are so much fun and this story keeps me laughing out loud. These stories are for the crime junky lovers who also love stories about moms who are doing their best and want to make the best lives for their children. I will continue to read this series over and over because it has continued to be an all time favorite!! I can't wait to buy the paperback to add it to my bookshelf with the other Finlay Donovan stories!! A must read for everyone!!!!

Ever entertaining story of Finlay and Vera trying not to kill anyone but also trying to find out who is trying to kill Steven.

Sigh, will I ever meet a Finlay that doesn’t get 5 ⭐️s? It’s highly unlikely. I am OBSESSED with this series and I am normally such a series hater.

I’m starting to sound like a broken record but how can you not love every character?? Even the ones you love to hate (cough* STEVEN *cough). It’s wildly unrealistic at every turn in the road but it’s everything I love in a book.

Last week someone asked me to identify my ideal book qualities, one of the things I said was I hate over describing, if my eyes get antsy to shoot to the next dialogue then I have a hard time engaging with the book and NOT ONLY does this not do that but the dialogue is just so quirky and funny that I can’t get enough of it.

Also it’s my dream to be Mrs. Haggerty. I want to be the neighbourhood busy body who gets to go to a police camp so bad …

And . And . And . THE LAST LINE.

I just love this series so much. So grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an advance copy of the next book in the saga of Finlay Donovan. With each book the Finlay Donovan universe continues to expand and the shenanigans that we come to expect continue. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is a smart and thrilling entry into the series. I love all of the high-jinks that Finlay and her sidekick Vero get themselves involved in. Love the smoldering romance between Finlay and "hot cop" Nick and all of their "will they/won't they" moments (read it to find out). And the mystery that holds it all together with so many twists and turns. See synopsis from Amazon:

"From USA Today bestseller and Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun—the hilarious and heart-pounding next installment in the beloved Finlay Donovan series.

Dating. Diapers. And dodging bullets. Who said single moms can't have fun?

Finlay Donovan has been in messes before—after all, she's an author and single mom who's a pro at getting out bloodstains for rather unexpected reasons—but none quite like this. After she and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they may have "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob got her out of debt. But now Finlay owes them

Still running the show from behind bars, mob boss Feliks has a task for Finlay: find a contract killer before the cops do. Problem is, the killer might be an officer.

Luckily, hot cop Nick has started up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with the tempting detective), Finlay and Vero have the perfect cover-up to sleuth out the real criminal and free themselves from the mob's clutches—all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood."

Such a fun, thrilling and satisfying read. I love the humor juxtaposed with the mystery elements of the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I can't wait for the next one!

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun will be published January 31, 2023.