If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if your PTA-mom life collided with a crime caper, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It has the answer. Spoiler: it involves murder puns, a babysitter turned partner-in-chaos, and a plot twist that feels like it tripped over a juice box and landed in the middle of a mob hit. It’s not your typical cozy mystery—but honestly, that’s what makes it work.

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The Cover

The illustration is cute, but doesn’t tell you a lot about what to expect. I think it is interesting that they chose this illustration because there is some disparity between the look of the main character as described and what is shown here. It is a good representation merging some of the public and private personas that become evident throughout the story. Furthermore, the fact that half of the face is cast in shadow hints at the duality of the character and the covert nature of the story’s premise. I feel like the cover designer probably actually read the book (yay!) The color choices are appropriate and tell us right off the bat that this is targeted towards women. The multiple competing fonts would normally be a no-go for me, but the chaos that it hints at is so integral to Finlay Donovan Is Killing It that it is an apt choice. The back cover gives more context with the description. I love the witty tagline “it’s murder being a hit-mom.” If you like this kind of tongue-in-cheek, pun-heavy wordplay, you will be happy to know that it is sprinkled throughout the story too.

Interior

The interior of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is neatly laid out. Nothing too fancy, just good clean copy with appropriate chapter headings and numbering. Where there were notes passed between the characters, these are indicated clearly in a different type and styling without distracting from the flow of reading. There is some interesting use of italics in places. While not all internal monologue is italicized, there is a section where this happens. It’s clear that it’s to distinguish, though, from spoken dialogue, but sometimes they are also used for news headlines and articles being heard or read, text messages, and for general emphasis. This could be distracting when they are used very closely together. Fortunately, it’s not too heavily used.

Did the design affect whether I bought the book?

No. I bought Finlay Donovan Is Killing It for a book club, so it wasn’t a factor in my decision. However, this is the kind of thing that catches my eye, and I would certainly have picked it up.

You see realistic character development in the heroine and the main side character. It’s subtle, you see them grow into themselves and the roles that they are carving out in a way that feels genuine. Some of the characterizations are cliché, but they are so charmingly delivered that you almost don’t notice. It’s especially apt that the heroine is an author, and you get a double dose of her voice through the main character’s pov and the writing that she does throughout the story. One thing that I thought was refreshing was that even when characters were VERY bad, the main character continually tries to see the whole story and treat people with compassion. This makes all of the characters more three-dimensional, where lesser writing might paint them as cliches.

Writing style is casual, fun, witty, and sprinkled with murderous puns. Cosimano’s writing style is very easy to read, the characters have distinct voices, and the pacing is up-tempo. There was a smattering of five-dollar words, but it was appropriate based on the character and situation. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptive aspects of the writing…instead of “leopard print outfit”, we read “her clothes might have been skinned from a large jungle cat.” This makes the main character all the more believable as an author.

Themes of finding yourself, found family, and female friendship run right alongside the more obvious mistaken identity plot device in Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. Romantic storylines take a back seat to the more prominent personal development of the main character and her babysitter-come-bestie.

While you think you know what’s up based on the premise described on the cover, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It takes you on a bit of a twisty who-dun-it road trip. I’ll admit I had some inclings along the way and ultimately guessed some of the ending from cleverly dropped foreshadowing, but I was not at all deterred from following this story to the very end. There was one plot hole, which I will not point out, because if you don’t see it, you’ll enjoy the book more when you read it. If you do, feel free to point it out in the comments (so be warned…there are probably going to be spoilers in the comments).

Though far-fetched in terms of the choices a real person might make (I confirmed it with my book club), Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a delightful romp that makes you forget that. The first book in a series, I am already itching to see what Cosimano does with the next installment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The descriptions of motherhood make me feel seen!

This is a “YES, Read it!” for me. If you like comedic mysteries with heart, this is probably your jam.

Not your typical “cozy mystery.” I often feel like feel-good mysteries try too hard. This one hits different, almost like a buddy-comedy with a murder-mystery twist. I’d say the same kind of vibes as the Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston movie “Murder Mystery,” but not related in any way beyond the feels.

Some romance, but no spice. Some potentially triggering topics include stalking and SA.

If you’ve read this, tell me in the comments if you LOLed!

If you haven’t read it, why not?

May your life be as full as your bookshelf and as long as your TBR list.

Happy Reading!