Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle CosimanoFinlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
Series: Finlay Donovan #4
Published by Minotaur Books on March 5, 2024
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Purchase on: Amazon// Barnes & Noble// BookBub
Add to: Goodreads // StoryGraph

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.



Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.
Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.
But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco's already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.
If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?

four-half-stars

review

Picking up directly after Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, we catch Finlay and Vero coming home after the disastrous citizens academy. Though, technically, Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano literally starts with them on the side of the road as Steven preps himself to brave multiple lanes of highway traffic on foot. This was the perfect blend of fun and mystery and romance. We get more dead bodies that of course Finlay and Vero have nothing to do with, more hiding and sneaking, and returning favorite side characters (plus dog!) The pacing was quick. The mystery made sense and felt so satisfying to resolve. It almost makes me wonder why they don’t take on Vero’s sorority situation… This book is the best of the series to date and despite the hijinks, we definitely get character growth around the board. If you’ve stuck with the series so far, you are going to LOVE this one.

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