Wow, wow, wow! Elle Cosimano has done it again! I just adore everything Finlay Donovan. She always seems to find herself in the wrong place and the wrong time, or maybe it’s the right place at just the right time. The right mix of fun, funny, and suspenseful. I sure hope this won’t be the last of Finlay!

Finlay Donovan is at it again in this latest installment in the series. Finlay and Vero have always had a complicated relationship with their neighbor Mrs. Haggerty, the president of the neighborhood watch. But Mrs. Haggerty needs their help because a dead body has been discovered in her backyard. Mrs. Haggerty is obviously a suspect but is then cleared by the police. Unfortunately, Mrs. Haggerty’s house remains a crime scene, so she has nowhere to go but Finlay’s house. Finlay and Vero must figure out who disposed of the dead body in Mrs. Haggerty’s backyard so that she can go back to her own house.

Elle Cosimano has done it again with the fifth installment of the Finlay Donovan series! Her writing is witty and keeps you wanting more. I couldn’t put this one down. The twists and turns and laugh-out-loud moments kept me wanting more. The book ended on a cliffhanger, so here’s to hoping for book six. I give this one 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for giving me access to an eARC of this book.

If you haven't read the rest of the series, and intend to, do not start with this one. If you want to skip the others and jump in? You can, as they spoil and explain things from past books within this one.

In this installment we tackle the issue/cliff-hanger from the last, involving what may be one of my favourite characters in the series: Mrs Haggerty, she elderly and cranky nosy neighbour. She plays a larger role in this than the kids do, and while I really enjoyed all the page time and interactions we got with her I also missed having the kids and general mess of trying to juggle parenting, work, and everything else.

The kids are here. They're just often easily handed off and I wanted there to be more mess and tension involving them, though I understand that may be difficult to write without losing other plot threads.

I enjoyed Finlay, Vero, Mrs Haggerty, Nick, the kids, and Steven in this one. It was mostly fantastic, and barring the first is my favourite in the series. This mystery is different but gave me a lot of golden age vibes, and I ate it up. I hope we see Mrs Haggerty in another installment, as I adored her and learning about her in this one.

Cosimano has done it again with her next installment of the Finlay Donovan series! Brimming with humor and a few twists, readers will devour Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave. This time the likeable protagonist and her nanny-turned-sidekick Vero must work together to clear Finlay's ex-husband of murder charges before the investigation threatens to reveal the skeletons in Finlay's own closet. This novel is the perfect beach read for those who like their mysteries paired with a healthy dose of humor!

I have had multiple recommend this series to me and decided it was time to jump in. This might be my favorite of the series.

I have read this entire series and I think this was my favorite so far! It was the right mix of funny and mystery. It wasn’t as far-fetched as some of Findlay’s past adventures. I love the characters and the whole family! It ended on a cliffhanger so I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I really enjoyed this book as I always do, but parts of theIs book felt repetitive. Also poaching an egg… it is boiled not put in a pan with butter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

Dear Reader,

WAIT!

While this book can absolutely stand alone, I highly recommend reading the Finlay Donovan Books in order:

1. FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT
2. FINLAY DONOVAN KNOCKS ‘EM DEAD
3. FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN
3.5. VERONICA RUIZ BREAKS THE BANK
4. FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE
5. FINLAY DONOVAN DIGS HER OWN GRAVE

A genre bender, Finlay Donovan, consistently brings us mystery, suspense, romance, comedy, and family drama!

You will fawn over Julian, fall for Nick - “The Hot Cop”, laugh at Vero ripping on Steven, love the littles - Delia and Zach, dig Mrs. H, be lookin’ out for Cam, and have a special place in your heart for Finlay’s Parents and Sister.

Trouble has a way of finding Finlay and Finlay had a way of digging herself out of the most bizarre predicaments. From the first page of the first book, you will be hooked, I guarantee it!

Enjoy!

By book five do I need to tell you to read this? 2024 was the year I finally picked up this series and I have enjoyed every one of 'em. They aren't the best written, in terms of my mind getting blown. They are fun though. They're the perfect thing I need when I'm coming off a bad book or nervous because I just finished something really great and don't want to ruin the momentum. Here particularly I was happy with how the implications of the last book were dealt with. I like the characters and seeing them interact. I don't know how many Cosimano is gonna write but I'll happily read 20 of these bad boys.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano is another delight in the Finlay Donovan series. As per usual, Finlay and her life is a hot mess and I love it! In this book, her neighbor Mrs. Haggerty comes to stay with Finlay, her ex-husband is arrested, her son Zach is potty training and won’t keep his pants on, Vero gets locked in a refrigerated truck, and Finlay’s agent Sylvia meets hot cop Nick! Whew!! A fast paced, fun read full of unbelievable events that somehow become believable! Can’t wait for the next book that picks up where the cliff hanger ended!!

Another great book in the Finlay Donovan series. This one may be my favorite, This page turning laugh out loud book was a 5 star read for me. I love the way she begins the book (and each book) with a funny misdirection. it draws you in and sets the tone of the book. The mysteries are fun and engaging. The end of the book leads me to believe the series will continue and that is the best news.

Finlay and Vero are at it again and this time, they get a room mate! Only this time, the body is found at the busy body’s house across the street! The issues continue to happen as the ladies try to figure out what has happened. You will not want to miss this book in the series!!! Thank you for allowing me to read and give feedback back on this book.

I love Elle Cosimano 💗, and her Finlay Donovan series. I have had the pleasure of reading them all. This, and like all the others which are full of laughs, awesome surprises and great fun while solving the crime is amazing. We meet Brendan, the grandson of Mrs. Haggerty, Donovans noisy neighbor from across the street. Mrs. Haggerty moves into Finlay's place, and let the fun begin. The kids Zach & Delia are amazing as always, they are hilarious. I love the new addition to the gang of characters (Arnold Schwarzenegger). The guys Cameron, Steven, and Nick are wonderful in this 5th book. They are just as great as the first one, which is my favorite, because it started it all for me. Vero leaves us with a cliffhanger, a sixth book 📖? I enjoyed Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave, and hope you do also. Enjoy ❤️.

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook arc, Minotaur books, and the awesome Elle Cosimano for another 5 star 🌟 book.

I love this series so much! Truly every book has me invested in Finlay and her rag tag group of misfits.

Getting to know her neighbor in this one was absolutely a riot and the old ladies bookclub is the kind of group of women I’d definitely want to surround myself with haha.

After the discovery of a body in Mrs. Haggerty’s backyard, her house is an active crime scene. Mrs. Haggerty has no one else to go, so she is staying with Finlay and Vero. Neither Finlay or Vero want Mrs. Haggerty as a roommate, but they have no choice.

If you liked the other installments, you will like this book. As always, Finlay and Vero get themselves into the craziest positions. It ends on a cliffhanger leading me to assume there will be another book.

Thank you to Elle Cosimano, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this one better than books 3 and 4, but the first two in the series are still my favorite (not sure any one following will be as good as the series started). I think the humor is getting a little less (or I’m connecting to it less at least), so it’s missing something. The side characters were fun though and crazy like you expect in Finlay’s world. I also liked learning more about Mrs. Haggerty’s backstory and she is much more of a likable character now going forward.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I just started this series recently and enjoyed all of the books in the series so far. I'm caught up now and eagerly looking forward to more in this series. It has lots of action and some romance.

3.5 stars

United States Publication: March 4, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Nosy Mrs. Haggerty has been arrested. She's 80 and accused of burying a body in her backyard. It's preposterous. Even Finlay and Vero, who would give almost anything to get away from the prying eyes of Mrs. Haggerty, can't see how she's guilty. When Mrs. Haggerty becomes their houseguest, strange things start to happen. First of all, she starts inserting herself into Finlay's parenting. Then, Finlay sees Mrs. Haggerty sneaking out of the house for a midnight walk and flashing the neighbors. Her grandson has disappeared, and the body in Mrs. Haggerty's backyard is linked to other disappearances. All of it centers around Mrs. Haggerty until Finlay's ex-husband is arrested for the body in the backyard and the other disappearances. Suddenly, Finlay's attention is focused on getting Steven out of jail and not on what Mrs. Haggerty may or may not be doing with her weird book club. But someone doesn't want Steven to be free, and the lengths they will go to put Vero and Finlay in danger of exposure for the past four months of their activities.

Thank goodness Cosimano has finished with the mob storyline and moved on. This was an interesting and creative transition between storylines. I'm curious to see if any part of this story is continued in future titles and the next title will be a good one, I can feel it. But back to this title. Yes, Mrs. Haggerty is super annoying and a threat to Finlay and Vero, but her insertion into their lives and the reason are heartwarming. This continues to be a fun, light-hearted series to read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy.

I love the Finlay Donovan series, but this one felt a bit out of place. I’m not sure if it’s because it felt to be a smaller scale (no mobs involved) and therefore it didn’t really feel like there were much stakes or if it was the mystery itself. On one hand, I did like the mystery but on the other hand I felt it was a bit too fast paced for me. It felt like a lot of questions were answered kind of quickly and I would’ve liked a bit more Finlay/Vero outings to find some clues.

I do love where Finlay and Nick’s relationship is going and I’m glad that they’re learning to trust each other more, so I hope to see more of that in the future and what comes from it.

I do hope that since the next is dealing with Vero, it’ll feel a bit more high stakes.

I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading Finlay Donovan! This may be my favorite since the original. Easy to follow (but not to guess the ending) and not overly-complicated with multiple characters or plot-points. It's funny, sweet, a little suspenseful and just a fun, easy read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!