Book Crooks and Crusaders: Reading Between the Lies

When my sister chose Elle Cosimano's Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave for book club, I was disappointed.  Although I enjoyed the series about a single mom and romance writer-turned-PI, the last one we read, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice, got really gruesome.  But I started reading Digs Her Own Grave anyway, wondering if the title would prove to be prophetic in more ways than one.  Here's what I dug up:

They say that fish and visitors stink in three days.  But Mrs. Haggerty is a whole new class of crusty crustacean.  After she's sprung from the slammer, her grandson dumps her on Finlay and her nanny Vero.  Yet the fact that Mrs. Haggerty allegedly did not murder the man exhumed from her rose garden isn't the most disturbing thing about the octogenarian.  It's that she's been judging --and spying on --- Finlay for years.  But things go from annoying to alarming when Finlay's ex-husband is arrested instead.  Although part of Finlay would love to see Steven behind bars, she ultimately doesn't want the father of her children to end up with a teardrop tattoo.  So she and Vero do what they do best -- set out to solve a murder.

What follows is the usual roller coaster ride of hijinks and danger.  And also, this time, a book club.  Mrs. Haggerty becomes a tough love Mary Poppins to Finlay's kids.  Teen hacker Cam and Finlay's flamboyantly dressed agent Sylvia add to the chaos.  But it's hot cop Nick who commands our attention -- and Finlay's.  Their on-again, off-again romance is very much on and becomes more layered.  That said, the tale is more mystery than thriller, making it my favorite in the series.  Which is a plot twist I didn't see coming.

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is as compelling as it is complicated, widening the feminist lens through which the series is filtered.

And, of course, reminding us to keep our friends close -- and our neighbors closer.  

Crime Fiction Affliction: Making it Write

My sister's book club pick was Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, by Elle Cosimano.  It's a murder mystery, so I was into it from go.  That said, it's a little grittier than my usual cat-lady-slash-vigilante whodunit fare.  Allow me to explain.

Finlay Donovan is a writer and single mother who's losing at life.  Her ex-husband is a nickel-and-diming Lothario, her kids cause constant chaos, and her romantic suspense novels barely pay for pizza.  To top it all off, now some rando at Panera thinks that Finlay's a hitwoman and wants to hire her to kill her husband.  And she won't take no for an answer.

I don't know about you, but this makes my worst day look like lunch at The Plaza.

Cosimano's style is sharp, irreverent, and dare I say sassy.  She takes us on a raucous ride involving mob bosses, sexy cops, and one fast-talking babysitter.  By having Finlay fight writer's block and crime, Cosimano elevates the starving artist trope to survival.  

Also, there's a sod farm. 

I'd be lying if I said I was more comfortable with Finlay than her small-town sleuthing sisters.  But I enjoyed the faster, flashier pace in Finlay Donovan Is Killing It.

Because sometimes even country mice need to take a side trip to the city.