This was another witty installment in the Finlay Donovan series. Picking up close to where the previous book left off, it was easy to jump back into Finlay's world that's still a little messy but just as entertaining.

Another great installment of the Finlay Donovan series. Although this one wasn't as intense as the others. A body is found buried in Finlay's nosey neighbor, Mrs Haggerty's backyard. When suspicion falls on her ex Steven, Finlay and Vero use their skills to find the real killer. Same great characters, same great humor and same way of both Finlay and Vero seem to get way over their heads! Loved reading this!

I felt Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave goes back to the roots and charm of the first book in the series. While it's mostly contained to be on their street, with a cast of characters we already know and tolerate, there are plenty of adventures left to be had.

Listen, I don’t know what’s more impressive: Finlay Donovan’s ability to stumble into crime like it’s an extreme sport or the fact that she hasn’t completely lost her mind yet. Because if I found a dead body in my nosy neighbor’s backyard, I’d be packing my bags and faking my own death before the police could even say, “We’d like to ask you a few questions.” But not Finlay and Vero—oh no, these two disaster magnets practically have a punch card for murder investigations at this point.

This time around, Finlay’s elderly, over-involved neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, gets a little too involved when a corpse turns up in her backyard. Suddenly, she’s crashing at Finlay’s house, which is already a circus, because Finlay and Vero are busy juggling work, children, and whatever fresh crime scene the universe has decided to give them this week. And let’s be real—at this point, I fully expect their next adventure to involve a high-speed car chase and a dramatic helicopter escape.

The best part? This book is hilarious. Finlay and Vero’s banter is comedic gold, and I lost count of how many times I actually laughed out loud. Whether it was their totally unhinged problem-solving skills (because obviously the best way to deal with a murder is to make increasingly bad decisions) or the sheer absurdity of their situation, every page had something that made me cackle.

Also, the romance. Finlay and Vero would love to be focusing on their love lives instead of crime scenes, but alas, murder keeps getting in the way. And let’s just say, if Finlay could spend as much time tangled up with a certain someone as she does tangled up in crime, she’d be thriving.

Final thoughts: If you’re looking for a gripping mystery with hilarious, barely-holding-it-together single mom energy, this is your book. And if you’ve ever had to potty train a toddler, just know—Finlay sees you. She is you. And she also deserves a nap and a very large drink.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go write a strongly worded letter to the author about the cruelty of having to wait for book six.

Elle Cosimano does it again with what I think might just be my favorite book in the Finlay Donovan series!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave was laugh out loud funny. I mean all of Elle Cosimano's books in this series are hilarious, but there is even more comedy in this one. On top of that, I loved the characters so much (all of them!) and loved getting to know some of the secondary characters even better. Again, this book was left on a cliffhanger which only means another book is coming and I cannot wait to see where this cozy mystery series goes.

Highly recommended!

I’ve been a big fan of the Finlay Donovan books from the start. The mix of humor and hijinks in these books keep me engaged. This book felt a lot like the first with Finlay and Vero ending up in crime-adjacent situations without meaning to. This book was so fun and gives some added context to side characters in the series, like Mrs. Haggerty. This book was so fun!

The fifth installment of the Finlay Donovan series did not disappoint. Not only was there the same quirky charm, but there were so many new and interesting characters. I loved learning about Donovan's neighbor Mrs.Haggerty and how their relationship developed. I loved hearing more about Cam and his relationship with elders. I loved how relatable Finlay's life actually is. The writing kept me engaged and kept the pages turning. I finished this book within a day's time. I will be recommending this book on my social media as well as to my friends and coworkers. I am a high school librarian and will be purchasing this latest book for my students. This book, filled with friendly hijinks, relatable content, and even a few sexy and spicy moments, this book should be flying off the shelves to anybody that promotes it.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This series is at the top of my favorite list! It doesn't take itself too seriously. It knows exactly what lane it is in and it has stayed true to that so far. That's what makes it so beloved to me. I will be on the Finlay train no matter where Elle decides to take her!

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is such a good time! Nick is my favorite book boyfriend. Vero is my favorite sidekick. Finlay is my favorite FMC! As preposterous as these storylines always are, I can't help but love them to pieces! E.C. creates the best characters! This book is full of the usual Finlay/Vero shenanigans and ends on its usual cliffhanger! This one might be my favorite yet?

Anything related to Finlay Donovan is not only an auto-buy/auto-read for me now, it is one of the few series I will block off time to read ASAP.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave did not disappoint. Between the super hot cop (Nick), the (arguably) crazy old lady neighbor and the young hacker pseudo adopted teenager, Finlay has her hands full without considering her kids, writing deadlines, nanny, ex-husband or the rest of her family.

This seemed like the fastest-paced Finlay Donovan book to date. And this book seemed to be the most believable and not as far-fetched as the others. The cliffhanger ending left me wanting to know what happens next sooner rather than later, and I’ll most definitely be reading Cosimano’s next book in this series!

Read this in one day because it gave me the same magic as the first Finlay book! Definitely my second favorite book in the series but I don’t think I’ll be reading anymore after this one (7 are confirmed). Just didn’t really like the next cliff hanger/plot.

Finlay's life continues to be absolutely insane and I feel like she never took care of herself in this book. Also this book happened quickly after the last book and only took place over maybe a week? We haven't even been with Finlay for a year in her world on book 5 which is kind of crazy. But love all the side characters more and more as I go on.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an eARC, pub date is March 4th, 2025!

When teachers/staff at school and friends outside of school ask for adult recommendations, I'll be sure to send this series their way!
I have now read and loved all 5!

Like the first four, this one kept me entertained, intrigued and flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen next!
The characters are easy to get invested in and attached to. The plot lines are fun to follow!
The writing flows in such a way that you just don't want to put it down.

Thank you so much for the opportunity.to read this fun book.
When I read books with female characters.. I put myself there and I start having personal thoughts
Which is unfair of me That Nick man sure treats you like you are stupid and I wonder why you let him
I apologize:)
You are wonderful Thanks for taking me along on your journey.

Finlay, Vero, Nick and the kids are back! Finlay’s older neighbor, Mrs. haggerty, was arrested at the end of the last book when a dead body was exhumed from her backyard. Finlay and Vero work to exonerate the last person Finlay ever expected to want to save, her ex husband Steven.

Another hilarious installment of Finlay Donovan. I couldn’t stop listening to this and I was laughing out loud throughout. This installment was a lot more straightforward than some of the other books, although still a total suspense of reality. I love what an escape these books are, and this one might just be my new favorite. Mrs. haggerty was a delightful addition to the comical cast, and she might be my favorite character. If you are in need of some comedic relief, grab this immediately!

I always know what to expect in this cozy mystery, a lot of laughs and Finlay and Vero getting into shenanigans. This time we have Mrs. Haggerty, the noisy neighbor that ends up staying with Finlay because there was a dead body in her backyard. Finlay and Vero it not connected to the dead body as in the previous books but somehow is tangled in it.

Mrs Haggerty is canky and really stole the show. The story is entertaining and I do recommend that you read the other books to know what is going on. This also leaves you on a cliffhanger like the other books.

Anglea Dawe did a great job with bringing all the fun on
the story.

Thank you @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress for a copy of this.

When I read the first Finlay Donovan book I was hooked. Finlay and her sidekick Vera were funny, refreshing and made me laugh out loud. The last three books though became more outlandish and implausible which had me rolling my eyes more and more. I was almost ready to give up with this series but I am glad I didn't.

I really enjoyed this 5th book in the Finlay Donovan series. It was refreshing, funny and was a nod to what I loved in the first book. Finlay and Vera find themselves in another situation as a body is found in the backyard of their neighbors home and it's up to Finlay to find out what happened and if her neighbor really is a murderer. If you have read any for Cosimano's earlier books you know we are in for a fun time trying to solve this murder. We are also treated to some fun character development. I loved getting to know Cam better, and the Eggplant kept me laughing. Mrs. Haggerty added some great moments with her sassiness and I appreciated that Finlay and Nick were finally able to move their relationship forward.

If were at all hesitant about this series after the last book, just give this one as read - you may be surprised.

This fifth installment in the Finlay Donovan series is so funny—bursting with banter and silliness! The series continues to be relationship-heavy, as well, with deepening relationships for some of the recurring characters, and new, interesting relationships between combinations of characters that one wouldn't expect.

Both of Finlay's children—school-age Delia and preschooler Zach—play bigger roles than in previous books. Other characters returning with medium or large roles are ex-husband Steven, nosy neighbor Mrs. Haggerty, hacker Cam, agent Sylvia, nanny/partner in crime Vero, hot cop boyfriend Nick, and even more—I'll keep a few cameos a secret, just for fun. There's a new animal companion with a hilarious name. I'm counting on that feature continuing.

It's hard to believe that the action in all five books takes place within just four months. As I have in the past, I strongly recommend that the series be read in order.

Just like in Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (book 4), Cosimano ties everything up nice and neat before hitting us with a whammy at the very last minute. She is the Queen of Cliffhangers.

Finlay Donovan never fails to delight and entertain me, and this installment is the best yet! My longtime book buddies know I almost never give 5 stars. Even shocking confusion around how to make poached eggs (Chapter 10) isn't going to deter me from awarding the full score in this case. [Funny story: I don't cook to speak of (though I do bake), but poached eggs are in my repertoire. I'm happy to give lessons.]

Look I'm not gonna lie, after the last book in this series, I was a little ready for it to end. However, after reading this book I am back into this series. I liked that the series took a turn into a more realistic storyline. The first handful of books were a bit wild. This housewife getting mixed into the mob and all these outlandish hijinxs happening all around them. That was fun for a while, but this story was so much different. In this book, Finlay is working to solve a murder to clear her ex-husband's name. The story hits closer to home and the responsibilities she's juggling are more realistic. I loved that we finally got to see Finlay and Nick in a relationship. It was really fun to get more of Mrs Haggerty and her book club friends were wild! I still feel like we have some unanswered questions from books past that I was hoping we would get answers to but I have a feeling I'm just gonna have to let that go. This book does leave on a cliffhanger that I think will set up another book that centers around Vero.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 3/4

You cannot tell me that this series is over, please tell me there is a book 6! I ended this read screaming NO - damn Elle, thanks for leaving me with a cliffhanger.

I’m a die-hand Finla Donovan lover and this book was no different. Sometimes series’ that go this long end up losing their way with new stories never really reaching the vibe of the overall series, however that is not the case here. Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave has all of the elements that I’ve come to love and the story still stands strong. Once again, i’m laughing out loud, swooning over Nick, heart is beating fast hoping Finlay or Vero make it out, my mind is racing with questions - Elle you’ve done such an incredible job keeping the tone of this series alive and making sure that with each new book, the foundation of this series doesn’t change.

NOW GIVE ME BOOK 6 - PLEASE

I love this series!

We are back in Finlay's chaotic life as her ex-husband is being accused of murder. Her and Vero set out to find the truth and uncovers a secret group.

With each book Vero and Finlay add to their group and manage to get out of any pickle they put themselves in. This author writes the best cast of side characters that keep the story interesting and engaging.

I do recommend reading the books in publication order because the timeline is continuous.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.