Bubbling up with Helena

• Title: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice
• Author: Elle Cosimano
• Publisher: Forever
• Release Date: 3/5/24
• Genre: Mystery
• Age Range: Adult
• Rating: ★★★
• Publisher’s Summary: 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?

I’ve read all of the books in the Finlay Donovan series and feel very invested in Vero and Finlay’s story at this point. The first book in the series is far and away the strongest book, but I will keep reading them as long as Cosimano publishes them.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice doesn’t feel as though it can stand on its own without the other books in the series. There is some background about events in previous books, but little context is given in most instances. There are references to the first murder Finlay and Vero find themselves wrapped up in, but there is no explanation provided. As someone who has read all four books, that was fine, but it might have been harder for those who hadn’t read them all fairly recently.

With that said, this book does flow neatly from the previous one. It is clear the action of this book immediately follows the action of Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun. There are references to the fire at the police station that ends the previous book being very recent. This helps orient the reader make connection between the action of each book. It also seems like the epilogue of Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice sets up the fifth book of the series.

I wanted to be invested in Javi and Vero’s story, but the readers don’t really see enough of them together to make that feel possible. Of course, the reader understands that Javi means a lot to Vero, but there isn’t a lot of foundation provided. It makes it so Javi’s extended confession of love doesn’t pack the presumably intended punch.

The strongest relationship in the books remains Finlay and Vero’s. It’s clear they will do anything for one another (including clearing up massive debt and rescuing a kidnapped boyfriend), and their bond really does seem unbreakable. I am a sucker for a strong and supportive female friendship, and this is what keeps me returning to this series.

While I do believe the first book in the series is the strongest, I will absolutely continue to follow the adventures of Finlay and Vero as long as Cosimano is telling their story.