📚🔍 happy pub day to the queen of cozy mysteries Elle Cosimano 🔎📚

Thank you, Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the #gifted copies of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Is this latest adventure in the Finlayverse my favorite in the series? It's truly a close contender to the police academy moment in the third book.

There's just something extra fun about these characters creating havoc in their own neighborhood in this one. Maybe it's the nostalgia of the chaos that happened in the very first book that instantly flooded back into my soul.

Finlay books are the best kind of cozy and thrill ride that helps touch my funny bone yet makes me emotional all in three hundred plus pages. I love that we have powerful women sprinkled throughout the entire series. Even better... these fictional people will always feel like home.

Seriously, though... I don't know how to review this without spoiling all the goodness. To keep it vague. I appreciate the theme of friendship and women sticking together.

These books always bring me so much joy, and I am so grateful for Elle's imagination bringing Finlay and Vero into the world. They mean so much to a lot of us, and I am so happy that the chaos continues to unfold.

🎧 I always love listening to these audiobooks. The woman who narrates is perfect and never disappoints. She embodies Finlay and these stories so well... the Dani stamp of approval & recommendation has a permanent spot on these ear worms

I started reading this series in 2021 and I have been faithfully reading all the other books in the series since they have been published! Firstly, I am obsessed with Finlay Donovan as a main character, which is why I love this series so much. But now onto the current book...I loved the mystery aspect and felt like I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen! I loved the plot and still loved all the characters I've been loving for years now. This book and series is perfect for anyone who loves a little romance and a little thriller. I hope I get to read more about Finlay's adventures soon!

Thank you NetGalley and Elle Cosimano for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Another great Finlay book! I just love this series. In this book, we got more of an inside glimpse of the nosy neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty. Finlay and Vero definitely have more crazy adventures in this one. And, of course, there was Nick 🥵 Elle Cosimano is a genius with this series. It’s very entertaining. And the audiobook narrator, Angela Dawe, was great as usual. She really brings these characters to life. I can’t wait for the next one!!! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the early copy of this book! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a fun series! Finlay’s neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, has always been nosy and has kept track of all the neighborhood transgressions. Well, the tables have been turned after the discovery of a body buried in her garden. Mrs. Haggerty is eventually cleared as a suspect, but as the investigation continues the focus falls on Finlay’s ex husband. Finlay knows he’s guilty of cheating, but she believes he isn’t a killer. Finlay and Vero have no choice but to find the real murderer or Finlay’s children will only see their father on visiting days at the prison. The mystery was entertaining and had the chaos and shenanigans that readers have come to love as Finlay and Vero investigate. Each book in the series does tell a complete story, but why deprive yourself of experiencing the characters, humor, chaos and zany situations from the very beginning.

thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC of this book for my honest review <3


i have been looking forward to this book ever since i’ve gotten caught up in this series! you would think that since we’re now five books deep into this story it would become old, but it definitely is still just as entertaining as it was in the beginning. elle cosimano has made it so readers will have fallen in love with each character (even our nosy elderly neighbor that may be a convicted murderer lol). us readers are rooting for the love interest between the not-so single mom and the hot detective cop!!

i read this book so fast and it did feel like the story was going at a faster speed than the others. i would have liked to see more of vero in this book, and especially more of javi/vero but i imagine we’ll definitely receive that in the next book. the twist in the end was definitely fun and i am a fan in general of mrs haggerty so i liked how we were able to learn more about her. overall, this book was great. also, why is it always steven getting himself in these situations!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Elle Cosimano for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave coming out March 4, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve really loved this series. I love the cozy mystery mixed with the shenanigans that Finlay goes through. I have to say this book wasn’t my favorite in the series though. There were a few instances where I thought Finley was acting a little too irrational. I was hoping for a little more progression in some areas. However, I’ll continue to read books by this author! I love her writing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries!

A hilarious and fast-paced mystery with Finlay Donovan and Vero once again caught in the middle of chaos! When their nosy neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, becomes entangled in a murder case, the duo is reluctantly pulled into another wild investigation. Full of witty banter, unexpected twists, and laugh-out-loud moments, this installment is a must-read for fans of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and author Elle Cosimano for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This series has rightfully earned a spot as one of my favorites! Each book gets better, and continues to bring elements of humor, mystery and a relatable family shenanigans aspect! ..Digs Her Own Grave did not disappoint on any of those fronts. I loved the addition of Mrs. Haggerty, and the mystery brought along with her in this story. Thank you @ellecosimano for another wonderful read!

Happy pub day to Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by @ellecosimano—the only series I read religiously! I’m so grateful to @minataur_books for a e-arc and to @macmillan.audio for an ALC of this one. If you’re a Finaly fan, you’re absolutely going to want to grab a copy. And if you’re not a fan yet, I’d still recommend grabbing a copy, but not until you’ve read the other books first.

It’s so hard to talk about this series without spoilers, but I’ll try to be as vague as possible. This installment of writer turned amateur detective Finlay and her best friend/nanny Vero involves a body found buried in their crochety neighbor’s Mrs. Haggerty’s back yard. When a person close them is suspected of being the killer, Finlay and Vero must figure out how to solve the case without drawing too much (or any) attention on their past crimes.

This book is just as funny as the rest of the series. We have Mrs. Haggerty—whose house is still a crime scene—moving in with Finlay and Vero. She criticizes everything they do, but is also surprisingly helpful with Finlay’s kids. We have all the usual antics that make this series so fun. Wigs, other disguises, breaking and entering, a book club, Finlay’s over-the-top agent Sylvia, run-ins with police from different departments. And we get a huge step forward in Finlay’s romance with hot cop Nick which I absolutely loved.

While this book really wouldn’t work well as a stand-alone, I also really appreciated that the central mystery in the story was pretty self-contained. I didn’t have to remember details from the other books to follow anything and the mystery wraps up at the end of the book perfectly. Which is not to say there isn’t the kind of cliffhanger I’ve come to expect from this series, because there absolutely is. And as soon as I finished the last page, I was already dying for book number six.

Angela Dawe is back narrating which is perfect because her voice has become synonymous with Finlay’s quick wit and worrying. This series is such a blast to listen to. I highly recommend the audiobook, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed however you read the newest installment.

Elle has done it again! In the next installment of Finlay Donovan series, we follow Finlay and Vero as they navigate living with Mrs. Haggerty, once again proving Steven is not a murderer, and potty training.

I love the adventures that we always end up going on with Finlay and Vero. I would definitely say this book did not have the same adventure, mystery and high stakes drama that we’ve seen in the previous books. But I don’t think that took away from what we got. Watching the relationship between Finlay and Nick change was definitely a high point of this installment. And the cliffhanger!! Ahhh

I also listened to the audio. Angela Dawe did an amazing job as always! She brings Finlay and Vero to life in ways that my brain reading the book just couldn’t.

This series is perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Mysteries, which is where my lore started!

FINLAY DONOVAN DIGS HER OWN GRAVE

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My love for this series knows no bounds and I thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment. It was a fresh mystery with a lot of moral grey area we’ve come to see from our characters. Finlay and Vero are up to their old antics all throughout the story but I really liked the character growth I saw. There’s also a meddling octogenarian who turns Finlay’s life upside down (and right side up in some ways). I feel like this book revived the series and I look forward to more shenanigans from Finlay and her crew.

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strong language

This book was exactly what I needed after my last reading slump.
This book has the right amount of everything! Mystery, a bit of Romance, some funny parts!
Basically its brilliant and I freaking loved it!
Couldn't enjoy a book more than I did this one!
It made me laugh out loud and turn the pages till wee hours in the morning... But so damn worth it!
What a clever storyline with wonderfully rich characters.
And you can't help but love and cheer Finley every step of the way!
I haven't read a book in one sitting in a long time.... But this one did for it me!
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano is another phenomenal story that was totally unputdownable!
This series will never get old!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Ms. Cosimano for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I started off a little worried. Book 4, at the Police Academy, felt like (almost) too much of a good thing: Finlay and Vero were zanier, more out of control, and more skin-of-the-teeth than ever. Book 5 SEEMED like it was headed in the same direction: Finlay flying by the seat of her pants, escaping detection through pure luck, and lying like a rug. I remember marking my place early on thinking that really, Finlay should be single, because all that deception wouldn't be fair to any partner (let alone a cop).

I actually liked that the mystery in this book didn't shine the light directly onto Finlay (for a change) but frankly I could have cared less if Steven was framed for it. I wasn't sure why Finlay was so determined to exonerate him. *shrugs* I did like the larger roles that Finlay's kids played in this story, and tbh I enjoyed Mrs. Haggerty's take on childrearing. Finlay doesn't seem to parent her kids so much as quiet them (i.e., give them food to shut them up) and it was fun to see a different approach. There was less slapstick humor in this book but I still thought it was plenty funny.

And I LOVED the end. Mrs. Haggerty is awesome! And THANK GOD, Finlay finally, *finally* decides to trust Nick (even partially). Long overdue and as someone who finds constant dishonesty hard to watch and a dealbreaker in a partner, it was a huge relief for me personally. I'm super invested in what will happen to Vero at this point, so book #6 cannot come soon enough.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love the Finlay Donovan series. It never gets old and I’m always excited when a new book comes out. This one didn’t disappoint. Where it may have been a little less action packed than normal it was still every bit as interesting. Mrs. Haggerty is such a fun character. I was annoyed at first but I really did like her by the end.

4.5 stars.

Finlay, and her nanny and partner in crime, Vero, haven’t always gotten along with Finlay’s neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty. When a dead body is discovered in Mrs. Haggerty’s backyard, she’s the first suspect. Once she is cleared, her house remains an active crime scene, leaving her with nowhere to go… except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

FINLAY DONOVAN DIGS HER OWN GRAVE is such a fun addition to the Finlay Donovan series. It picks up right where book 4, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, left off, making this a must to read the series in order.

I loved catching up to the usual hi-jinx that Finlay and Vero find themselves in, and was very eager to find out what happened after book 4 ends. This book is most reminiscent of book one, which I wholly loved, and feels like the series has come full circle in terms of vibes. The writing style is clever, gripping, and wholly bingeable.

I loved the continuous development of relationships between each of the key characters, but particularly for Nick and Finlay. I also loved the cameo of characters from previous books popping back up here, most notably Cam. Mrs. Haggerty is a hoot and I simultaneously loved and hated every scene she is featured in.

The plot is creative, fast-paced, and as usual, requires a slight pause of disbelief. I loved the many twists and turns as Finlay and Vero investigate the murder from across the street. I really enjoyed this read and adored the epilogue – can’t wait to see what’s next for Finlay and Vero!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.

Finlay and Vero are off to solve the neighborhood murder case. We get front row seats again to their questionable choices and slick humor. Don’t worry hot cop Nick is back again. And we get a side of nosey neighborhood-watch enthusiast Mrs. Haggerty. Although not my favorite of the series, it was fast paced and kept my attention. And now we patiently wait for book #6!

Thanks to Minotaur Books, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for early (and pub day!) access in exchange for my honest opinions.
One of the times each year that I reflect on how long I’ve been reviewing books is when a new Finlay Donovan book releases. I remember reading and reviewing Finlay Donovan Is Killing It in 2021 and falling in love with the characters and revisiting the Loudoun County area, where the books are set and where I’d lived from 2005-2007. And I’m thrilled that my original book is now personalized and signed by the author, after meeting her about a year ago at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA!
I love the way Finlay and Vero care for each other and Finlay’s kids, and even Stephen, Finlay’s ex-husband. Although Vero is always making threats to hurt him, I still think she cares about their family unit and doing what’s best for the kids. And in this book, Finlay felt like even more of a mama bear, taking care of Cam along with her neighbor. But she still gets to have her fun, too! There is just as much hilarity and there are just as many hijinks as you’d expect in a Finlay book, but to me it seemed a bit more realistic and believable than some recent drama and shenanigans. I didn’t start reading my ebook until this past weekend, when I read the first 1/3 in one sitting, and I sadly figured I wouldn’t finish it by pub day, due to work obligations limited my reading during the week. I was so excited to receive gifted access to the audiobook version today, and I jumped right in listening on my walk home from work, and I finished while making dinner. I have listened to a few of the others, and Angela Dawe does a fantastic job again here. Do check this one out, especially if you’ve read the others - I think the whole series (5 books and 1 novella) is worth reading if you haven’t yet!

I absolutely adore this entire series. Finlay Donovan is a delight! This new installment is every bit as fun as the other books and even more so, now that Fin and Nick's relationship is evolving. The supporting characters of Vero, Cam, Mrs. Heggerty, and many others, are quirky and engaging and add another layer of community to this story. I smiled the whole way through- I can't rave enough about this book. READ it. The Entire Series! And Elle Cosimano, please continue to write more. We need more from this universe.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #St. Martin's press for the ARC.

Elle Cosimano delivers another hilarious and fast-paced mystery as Finlay and Vero get dragged into yet another murder—this time involving their nosy neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty. Determined to stay out of it, they’re forced to dive in when Finlay’s ex-husband becomes a suspect. Full of witty banter, unexpected twists, and laugh-out-loud chaos, this installment keeps the series fresh and entertaining. Fans will love the dynamic duo’s latest misadventures!

Elle does it again! I really enjoyed the mystery in this book and it of course was hilarious! I think it could be read as a standalone but really should be read after the first three as most of the characters are returning and it touches upon previous plots. I’m excited this is not the final book because I can’t get enough of these characters, both main and side.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC!