Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

• Author: Elle Cosimano
• Genre: Mystery
• Publication Date: March 4, 2025
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Series: Finlay Donovan #5

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

From New York Times bestseller and Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave—the hugely anticipated next installment in the fan-favorite Finlay Donovan series.

Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet . . . but at least there’s not a body in her backyard.

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.

I’ve loved this series since the first book, and now that we’re at book five, I jumped at the chance to read the audiobook version. I’ve read previous books in the series as audiobooks, and really enjoyed all of them. Obviously, I had really high hopes for this book, and I wasn’t let down at all.

Angela Dawe has narrated all of the audiobooks, and embodies the voice of Finlay for me. I love the voices that she’s given all of the characters, and how much fun she has with the books.

I couldn’t wait to see what kind of mischief Finlay and Vero find themselves in this time. And the troubles keep piling up. First, nosy Mrs. Haggerty winds up staying at Finlay’s house, causing all kinds of friction within the household—especially when Mrs. Haggerty takes over Finlay’s room. The entitlement and grouchy nature of Mrs. Haggerty didn’t endear her to me, although I did grow to like her a little more by the end of the book. Things get a little hectic at the house, especially when Mrs. Haggerty interferes with pretty much everything in Finlay’s life. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, Delia was suspended from preschool, the murder of the body in Mrs. Haggerty’s backyard is pinned on Steven, Finlay’s ex-husband. 

While reading this, I couldn’t help but think of how far the relationship between Finlay and Vero has come. These two women have grown from an employer and a live-in employee to a real ride-or-die friendship that comes with emotional support and someone they could rely on no matter what. It’s lucky that these two have each other, because I didn’t think there’s anyone else who would willingly put themselves in the situations that they do, and get out of them as well as they do.

I also really love the relationship between Nick and Finlay, which further deepens in this book. It took them a lot to reach the point that they’re at, but Nick has been pushing Finlay to open up to him a little more. And we all know what Finlay is hiding, and why she doesn’t want to share it with her detective boyfriend. But we see a lot more of the relationship wrinkles getting ironed out now that they’ve become more serious.

As always, the action is fast and furious and funny. Cosimano has a great sense of humor throughout these books, and this is no exception. This leans more into the cozy mystery genre than thrillers, and it’s such a fun read. There is plenty of character development, even if the story ends on such a huge cliffhanger! I know I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, and devouring it. You’re likely to enjoy this book if: you’ve read earlier books in the series (and liked them), like a little more humor and lower stakes in your stories, are drawn to awesome female friendships, and enjoy seeing a mom who is a hot mess always manage to come through just about every situation more or less okay.

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