Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano was a fun prequel novella for the long-running Finlay Donovan cozy mystery series (3.5/5 stars)

Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank by Elle Cosimano was a fun prequel novella for the long-running Finlay Donovan cozy mystery series.

It follows our favorite nanny-turned-accomplice/accountant Vero prior to the events of the first full-length novel in the series. I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and followed along in my eARC.

I was wondering about which college Vero went to, and it was finally confirmed in this novella that she had completed school up through the first semester of her senior year at my alma mater! I don’t think I realized just how close to graduation she actually was before things blew up (figuratively speaking).

This whole series is set in my neck of the woods (across the bridge into NoVa) and I get a kick out of any time there’s a mention of somewhere I’ve been in real life. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been having so much fun reading through this series. I only have one book to go that’s already been published, and I also have an ARC for the next book in the series that comes out in 2025.

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

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)

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