I like the idea, I like the characters, but the plot isn’t very layered or intriguing in itself. Since Finlay Donovan is Killing It cuts across genres in a sense, it can kind of get away with it. Held to the standards of those genres on its own, I’d give it an even lower rating, to be honest. But it does these just well enough to get by, and the setting and concept carries the whole thing quite a bit.
Title: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
Author: Elle Cosimano
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook
Publication Date: February 2, 2021
Review Date: February 16, 2026
Number of Pages: 10 hrs (audiobook)
My Rating: 3.0/5
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Book Blurb of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It:
Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Book Review of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It:
An author goes to Panera for lunch and gets recruited as a hitman. Wait, what? This is the story of Finlay Donovan.
I listened to the audiobook and it really made the story better. It was an enjoyable enough story anyway, but it was made better by the narrator!
The book as a whole has an interesting setup, and I was definitely intrigued to see how it would play out. Finlay and her nanny are really brave to deal with the situations they have to deal with, yet shaken at instances. They way they behave makes it believable, even with such an outlandish situation. No spoilers, all this in the blurb. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about some of the other characters – the author was certainly not trying to make too many of them likeable! She definitely did a good job!
The plot itself (and some of the reveals) were slightly simplistic, for lack of a better word. It’s a perfectly good plot, and engaging – but what I mean is it didn’t have any “shocking” reveals and didn’t blindside me in any way. I kinda want mystery books to do that, y’know? Especially when you give away a major plot point in the blurb like that (sidebar: does it bother anyone else that so many blurbs give away so much of the story? so do movie trailers? it definitely bugs me).
That’s why the seeming contrast in my opinion above – I like the idea, I like the characters, but the plot isn’t very layered or intriguing in itself. Caveat – it seems to work for the book, considering it’s a bestseller and launched a series. Since this book cuts across genres in a sense, it can kind of get away with it. Held to the standards of those genres on its own, I’d give it a lower rating. But it does these just well enough to get by, and the setting and concept carries the whole thing quite a bit. So that’s how I felt about this book as a whole, bringing me to a final verdict of neutral.
The audiobook was honestly so great, and it was nice to listen to when doing chores around the house or cooking. I think mystery is my preferred genre for audiobooks!
Oh and one last thing, the twist ending was a great setup for book 2, and I think that’s part of why it managed to launch a series? Cozy mysteries as a genre has many good contenders, and I suppose this one qualifies because of the dark humor. Will I be picking up the second book? Maybe as an audiobook! But it’s nowhere close to the top of my TBR honestly.
