-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Summary | Discuss | Reviews | More Information | Read-Alikes
A Novel (The Finlay Donovan Series, 1)
by Elle Cosimano
"Getting the job done" for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It.
Finlay Donovan is killing it ... except, she's really not. She's a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay's life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn't written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.
When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she's mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet ... Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.
Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.
What author always makes you laugh?
This is such a great question. I feel I need books that make me feel good or make me laugh at this time in our history. I recently started the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano. The first one is Finlay Donovan Is Killing It. You should go in order. The most recent came out this year, and it ...
-Dee_Driscole
"Part comedy of errors, part genuine thriller… Deftly balancing genre conventions with sly, tongue-in-cheek comments on motherhood and femininity, Cosimano crafts a deliciously twisted tale." ―Booklist
"Suspenseful, funny.... More, please." ―Kirkus Reviews
"Amusing… pleasingly absurd... [a] romp from a skilled comic writer." ―Publishers Weekly
"[A] fun adult debut… readers will enjoy this breezy romp." ―Library Journal
"Read in a single night, applauding along the way. For anyone who's ever wished to turn her life around, Finlay Donovan is the master. From failing everything, to succeeding brilliantly, she proves you only need to get mistaken once for a contract killer, to solve all your problems." ―Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When You See Me
"Funny and smart, twisty and surprising―Finlay Donovan is a character to root for. This suspenseful romp made me laugh but also kept me on the edge of my seat with its many surprises. I can't wait for the next book!" ―Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest
This information about Finlay Donovan Is Killing It was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Elle Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Writers Award winner, and an Edgar Award nominee. 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 was named one of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021. The third book in the series, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, was an instant New York Times bestseller. In addition to writing novels for teens and adults, her essays have appeared in HuffPost and Time. Cosimano lives with her husband and two sons in Virginia.
If you liked Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, try these:
by Roisín O'Donnell
Published 2026
From an unforgettable new voice in Irish fiction, a heart-pounding, life-affirming story about one woman trying to leave her marriage and start over.
by Lisa Moore
Published 2019
Written in Lisa Moore's exuberant and inimitable style, Flannery is by turns heartbreaking and hilarious, empowering and harrowing often all on the same page. It is a novel whose spell no reader will be able to resist.
by Tana French
Published 2015
The sensational new novel from "one of the most talented crime writers alive" (The Washington Post)
Choose an author as you would a friend
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
