Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, A Review

She’s got a list of resolutions and she’s ready to bite the bullet.

Finlay Donovan is Killing it Review. Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead Review.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun follows crime writer Finlay Donovan and her Nanny/Accountant Vero as they attempt to put their criminal pasts behind them and focus on a brand new year with no junk food, no writer’s block and hopefully no more dead bodies. The Russian mob however have other ideas, with mobster Feliks reminding the pair that they still have to track down hitman Easyclean for him and that time is running out. Fearing that Easyclean might be a cop the pair decide to enrol is a week long police academy where they will undergo training, attend seminars and most importantly be surrounded by suspects (and protection) at all times. Sniffing out a criminal in a room full of law enforcement is harder than it looks however, especially with Detective Nick Anthony flirting at every chance he can get. Can Finlay track down her hitman, finish her ending and get the guy all in one week or will real life and fiction roll into one once again, causing madness and mayhem for Finlay wherever she steps?

It’s been a little over a year since I last tuned into this series (sorry about that Finlay) and so I did have to refresh myself on some of the smaller details, especially all of the stuff with Easyclean and the Russian mob. It was fun to be back though and I really do enjoy the crime/comedy combo here and how Finlay and Vero get themselves into the most crazy of situations. The way Finlay’s life also mirrors her own writing is brilliantly meta and in this book especially I liked how Finlay’s relationship with Nick was constantly compared to that of her own fictional heroine’s.

This book saw Finlay and Vero tasked with tracking down Easyclean’s identity or risk their own lives and I really loved the pair going undercover at the police academy to sniff out a dirty cop, it felt like the most risky thing we’ve seen from Finlay so far. Surrounded by literal police officers and even possibly dating one, Finlay really had to be careful here to not expose herself in the process and I loved that constant fear throughout. The relationships between Finlay and Feliks and then Finlay and Nick are both very interesting and I can’t wait to see where both of these storylines go and whether Finlay will ever really be free from her new criminal life.

The police training academy made for a fantastic setting here and I loved seeing Finlay and Vero snooping out the fellow cops in-between taking classes and seminars. Having all of your suspects in one confined place really helps boost the drama and tension and I really enjoyed going from character to character and trying to work out who the guilty party was. The added touch of the competition with the other classmates and the information on different aspects of policing was also really nice and I loved the podcaster couple as well as Mrs Haggerty’s expanded role. The whole thing almost mirrored a university or college campus setting (just with more cops and murder) and I really loved the vibes throughout.

Overall this was another fun instalment in the Finlay Donovan series and I loved the police academy setting and the undercover aspects. The hunt for Easyclean really heated up here and I had fun trying to work out who the culprit was in a room full of police officers. I continue to love the crime/comedy combo here and how Finlay uses her writing to her advantage in increasingly tricky situations. With a real shocker of an ending I already can’t wait for book four and hopefully I don’t wait as long to read this time!