Genre - Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Humor

If something exists that is more entertaining than Finlay Donovan, I sure can’t think of it right now. I am quite grateful to the friend who introduced her to me. I just finished Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice (Book 4) by Elle Cosimano. Finlay is dropped in Atlantic City; what a delightful pairing. As she and Vero work to secure the money needed to protect Vero, to find and protect Javi, to clear their debt with Felix, to out the police mole - they have some good old fashioned Atlantic City adventures. I love that Finlay’s mom travels with them, that Steven gets a taste of real parenting, and of course that Nick shows up. Angela Dawe’s narration voices each character precisely and brings Finlay’s world alive.

Atlantic City provides a delightful setting that Cosimano uses to its best advantage - she really shines here and so do Finlay and Vero. The changes in setting in the series keep the content fresh and new. The hotel where Finlay and company are staying is smarmy Atlantic City at its finest. The luxury hotel where Marco “holds (held?) court” contrasts nicely. We can see in Cam’s behavior there what a treat it can be to live large in a gambling city. I am - as always - stunned at the appearance of a corpse and the lengths at which Finlay and Vero will go to protect themselves while they try to get to the bottom of a mystery. I laughed out loud at the stairwell scene. The time spent in Chubbies (which was NOT a diner) - also quite hilarious. The plot unfolds through these adventures, and Finlay is always paying attention. The character development also continues to delight. Part of the charm of this series is that we learn a bit more about the main characters in each new book. Vero seems to get some extra attention this time. The new characters and those that are more peripheral are characters to be sure. Cosimano balances charm and satire well in the extended cast. Even a dog gets a significant amount of attention in this title.

I am thankful for Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan series. Finlay’s world is one of which I will never be a part, but what a fun place to visit. I thought when I was young that I could probably be Nancy Drew. I was curious; I paid attention - I knew I could solve mysteries for sure. I was shaped in part by my reading of her. As a librarian, the biggest mystery I solved was finding that book with a girl on the cover, you know, the red one. The biggest criminals I dealt with loved reading so much that they snuck books out of my library. I am not so much a Nancy Drew. Finlay gives me a chance to live in the world of mystery and suspense a bit vicariously again. Her stakes are considerably higher than I remember Nancy’s being, but we are in her adult world now. I appreciate the laughter at the hi jinks that ensue along with the suspension of disbelief for some glorious reading minutes. I am glad that the ending suggests that more of Finlay Donovan is on the way. I’ll be reading! Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.