REVIEW:

You know that scene at the beginning of The Lion King where Rafiki walks out to the edge of Pride Rock and hoists baby Simba in the air to be presented to all the animals of the Pride Lands? The one where the opening chant of “The Circle of Life” blares in the background? "Nants’ ingonyama, bakithi, baba. Sithi hu ‘ngonyama.”

Well I’m Rafiki and this book will be Simba anytime any of my suburban book club member friends (“SBCMFs”) ask me what they should read next in 2021.

Not to say only SBCMFs will enjoy this romp about a barely-scraping-by newly-divorced writer and mother of two who’s mistaken for a hit woman, but man those MFs are gonna love it. I can’t think of a more fun selection for a book club. Convinced? Great! Make sure to check out the link to discussion questions and other goodies provided by the publisher below.

My appreciation goes to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and the author for granting my wish to read an advanced copy via NetGalley. Thanks to you, my 2021 recommendations are already killing it.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

IT’S MURDER BEING A HIT-MOM

"Getting the job done" for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It, a deliciously witty adult debut—the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.

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.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from award-winning author Elle Cosimano.