REVIEW:

There are high jinks*. Then there are higher jinks. But our old pal Finlay Donovan? She gets up to the highest jinks of all.

Finlay is back after romping her way through Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, where she was mistaken as a hit woman after a misconstrued conversation overheard at a Panera Bread. In this second book in the series, cleverly titled Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead, she and her sidekick Vero pick up a month after the first mystery left off. This time they’re trying to figure out who is attempting to whack Finlay’s ex-husband/baby daddy, while Finn is also facing down a fast-approaching deadline for her next “novel of romantic suspense” manuscript.

Do you need to read the first book before this one? Yeah, you really do.

If you loved the first one will you love this one too? Probably. It’s very much more of the same.

Who will adore this series? Readers of Janet Evanovich or Darynda Jones. Mystery + humor = over-the-top shenanigans.

Is there any romance? Yep, Finny’s got herself a little love triangle going on with two potential suitors. Not much steam here though… yet.

Will there be a third book? No doubt, given this one’s cliffhanger ending.

*Where does the term “high jinks” come from anyway? According to my trusty friend The Internet, “High jinks was a popular 18th-century drinking game in Scotland. The game involved throwing a die, and if the caster got a bad score, they had to choose between drinking more alcohol or performing an undignified task” Finlay must be a pretty bad at throwing dice.

But I must have better luck than she does, because I fortunately received an advance copy of this book courtesy of the author and Minotaur Books for review via NetGalley. Finlay will be knocking ‘em dead in stores next February.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead — the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.

"A funny and smart, twisty and surprising series." — Megan Miranda

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 soccer moms disguised as hit-women, 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...