Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line (Finlay Donovan #6)

 

This is a series that just keeps on giving!

If you plan to read the series, or haven’t read the 5th book yet, please skip this synopsis for the sixth and newest book Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line and go to my thoughts:

At the end of book 5 Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave, we saw Vero being extradited from Virginia to Maryland to face outstanding charges for the theft of her sorority’s money. She was the treasurer and the last person seen with the money, and her protestations of innocence have fallen on deaf ears. 

While on the run from those charges, she’s been a nanny for Finlay’s two young children Delia and Zach. Under normal circumstances, finding out your nanny is facing such charges might be a dealbreaker, but anyone who’s read the series knows that Finlay and Vero have broken or bent a LOT of other laws and been on an extraordinary track of bad luck at avoiding trouble!

Vero and Finlay are each other’s “ride or die”, so there’s no question Finlay is going to help try to solve the mystery of who really stole the money and clear Vero’s name. Lucky for her, her hot cop boyfriend Nick is more than willing to take on babysitting duties, which if you’re familiar with Finlay’s kids - particularly Zach - is a whole adventure in its own right!

The question isn’t really will Finlay and Vero figure out who stole the money. The question you’ll want to ask is how many laws will they break while they do it!

My thoughts: 

This was such a fun immersion read! I’ve been listening to Angela Dawe as these characters since the third book and I can’t imagine the series any other way now. She’s got the range to do women, men, teenagers, young kids, senior citizens, Russians … you name it. What an asset to the series!

Finlay and Vero are staying with Vero’s mom Norma and aunt Gloria (her cousin Ramon’s mom). Also in the mix are Vero’s love Javi and later, everyone’s favorite teenage hacker and mooch, Cam. Since the action is primarily in Maryland away from home, there are a lot of new faces as we meet the potential suspect pool from Vero’s old college. Some of the best new characters, though, are the Fantastic Four: Lenore, Wendell, Eugene and Joan, Vero’s hilarious senior citizen neighbors. They were a hoot!

Vero’s family members bring a whole new energy to the whirlwind that is this series. Norma and Gloria are their own dynamic duo and Ramon and Javi have their hands full trying to keep ankle-monitor wearing Vero out of even more trouble. The ankle monitor is almost its own character in this book. I’ll leave you to discover what I mean! Cam and Finlay’s dynamic is always hilarious too.

As would be expected, Finlay and Vero can’t avoid trouble. They are the magnet to its steel, and watching how they get out of a whole slew of new fiascos is what makes this series so entertaining. I only wish there’d been a little more Nick in this book, but it’s a minor complaint.

The mystery itself won’t be as dynamic for some as the other books which involved the Russian mob, neighbors with secrets and quite a few dead bodies, but it’s still a solid one in its own right and the ending sets the stage for a VERY unexpected turn of events in the next book. It can be read as a standalone, but the book and characters will mean so much more to you if you start from the beginning as the stories build on each other. If you like a mystery with humor, a bit of romance and all manner of crazy hijinks, this series always delivers!

★★★★ 

Thanks to my library/Libby for the Kindle and audio copies. This is out now!