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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After thoroughly enjoying "Finlay Donovan is Killing It", I was so excited to pick this up in preparation for the Literally Dead Book Club discussion.
"Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead" picks up immediately after the conclusion of the first book. Finlay is struggling to continue writing her book and is still trying to navigate how to coparent with her ex-husband. Someone has ordered a hit for Steven, Finlay's ex-husband, so on top of worrying about his parenting, Finlay is worried to leave her children alone with him. At least she has her partner in crime, Vero, but Finlay quickly suspects that Vero may be hiding something from her...
Although I did not enjoy this quite as much as the first one, I am still enthralled by Finlay as a character. The plot of this series is going off the handle a little bit, which is highly entertaining, but makes it feel less realistic. The situations Finlay and Vero find themselves in are wild, and I do not think the average person would be able to get out of them quite so well. Although this is fine for a novel, what I love about Finlay is how relatable she feels, so for me as a reader, I want the story to feel more realistic.
I love how close Finlay and Vero are. Their friendship is something to aspire for and they are the epitome of "ride or die". Having the support of another woman does make it more probable to me that Finlay is navigating this situation more sanely.
The love triangle between Finlay, the law student, and the detective was something lighthearted and fun to read about. I think it again makes it more realistic that Finlay might know what she is doing because she has the advice of two different people with criminal knowledge. I am excited to see her relationships develop more in book three!
I love that Finlay remains a powerful, strong woman who is taking on her situation head on. I also really love that her novel she is writing is loosely based on her current predicament. Having to write out what is going on I think is helping her process her crimes and uncover the bad guys.
I am still enjoying this series and I am so excited to see what antics Finlay gets up to next!
"Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead" picks up immediately after the conclusion of the first book. Finlay is struggling to continue writing her book and is still trying to navigate how to coparent with her ex-husband. Someone has ordered a hit for Steven, Finlay's ex-husband, so on top of worrying about his parenting, Finlay is worried to leave her children alone with him. At least she has her partner in crime, Vero, but Finlay quickly suspects that Vero may be hiding something from her...
Although I did not enjoy this quite as much as the first one, I am still enthralled by Finlay as a character. The plot of this series is going off the handle a little bit, which is highly entertaining, but makes it feel less realistic. The situations Finlay and Vero find themselves in are wild, and I do not think the average person would be able to get out of them quite so well. Although this is fine for a novel, what I love about Finlay is how relatable she feels, so for me as a reader, I want the story to feel more realistic.
I love how close Finlay and Vero are. Their friendship is something to aspire for and they are the epitome of "ride or die". Having the support of another woman does make it more probable to me that Finlay is navigating this situation more sanely.
The love triangle between Finlay, the law student, and the detective was something lighthearted and fun to read about. I think it again makes it more realistic that Finlay might know what she is doing because she has the advice of two different people with criminal knowledge. I am excited to see her relationships develop more in book three!
I love that Finlay remains a powerful, strong woman who is taking on her situation head on. I also really love that her novel she is writing is loosely based on her current predicament. Having to write out what is going on I think is helping her process her crimes and uncover the bad guys.
I am still enjoying this series and I am so excited to see what antics Finlay gets up to next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Murder