Rating: 4/5
Genre: Mystery, Adult Fiction
Warnings: death, extramarital affairs
Read if you liked: Sherlock Holmes, Arsenic and Adobo
Review: Finlay Donovan is a recently divorced, stressed-out mom of two littles and struggling writer. Nothing is going right for her: major case of writer’s block, an agent on her for pages, an annoying ex-husband who fired the nanny, money problems, kids who cut their own hair…really it could go on. And it only gets more interesting when someone mistakes her for a contract killer (in a Panera) when talking to her agents about a new plot…but this really could be the solution to her money and ex-husband problems. Soon, Finlay is embroiled in a real life murder investigation…what would possibly go wrong? And who is the real killer?
Finlay Donovan was not killing it but I loved this wild ride and watching Finlay continued to get even more entangled in a murder investigation + bad choices + family/divorce drama. There was a lot of “you got this girl!” and “what are you doing?” energy in my own internal monologue but it also kept me laughing. This was sold to me as a cozy mystery but I would also say it’s a darker comedy as well because some moments really are hysterical…Cosimano killed it with the dialogue.
Things I loved: Finlay was totally relatable (except dead men don’t show up in my car…like ever), she was funny, warm and just a mom trying to get by. Vero (the nanny) is simultaneously hysterical and an enabler. It was very much a whodunit and gave me such Sherlock Holmes vibes. Panera…this got me, of course it would all start at a Panera. The ending, yes please make that happen!
Things I didn’t care for: Finlay’s ex-husband really is an a**, sorry no other way to put it. The light/instant romance that was thrown in felt rushed, this was a cozy mystery and it could have stayed that. My notes literally say, “What’s with all the love interests”.
This book was good and it had a lot of hype around it …mysteries or thrillers are not my thing (thank you Verity for ruining me) so reading this was totally a “bookstagram made me do it”. I’d say I enjoyed this one (will probably read the next) so thank you bookstagram.
Love,
A
All in with A 