Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is the 5th-installation of the well-loved Finlay Donovan Mystery series.
I have listened to all of these books on audio, and this was no exception. Not only does Angela Dawe do an incredible job bringing these stories to life with her engaging narration, but her voice is Finlay to me at this point.
In this story, Finlay and Vero are back home after their wild adventures in Atlantic City, which were chronicled in the 4th-book. They’re looking forward to life returning to normal, or as normal as it can ever be for Finlay and Vero.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t take long before they are smack-dab in the middle of another mystery, after a body is discovered buried in the backyard of their busybody neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty.
Finlay and Vero have had a bit of a contentious relationship with the elderly-Mrs. Haggerty over the years. She’s always watching, making her the perfect head of the neighborhood watch, but not that fun of a neighbor.
As the police start investigating, Mrs. Haggerty immediately falls under suspicion. After she is cleared though, she still can’t return to her house as it’s an active crime scene. That’s when she shows up on Finlay’s doorstop.
Begrudgingly allowing the older neighbor to stay at her house, Finlay needs this case wrapped up soon rather than later. Worried the police are heading in the wrong direction, Finlay and Vero decide to look into the case on their own.
Yet again, I had so much fun reading this book. I love, love, love Finlay and Vero. Their friendship is perfect and I love investigating mysteries with them.
The mystery of the body in the backyard was quite intriguing. I had a great time trying to solve it. I wasn’t sure who to suspect, and I believe I started to figure it out just when Cosimano wanted me to, so that’s a plus.
Mrs. Haggerty plays a huge role in this one, and I liked getting to know her more. She’s grumpy and opinionated, and frankly, hilarious to have around. I loved her interactions with not just Finlay and Vero, but also with Finlay’s kids; so good.
We also got quite a bit more of Finlay’s agent, Sylvia, in this one, which was a hoot. She’s wild in such a fun way, pushing Finlay out of her comfort zone every chance she gets.
Overall, I was so happy with this story. The conclusion also gave me hope that we’ll definitely be getting another book, which I am so on board for. As far as I’m concerned, this series needs to continue for as long as humanly-possible. A go-to Mystery series for me.
Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I adore these mysteries with my whole heart. 10-out-of-10 recommend for all Mystery Readers!