Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the Finlay Donovan series and I absolutely loved my time with the first two books. I've been wanting to pick up book number three ever since it was published... And I thought finally reading it would be a nice little gift to myself to celebrate having caught up with the most pressing ARCs. Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun continues right where the second book ended, so it's definitely important to read the books in order to fully understand what is going on. You won't fully appreciate the main characters either otherwise! That said, while I did very much enjoy this third book, I don't think it was actually as good as the first two. Nothing too noticeable, just some of that je-ne-sais-quoi missing... It might have had to do with the fact that the setting was a bit too fixed with the police academy starring the show. That said, I loved spending more time with Vero and Finlay, and the humor was once again excellent. Be ready for some pretty big cliffhangers though! I kind of wish I would have waited a while longer before reading it now, because the wait for March 2024 is going to be a long one...

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theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another very entertaining Finlay Donovan book by Elle Cosimano. I’ve really enjoyed this entire series so far and love that every book ends on a cliffhanger. I keep going back for more.

I think I’ve said it before but Steve is just the worst, I am 100% team Nick, and I cannot wait to find out what happens with Vero’s story.

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I picked up the three books published in the Finlay Donovan series because this third book specifically was the February 2023 Literally Dead Book Club selection.
"Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun" is the third installment in the riveting story of Finlay Donovan. Finlay has gotten herself noticed by a very powerful mob boss, Feliks, and he has a very important task for Finlay: find and stop a contracted killer before the police do. Unfortunately, the killer may be a cop himself.
In this action-packed novel, Finlay finds herself attending a police academy course so she can be a bad ass hero AND get close to the potential killer. I felt like this was the highest stakes, action-packed installment of the Finlay Donovan series we have seen thus far (especially that ending!). This novel definitely felt like a cheesy Hollywood blockbuster movie, but I kind of loved it.
I did enjoy seeing Finlay and Nick become closer and finally get to explore their feelings for one another. Finlay deserves to have an attractive fellow pursue her, especially after all of the stress her ex-husband put her through. I feel like we are finally seeing Finlay grant herself permission to be happy and pursue something that excites her.
Something that has bothered me in all three novels, but especially in this installment, is that Finlay's sister is a detective, and a really great one at that. I feel like realistically, she would be more suspicious than she is that Finlay's behavior is erratic at best. Finlay is always giving her sister weird excuses and behaving so strangely and out of character.
This was a different type of mystery than the first novel. Where the first book is almost funny because Finlay founds herself unintentionally involved in a murder, this story has Finlay and Vero running headlong into this mystery.
I am still enjoying this series and I definitely hope to see more from Finlay in the future!

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kimveach's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I love this series on audiobook. What would be silly in print becomes a fun romp when narrated. The narrator does an excellent job of Finley. Her other voices can be a little iffy and sometimes sound similar, but it's okay since it's mostly Finley speaking and describing.

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