Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Cosimano's madcap sixth adventure for mystery writer and divorced mom Finlay Donovan (after Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave) finds the frazzled series heroine trying to clear Vero, her nanny and trusted friend, of bogus theft charges. At the outset, Vero is under house arrest in Maryland as she awaits trial for stealing from her old sorority. Though Vero did squirrel away cash for the organization by hosting clandestine poker games as a senior, she swears she's not responsible for the money's disappearance. For her part, Finlay believes Vero ("Vero and I had both broken plenty of laws in the short time we'd known each other," she muses, "but stealing from her former sorority house hadn't been one of them"), so when the 20-something receives threatening letters at her family home, Finlay heads to Maryland to investigate. As the women seek ways to circumvent Vero's ankle monitor, Finlay's boyfriend, hunky police detective Nicholas Anthony, steps in to take care of Finlay's two precocious kids back in Virginia. Cosimano keeps the tone freewheeling and funny, though the sheer volume of red herrings and colorful supporting characters threatens to overwhelm. Still, this is a raucous good time. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Starting her latest adventure (following Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave), Cosimano's heroine is used to a chaotic life, but things have been harder since Vero Rodriguez, her kids' nanny and Finlay's own literal partner in crime, was arrested. Now Vero is under house arrest and awaiting trial for a crime (stealing from a sorority treasury) she adamantly insists she did not commit. Determined to clear Vero's name, Finlay agrees to leave her adorable but wild children in the care of her boyfriend, "hot cop" Nick Anthony, and hops in her minivan. She arrives at Vero's home to learn that Vero has been getting threatening messages and has had just about all of her overprotective mother and aunt that she can take. Together with help from some of their misfit friends, Finlay and Vero set out to prove Vero's innocence. Hijinks ensue as they try to find Vero's ex and alibi, identify her stalker, and program Vero's ankle monitor to show her safely at home while she's actually on a mission to clear her name. VERDICT Great pacing, humor, storytelling, and characterization for fans of the series or those who enjoy the books of Janet Evanovich and Jesse Q. Sutanto.--Linsey Milillo
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Romance novelist Finlay Donovan, who's never met a line she wouldn't cross, crosses several new ones in her attempt to prove her nanny/best friend's innocence of theft. The good news is that Veronica Ramirez isn't in jail despite the evidence against her of pocketing the substantial profits from her college sorority Kappa Gamma's weekly succession of illegal gambling nights. The bad news begins with the fact that she's under house arrest in the custody of her mother, Norma, who vociferously disapproves of Vero's unplanned Atlantic City wedding to her boyfriend, Javi. Then there's the fact that her sorority sisters, headed by former president and recent graduate Mia and current vice president Ava, have closed ranks in giving damning evidence against her. No wonder Vero and Norma have been the recipients of an unrelenting barrage of anonymous and often disgusting threats. Oh, and don't forget that small-time bookie Theo Sideris, Vero's alibi witness because they were sharing a bed at the time, has gone AWOL. Searching for him in a frantic attempt to clear Vero's name ends up implicating virtually every other member of the cast in one crime or another and pretty much guarantees that by the time the charge of theft against Vero has finally been dismissed, she and Finn will have plenty of other brand-new charges to contend with. Fans of Cosimano's overcaffeinated franchise can only pray that Finn will return safely to the arms of her own improbable lover, police detective Nick Anthony, so that she can concentrate on supplying her agent, Sylvia Barr, with steamy chapters of her new novel. What provisions of the law are left for the heroine to breach in the next outrageous installment? Readers can only guess. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
