Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave: A Novel

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!

Listen, I don’t know what’s more impressive: Finlay Donovan’s ability to stumble into crime like it’s an extreme sport or the fact that she hasn’t completely lost her mind yet. Because if I found a dead body in my nosy neighbor’s backyard, I’d be packing my bags and faking my own death before the police could even say, “We’d like to ask you a few questions.” But not Finlay and Vero—oh no, these two disaster magnets practically have a punch card for murder investigations at this point.



This time around, Finlay’s elderly, over-involved neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, gets a little too involved when a corpse turns up in her backyard. Suddenly, she’s crashing at Finlay’s house, which is already a circus, because Finlay and Vero are busy juggling work, children, and whatever fresh crime scene the universe has decided to give them this week. And let’s be real—at this point, I fully expect their next adventure to involve a high-speed car chase and a dramatic helicopter escape.

The best part? This book is hilarious. Finlay and Vero’s banter is comedic gold, and I lost count of how many times I actually laughed out loud. Whether it was their totally unhinged problem-solving skills (because obviously the best way to deal with a murder is to make increasingly bad decisions) or the sheer absurdity of their situation, every page had something that made me cackle.

Also, the romance. Finlay and Vero would love to be focusing on their love lives instead of crime scenes, but alas, murder keeps getting in the way. And let’s just say, if Finlay could spend as much time tangled up with a certain someone as she does tangled up in crime, she’d be thriving.

Final thoughts: If you’re looking for a gripping mystery with hilarious, barely-holding-it-together single mom energy, this is your book. And if you’ve ever had to potty train a toddler, just know—Finlay sees you. She is you. And she also deserves a nap and a very large drink.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go write a strongly worded letter to the author about the cruelty of having to wait for book six.

I was disappointed with the ending. I really enjoyed Cam & Mrs H getting together. And there was a red herring that had me guessing the incorrect perpetrator. And it was nice to see the bartender/lawyer for a minute. Just not sure I like the part about Mrs H and the bookclub. I am anxious to read other reviews. And I do hope this is not the end of this series and these characters. And there is too much about the sex part. I guess I’m more of a mystery reader than a romcom reader…

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.

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.