In this 6th book in the comical 'Finlay Donovan' series, Finlay's
friend/nanny is under house arrest for theft, and Finlay wants to prove
someone else is guilty.
*****
Virginia resident Finlay Donovan is a divorced mother and romance novelist who has a knack for getting in and out of trouble.
Finlay
met her live-in nanny (and now best friend) Veronica Ruiz (Vero) about a
year ago, when Vero was on the run from a theft charge in in her home
state of Maryland.
Since
then Finlay and Vero have buried bodies; got involved with the Russian
mafia; acquired boyfriends; and had all manner of kooky adventures.
Unfortunately,
the Maryland police finally caught up with Vero, and she's been
extradited and charged with stealing money from her sorority house. 
The
crime happened like this: In Vero's senior year of college, she was on
the executive board of her sorority with two other girls, Ava and Mia.
The threesome decided they could make some money hosting underground
poker nights, and accumulated $200,000, which was kept in Vero's room.
Vero
went out to a party one night, and when she returned, the money was
gone. Vero was blamed for taking it, and to avoid arrest, Vero went on
the run Everyone involved with the poker games got into big trouble with
the cops and the school.....and the parents of students who'd lost all
their tuition money went ballistic.
Now,
outfitted with an ankle monitor, Vero is under house arrest in the
Maryland home of her mother Norma and aunt Gloria. Vero's public
defender is still wet behind the ears, and it looks like Vero will be
convicted if the real culprit isn't exposed.
Finlay
is determined to help Vero, so she entrusts the care of her children,
5-year-old Delia and 2-year-old Zach, to her boyfriend, police detective
Nick Anthony. 
Finlay then takes off for Maryland with Vero's boyfriend Javi.
In Maryland, Finlay, Vero, Javi, and Vero's cousin Ramón.....
......embark
on a series of escapades to uncover the real thief. This is easier said
than done because Vero is permitted only limited excursions while under
house arrest, and her ankle monitor shrieks at ear-splitting decibels
if she stays out past her curfew.
To further the investigation,
Finlay contacts her acquaintance Cameron (Cam), an 18-year-old high
school dropout who was a hacker for the Russian mafia. Cam can find
anyone's name and address from a license plate number, and he can 'fool'
Vero's ankle monitor into reporting she's at home. 
Finlay
and Vero - with the help of Javi and Ramón - contact people involved in
the poker games, especially Vero's sorority sisters and some fraternity
boys, most of whom have graduated.
The
amateur sleuths uncover all sorts of nefarious activity on the night
the poker money was stolen, as well as an ongoing counterfeit ring.
Finlay and Vero hope to wring a confession out of someone before Vero
goes to trial, but it's a challenging enterprise.
Meanwhile, Vero
is being harassed. The home of Vero's mother and aunt (where Vero' is
staying) is vandalized with raw eggs that say things like bitch, liar,
crook; rocks are thrown through the windows with messages calling Vero a
thief; burning dog poop is left on the porch; and so on.
As always in this series, there's a good deal of comic relief. For instance:
🌸🌸
Vero and four elderly Maryland neighbors named Eugene, Joan, Lenore,
and Wendell play 'Go Fish' for old Halloween and Christmas candy. Here's
an example of the conversation as a game finishes up:
Vero: We'll play again tomorrow.
Lenore: But tomorrow is Taco Tuesday.
Joan: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, tomorrow's Friday Lenore. Get with the program.
Lenore: There's a program?
🌸🌸
Finlay's literary agent Sylvia arranges for Finlay to have a Facebook
page, to promote her romance novels. Finlay's nosy neighbor Stacy posts
comments about Finlay's 'hot cop boyfriend' and starts a 'boxers or
briefs' poll about him. The neighbors then publish Twitter posts with
the hashtag 'hotcopcrotchwatch'. Stacy votes for briefs.
By
the conclusion of the novel, the culprit is revealed, and a cliffhanger
ending whets the reader's appetite for the next Finlay Donovan book.
Vero's
mom and aunt are great cooks, so here's one of their dinner menus:
tortillas with picadillo; and bread pudding with a sugar-crusted top. 
Tortillas with Picadillo
Bread Pudding with a Sugar-Crusted Top
I'm
a fan of the series, but this book is a bit disappointing. First off,
the crime doesn't ring true. How would a sorority glean $200,000 from an
underground poker game? And would Vero be foolish enough to leave the
money in her room? That's crazy!! Also, robbery isn't as exciting as the
murders, burials, exhumations, and so on featured in previous books.
Still, I'd recommend the novel to Finlay Donovan fans for an entertaining afternoon's reading.
Thanks to Netgalley, Elle Cosimano, and Minotaur for an ARC of the book.
Rating: 3 stars
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