Review of "Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave: A Comic Thriller" by Elle Cosimano

In this 5th book in the comical 'Finlay Donovan' series, Finlay's ex-husband is arrested for murder.

*****

Finlay Donovan is a divorced mother and novelist who has a knack for getting in and out of trouble.



For instance, when the scoundrel Harris Mickler was killed in Finlay's garage, Finlay and her friend/nanny Veronica Ruiz (Vero) knew what to do.



They buried Mickler on Finlay's ex-husband's farm and pinned the whole thing on the Russian mob. Unfortunately, this set off a chain reaction that had Finlay and Vero finding bodies, hiding bodies, and trying to figure out who murdered those bodies.



Finlay adapted her true crime adventure into a novel, and now that the 'Russian mob caper' is done and dusted, Finlay hopes to have breathing room. But it's not to be. Finlay's neighbor, 81-year-old Mrs. Margaret Haggerty, is arrested when a plumbing emergency reveals a dead body under her rose garden.



The victim is identified as mortgage broker Gilford Dupree, who disappeared five years ago.



Finlay isn't too distressed about Mrs. Haggerty because the elderly woman, who's in charge of the neighborhood watch, is the nosybody who exposed Finlay's (now) ex-husband Steven as a cheating rogue last year.



Finlay's carefree attitude is short-lived though, because she soon sees a news report stating, 'All charges against Margaret Haggerty have been dismissed in light of new evidence'. This leads to a double whammy: Mrs. Haggerty invites herself to be a houseguest in Finlay's home while her plumbing is being fixed;



and Finlay's ex-husband Steven is arrested for murder. It appears five years ago, when Gilford Dupree vanished, Steven was sleeping with Dupree's wife AND delivering mulch to Mrs. Haggerty's home.



Finlay knows Steven is a no-good cheater, but he's the father of her children, and (in Finlay's view) NOT a murderer. So Finlay and her friend Vero set out to find the real killer. This leads to a number of dangerous, but amusing, escapades.





The Finlay Donovan novels are comical mysteries, and there's plenty of fun in this story.



For instance, Finlay's five-year-old daughter Delia is suspended from school when a boy pulls her hair and Delia 'kicks him in the tentacles' just like Vero showed her.



Then there's the time Mrs. Haggerty raids Finlay's fridge and takes pot brownies to her book club meeting.



Smelliest of all, a clothing mishap forces Finlay to stuff an oversize bra with wet socks scented with lavender.



On the personal side, Finlay is still dating Police Detective Nick Anthony, and hiding her criminal history from him - though that's getting more and more difficult. Nevertheless the duo are getting closer, so who knows what lies in store.



The usual recurring characters appear in the book, including Finlay's mother - who babysits when necessary; Vero's boyfriend Javi - who has all kinds of skills; teenage scamp Cam - who Venmos money from Finlay's account for his Uber rides; Sylvia - Finlay's literary agent, who's trying to broker a TV deal; and more.

All in all, an entertaining addition to the series.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Angela Dawe, who does a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Elle Cosimano, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

 Rating: 3.5 stars