Elle Cosimano’s Bestselling Mystery Series is as Hilarious as It is Deadly!

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano

"The pacing and humor continue throughout Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave, making it nearly impossible to put down."

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is a hoot and a half! There are some skeptics who continue to think it is odd to have a murder mystery that is (no pun intended) drop dead hilarious. This is the fifth installment in a series created by the multi-talented, best-selling, award-winning author Elle Cosimano. The list of honors on display at her engaging website is fully two pages long! Don’t be concerned if you have not yet read previous entries in this series. Relax and jump in as the author will bring you up to date as you roll along.

Protagonist/narrator Finlay Donovan is a mother of two young children, divorced from her handsome husband Steven, whose primary constancy in their marriage was how earnest and adept he was at serial cheating and deceiving. While monogamy was not his strong suit, he is a devoted father to five-year-old Delia and two-year-old Zach. This reviewer confesses to regarding fictional small children’s antics as filler or a distraction, but this author employs them adroitly to add to the wacky humor. 

Chaos at Preschool

The novel begins in the office of exceptionally stern preschool principal Mrs. Carmichael, who is lecturing Finlay on the unacceptable behavior of Delia. The tiny tot futilely attempts to explain that her reason for “kicking Cooper in the tentacles” and “bruising his ribs” was done in response to the little bully’s pushing, hair pulling and trash talking of her mother.

Her case is not even minimally assisted when Vero, Finlay’s best friend/nanny/partner-in-crime, bursts through the office door in hot pursuit of the now naked Zach, who when released from his car seat, left a trail of clothing strewn in his wake. His next contribution was to widdle on the principal’s carpeted floor.

The draconian sentence of two weeks’ suspension and payment of Cooper’s medical examination were pronounced as this disgraced quartet was escorted out the door. The pacing and humor continue throughout Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave, making it nearly impossible to put down.

Murder, Mayhem, and a Mom Just Trying to Pay the Bills

The titular character and narrator is a single mom struggling to stay afloat financially by writing romantic suspense novels loosely based on her own extraordinary hair-raising adventures with Russian mob figures and other killers. She is aided and abetted by the aforementioned live-in nanny Veronica “Vero” Ruiz, who is currently under the cover of an alias necessitated by a spurious yet outstanding arrest warrant in Maryland for a false accusation of theft. Finlay’s glamorous and aggressive New York agent Sylvia is another colorful character.

She is on-site, urgently pressuring her to sign a contract for a semi-reality-based television series that incorporates Finlay’s handsome and hot detective boyfriend Nick. The money could provide greater financial stability, but as her books may consist more of true crime than fiction, Finlay would prefer not to reveal the extent of her involvement to her readers or Nick.

Fast-growing Loudoun County, bordering the meandering Potomac River and Fairfax County, encompasses seven 18th-century towns steeped in history whose residents possess abundant old and new money along with continually rising property taxes. Some of the most expensive Virginia properties are located there, ranging from multi-million-dollar estates in Middleburg, known as the Nation’s Horse and Hunt Capital, several vineyards in or near Purcellville and suburban homes in Ashburn averaging three-quarters of a million.

Situated within 25 miles of the Nation’s Capital and a short drive to Dulles International Airport, it signifies gracious living. The neighborhood moms are well manicured and coiffed, dressed in the latest outfits from Lululemon, Alo Yoga, Norma Kamali and other designer brands of athletic wear. They flit from classes, meetings, luncheons and shopping excursions when not chauffeuring their offspring to their nonstop activities.

The streets and roads are clogged with every brand of luxury SUV and the county boasts not one but two Wegman’s Supermarkets, where lesser mortals from neighboring counties come to gawk at the museum-worthy displays of gourmet delicacies. $17 for a single precious strawberry, anyone? There is also a massive centrally located Whole Foods Market.

A Neighbor’s Deadly Secret

Finlay’s budget runs more to macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza but the schools are excellent and ex-husband Stephen reliably pays his child support from his landscaping and sod farm business. The latter served as a dumping ground for mortal remains in Book 1, Finlay Donovan is Killing It in which our intrepid heroine began her adventures as an accidental paid assassin. His mulch delivery service implicates him as a primary suspect in a current murder investigation. Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, who resides across the street, is the president of the neighborhood watch and the local know-it-all busybody.

The corpse of Guilford Dupree, husband of Penny Dupree, a member of Mrs. H’s book club, is found in a shallow grave in the Haggerty backyard. Suspicion is cast on Steven, who delivered the mulch covering the body. Mrs. Haggerty is swiftly cleared by police investigators. However, her home is cordoned off as a crime scene and the power and water have been shut off.

The most convenient place for her to stay is Finlay’s modest home, which is short one bedroom. Vero and Finlay may have to flip a coin to determine who will take the sofa for the duration. Mrs. Haggerty may not be Mary Poppins but she is a surprisingly good houseguest. She somehow mesmerizes Delia and Zach with her strict discipline and reassuring presence, homeschooling the little girl and succeeding in completing Zach’s potty training and ceasing his preference for nudity.

With the children duly occupied, the madcap adventures of Finlay and Vero commence as they investigate and ultimately solve this perplexing case. Characteristically, Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave ends with a cliffhanger leaving readers to await the next installment in this witty and well-written series from Elle Cosimano.Those who prefer light-hearted cozy mysteries will welcome these two partners-in-crime who can’t seem to avoid tripping over bodies.

Fans of Janet Evanovich, Charlaine Harris, Mary Kay Andrews, the late Janet Hess, Spencer Quinn and Carolyn Haines will thoroughly enjoy this novel and author.

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