Book Review: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice | Elle Cosimano

Scrreeeeecchhhh!

What’s that sound? It’s the sound of the hilarious ball-of-energy, writer-turned-detective Finlay Donovan flying out of town on her next adventure—a girls trip to Atlantic City where she and her nanny Vero (and a few unexpected passengers) are on the tail of a kidnapper in book four, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice.

About the Book | Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice

If you haven’t read the Finlay Donovan books yet, where have you been? This laugh-out-loud adult mystery series is the perfect blend of detective work and humor. Finlay Donovan is one of a kind! We were first introduced to Finlay in Finlay Donovan is Killing It. Finlay was dealing with problems with her ex-husband Steven, trying to manage two kids as a single mom, and working to get her book published. When she’s overheard discussing the plot of her book with her agent, someone nearby mistakes her for a contract killer and hires her to dispose of her husband. Finlay accidentally accepts the offer, which leads her on a wild journey of detective work and murder.

Since then, there have been two other Finlay Donovan books in the series, each building off where the previous book left off. While I recommend reading all four books in order, you can still read them out of order but know that the books tend to pick up where the previous book left off. In this case, immediately after the end of book three where we learned that Vero’s boyfriend was abducted!

Finlay “Finn” Donovan and her nanny Vero are headed to Atlantic City to rescue Vero’s boyfriend, Javi. He was abducted by a loan shark named Marco who is trying to collect a gambling debt incurred by Vero. When Vero finds a ransom note tucked under the wiper on Javi’s car, she knows this is all her fault.

“We don’t have anything to negotiate with! If it weas just about the two hundred grand, we could borrow it. Or steal it. Or come up with some kind of an installment plan using my inessential body parts for payment. But that’s not what Marco wants.”

Vero points out that the Aston Martin that was stolen by Marco and the mobsters more than pays off the debt. She suspects what he really wants is to know what happened to his missing nephew, Ike. Unfortunately, telling Marco what happened to Ike definitely won’t win him over and convince him to return Javi safe and sound.

To complicate everything, Finlay wants to bring her kids to Atlantic City (it is telling that she’d rather bring her children to visit a loan shark than leave them with her ex), but her ex-husband Steven demands to come with. When her mother also demands to join, the mission becomes much more difficult!

Soon after arriving at their casino hotel, it’s clear that they are in over their heads. The kidnapper, Marco, demands full payment in exchange for Javi’s life and information on the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike. Finlay and Vero can’t meet those demands, so they sneak into his suite to search for clues and discover Marco is aleady dead. Even worse, they clearly have a motive!

Finn is no stranger to fumbling her way through a mystery, but with a jealous ex-husband, a mother with marital issues, a dead loan shark, two kids, and a nanny with a missing boyfriend to juggle—Finlay may be in a bit too deep! Can she find a way to resolve everything and get out of Atlantic City?

Review | Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice

As some fans have noted, Finn has changed quite a bit since the series began. In the first book, Finn was a rule-follower and a single mother of two going through a contentious divorce. She fumbles her way through a series of unpredictable events, and most of what happens to her isn’t entirely her fault. In addition, she often seemed trapped and unable to seek help without risking the safety of herself or her loved ones. The Finn from book one is relatable for many readers. Over the next two books, Finn’s life spirals even more out of control. Each time she finds herself in another mess, she finds her way out only to land in an even bigger one.

By book four, Finn’s story has gone off the rails and bodies have piled up everywhere. She even notes upon finding two dead bodies in the hotel suite that these are nowhere near the first dead bodies she has seen this week, let alone in her life. The Finn we see in this latest installment is over-the-top, erratic, and actively putting herself in these situations over other, safer options. The reader can no longer believe that these events are the result of a misunderstanding—Finn is an active participant in her own story (and so is Vero!).

This trajectory seems to have caused a divide for some readers. Many loved the Finn from book one and wanted her to stay that way. Others are enjoying the fun that comes with Finn getting involved in increasingly tangled and bizarre situations. I consider myself in both camps to a certain extent. I don’t think anything can replace the story we got in book one, and equally, I’m finding the subsequent stories a lot of fun too. Suspension of disbelief is not only recommended, it’s required to appreciate the Finlay Donovan books for what they are—laugh-out-loud comedies that happen to have a splash of murder mystery.

If you love a mystery but don’t want anything too dark, this series is for you! This book is the sillies one yet. A chaotic plot and quick pace make this an enjoying, bingeable read!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and St. Martins Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Author | Elle Cosimano

Elle Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Award winner, a Bram Stoker Award finalist, and an Edgar® Award nominee. Her acclaimed young adult novels include Nearly Gone, Holding Smoke, The Suffering Tree, and Seasons of the Storm. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a PEOPLE Magazine Pick and was named one of New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2021. In addition to writing novels for teens and adults, her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time. Elle lives with her husband and two sons in Virginia.

Summary | Goodreads

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.

Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco’s already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay’s night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?