Fresh off of her divorce with two kids in tow and finances running dry, Finlay has yet another dilemma: progress on her newest book has come to a screeching halt. If you’re a fan of Janet Evanovich or enjoy a good laugh-out-loud mystery, then this book is a must-read.

The protagonist of the novel is Finlay Donovan, who, in a nutshell, does not have her shit together. Elle Cosimano draws the reader in with some unabashedly uproarious set-pieces before pulling back the layers to reveal a deeper emotional core.You know that scene at the beginning of The Lion King where Rafiki walks out to the edge of Pride Rock and hoists baby Simba in the air to be presented to all the animals of the Pride Lands? Though she’s tempted by the money—and curious about the potential victims—she never actually commits any of the murders herself.

We hear a few times, that when Finlay goes to pick up stuff off the floor, maple syrup and strands of hair get stuck to the knees of her pants. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. the lack of supposed humour aside, the over-the-top nature of the characters really suits the whole tone of the story. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a PEOPLE Magazine Pick and one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021.I flicked on the light, but the cavernous space was still dim and depressing, empty except for the oil stain left behind by Steven’s F-150 on the concrete and my dust-coated Dodge Caravan.