Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave: A Novel (The Finlay Donovan Series, 5)

From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave—the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series.

Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet . . . but at least there's not a body in her backyard.

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.

When the focus of the investigation widens to include Finlay’s ex-husband, Steven, though, Finlay and Vero are left with little choice but to get closer to Mrs. Haggerty and uncover her secrets . . . before the police start digging up theirs. But who will solve the mystery first?

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Published Mar 4, 2025

320 pages

Average rating: 8.35

20 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

fromlizaslibrary
Apr 21, 2025
8/10 stars
I found this series pretty randomly last year and I am so happy I did because it’s really become one of my favorites. I love the mystery and suspense but I enjoy the comedy pieces even more. The first few books were more of a cozy mystery vibe but as the books have continued they’ve become more intense. I was on the edge of my seat for this whole book trying to figure out what was going to happen and feeling pretty anxious to see what would happen next! I love the characters in these because they bring so much personality out and I cannot say enough about the audiobooks - Angela Dawe does such an incredible job bringing all of our characters to life. I thought this might be the conclusion to Finlay but after the ending I don’t think we are done quite yet! If you haven’t had the chance to check these out yet I highly recommend checking them out!
ClinicallyBookish
Aug 19, 2025
6/10 stars
The usual mishaps and comedy ensue as Finlay and Vero chase leads and avoid getting caught by true crime podcasters, Hot Detective Nick, or the real killer. Can Fin unravel the mystery, save ex-husband Steven from a murder charge, make her meeting with Sylvia and a TV producer, and make it home for dinner and before bed story time with the kids? Not my favorite in the series.
Indigenous Reader
May 19, 2025
8/10 stars
Hysterical. My first time reading a book by this author. Finlay, a writer and her live in nanny, Veronica, have a murder to solve in their neighborhood.

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