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A review by justinkhchen
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
3.0
3.5 stars
You wouldn't go to a buffet expecting find dining, you are expecting variety, and that's what Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is — a mediocre blend of comedy, romance, mystery and thriller. Even though I'm slightly underwhelmed by its messy plot, and the very 'beige' overall execution, there are enough joyous chaos and genre-blending elements present to still make it an enjoyable silly romp.
Definitely leave the thinking hat out for this one; while Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is billed as a murder mystery comedy, the emphasis is heavily leaning towards comedy. The mystery gets very convoluted very quickly (almost too ambitious for the story it's serving), and by the end relying on countless convenient coincidences and logistic oversights to keep it somewhat comprehensible.
With all the praise this book has been receiving, I was expecting the comedy to be witty and driven by a specific point of view, but alas, it is just basic, sitcom-y material that's inoffensive at best, and not landing at worst.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is definitely verging on being over-hyped by the time I picked it up: the characters are stock material (stressed-out mom, handsome detective, Russian mafia...), the romance is lukewarm (left open-ended for book 2), and the mystery is best enjoyed in passing and unscrutinized. I was expecting something extraordinary, but ended up with one that's pretty middle of the road — which is fine, just keep your expectation in check going in!
While I'm not lusting after Book 2 like the rest of the Internet (just me being a pessimist — I don't think the author can actually deliver on the bomb she dropped at the end of Book 1), I'm still semi-intrigued and will settle for the eventual library loan.
You wouldn't go to a buffet expecting find dining, you are expecting variety, and that's what Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is — a mediocre blend of comedy, romance, mystery and thriller. Even though I'm slightly underwhelmed by its messy plot, and the very 'beige' overall execution, there are enough joyous chaos and genre-blending elements present to still make it an enjoyable silly romp.
Definitely leave the thinking hat out for this one; while Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is billed as a murder mystery comedy, the emphasis is heavily leaning towards comedy. The mystery gets very convoluted very quickly (almost too ambitious for the story it's serving), and by the end relying on countless convenient coincidences and logistic oversights to keep it somewhat comprehensible.
With all the praise this book has been receiving, I was expecting the comedy to be witty and driven by a specific point of view, but alas, it is just basic, sitcom-y material that's inoffensive at best, and not landing at worst.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is definitely verging on being over-hyped by the time I picked it up: the characters are stock material (stressed-out mom, handsome detective, Russian mafia...), the romance is lukewarm (left open-ended for book 2), and the mystery is best enjoyed in passing and unscrutinized. I was expecting something extraordinary, but ended up with one that's pretty middle of the road — which is fine, just keep your expectation in check going in!
While I'm not lusting after Book 2 like the rest of the Internet (just me being a pessimist — I don't think the author can actually deliver on the bomb she dropped at the end of Book 1), I'm still semi-intrigued and will settle for the eventual library loan.