Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano

 

Summary (from the publisher): Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it...

Review: This book picks right up where book one left off. Finlay is still struggling to finish her next novel and survive as a single mom. But now at least she has a live-in nanny and friend in Vero that she can rely on. On the con side, she's pretty sure someone wants to kill her ex-husband, Steven. To keep him alive, she is forced to get a little too tangled up in the Russian mob, all while juggling whatever secrets Vero is keeping, and the attention of hot cop Detective Nick Anthony. 

These books are such a fun mix of suspense and tongue-in-cheek humor. Finlay is such a hot mess and despite being a mafia book with murder in the plot, these feel lighthearted and fun. This was great on audio. If you enjoyed book one, you will absolutely enjoy this book as well. I also really like Nick and was glad to see him with a starring role in this book. 

There is a pretty heft suspension of disbelief required to read these books. They aren't exactly the most plausible, nor do I think they're fully meant to be. But they're fun and entertaining. I think I lost the thread of this one a bit because I listened to the first half before a trip, took almost a week off while I was out of town, and then tried to finish it when I returned and just couldn't get into the last quarter of the book. Probably a me problem! Still a fun listen. 

Stars: 3

Related Title: 

• Finlay Donovan is Killing It (Finlay Donovan #1) by Elle Cosimano