Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano is a humorous cozy mystery and the second in the series (4/5 stars)

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano is a humorous cozy mystery and the second in the series.

NetGalley offered the entire series as Read Now for 24 hours so I grabbed them all and read the first two books within 48 hours. This one is set around the holiday season and actually ends at Christmas, so I picked the right time of year to read it!

I continued to enjoy the author’s prose here, and I think our titular Finlay and her nanny/assistant Vero are both adorable messes that you just want to root for. In this book, they’re trying to figure out who may have attempted to put out a hit on Finlay’s ex-husband (a dirtbag who is still a good father).

The love triangle that started in the first book has a bit of movement in this installment. There’s some kissing scenes, but it’s mostly closed door otherwise. The love triangle is still going, though there are a few twists and turns as she tries to sort out who might be the right man for her.

If you’re not into madcap shenanigans, you probably won’t like this series, but I do and I’m having fun reading them. I mentioned in my review for the first book that this series would be great for fans of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, and I absolutely still stand by that recommendation.

CW: firearms, murder, violence

I received a complimentary review copy from NetGalley and Minotaur Books. All opinions contained herein are my own.

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The Finlay Donovan series includes:

• Finlay Donovan is Killing It
• Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead
• Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
• “Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank” (a prequel short story)
• Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice
• Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave
• Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line (expected in 2026)