Title: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan #3)
by Elle CosimanoPublishing Info: January 31, 2023 by Macmillan, Minotaur
Source: Netgalley, Received from the publisher for review purposes
Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Date Completed: December 28, 2022
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // Goodreads
Author and single mom Finlay Donovan has been in messes before―after all, she's a pro at removing bloodstains for various unexpected reasons―but none quite like this. When Finlay and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they had "borrowed" in the process of saving the life of Finlay's ex-husband, the Russian mob did her a favor and bought the car for her. And now Finlay owes them.
Mob boss Feliks is still running the show from behind bars, and he has a task for Finlay: find and identify a contract killer before the cops do. The problem is, the killer might be an officer themself.
Luckily, hot cop Nick has just been tasked with starting up a citizen's police academy, and combined pressure from Finlay's looming book deadline and Feliks is enough to convince Finlay and Vero to get involved. Through firearm training and forensic classes (and some hands-on research with a tempting detective), Finlay and Vero use their time in police academy to sleuth out the real contract killer to free themselves from the mob's clutches―all the while dodging spies, confronting Vero's past, and juggling the daily trials of parenthood.
BOOK REVIEW
Thank you to Macmillan/Minotaur Books + Netgalley for the audiobook review copy.
I was so checked out while reading this… I just couldn’t connect with it at all.
I just adored the first book in this series and didn’t love the second book as much, but sadly, I just could not connect with FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN at all. I listened to the audiobook (thank you to Macmillan audio for the Netgalley approval!) and this book just scrolled past my ears. I tried so hard to get into it but I feel like nothing really happened to capture my attention in this one.
I started to lose just a touch of interest in the last book but I feel like FDJTG just really didn’t have much development to really grab me. I felt like it was starting to push into Stephanie Plum territory where there’s just a lot of hijinks, some romance, and very little character or plot development. We’re starting to push into things being silly and funny for the sake of comedy and it’s losing its hold in the real world, causing me to start suspending (even more) disbelief which I wasn’t really ready to do with this series.
The whole thing with the civilian’s police academy was… boring? Forced? Unrealistic? All of the above? No idea if a thing like this really exists but it felt way too forced and I just couldn’t find myself caring about what happened there because it felt like it didn’t matter. I felt like there was not enough going on in some parts and too much going on in others. There were too many characters that meant nothing to the book that I just wasn’t even paying attention when it came to the important ones and the ending was a little chaotic for me.
I was so excited to read this, thinking it would be a nice, cute, easy post-holiday read but instead I just felt knocked around by it. Finlay Donovan fans may still love it! I just didn’t connect with the writing style and choices in this one. Not sure yet if I’ll continue on and read the 4th book. After feeling like this, it may be doubtful. I’m already invested in 29 Stephanie Plum novels and probably don’t need another series like it if it’s going to keep being silly.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, READ…
