Elle Cosimano takes “Write what you know” to a meta level in “Finlay Donovan Is Killing It” (2021), the debut adult novel from the YA writer. Not necessarily in the sense that she knows anything about murdering people (which Finlay is suspected of) or solving a murder (which Finlay must do).
But it’s clear that when Cosimano writes about Finlay juggling the household duties of a single mother with those of a fiction author, she’s not winging it on the details. Illustrating the heroine’s logistical struggles: Finlay’s young daughter cuts off a chunk of her own hair and Finlay duct-tapes it back onto her head. How can you make that up?
Whether Cosimano is inspired by reality or imagination, “Killing It” kept me turning the pages. If this were to be adapted into a miniseries, it would be a cheeky and wacky pitch-black comedy like “Based on a True Story.” I probably would find it too in-your-face.
“Finlay Donovan Is Killing It” (2021)
Author: Elle Cosimano
Genre: Mystery thriller
Setting: Contemporary; Washington, D.C., area
Note to readers: The Book Club Book Report series features books I’m reading for my book club, Brilliant Bookworms.
Solving a mystery, and solving life
In novel form, though, “Killing It” need not be so blunt, and it isn’t. Cosimano writes Finlay from a first-person perspective and – despite that insane breakfast scene with the kiddies – she emerges as a relatable, bedraggled 30-something. I was content to spend 300 exciting yet pleasantly amusing pages with her.
Finlay wants to appear like she has it all together – and indeed, she impresses not one but two attractive men, law student/bartender Julian and a police detective Nick. But because we see her “behind the scenes,” we know her closet contains more sweatpants than party dresses. And we know her brain has trouble balancing parenting, authoring, bill-paying, the custody battle with her ex-husband … and a murder case in which she’ll be the main suspect in the killing of a serial rapist/money launderer unless she solves it first.
For fans of whodunits, it should be noted that “Killing It” is actually a hardboiled thriller where we’re anxious to find out what will happen next, but we’re not allowed to get ahead of amateur sleuth Finlay. When Finlay gets new information, she immediately ponders it, either in her mind or in dialog with nanny/assistant/sounding board Vero. (Although she’s one-dimensional, it’s nice that Vero emerges as a trusted ally.)
I can tell “Killing It” is Cosimano’s first adult novel, as it’s deliberate and overly detailed in some areas. In one segment, there’s as much emphasis on the lasagna cooking in the oven as there is on Finlay’s and Vero’s clue-gathering and pondering.
The author tries for a slice-of-life study and a mystery thriller, and while both are good, the mystery will of course win out. Maybe it would’ve be better to focus on it and let the personal-life stuff be a surprising spice.
Dueling identities
While this is a hardboiled detective story in form, it’s not in mood. The tonal imbalance that would likely hamper a TV adaptation seeps into the source material too. Finlay has accidentally made enemies of dangerous professional killers whom the D.C.-area legal system is terrified to convict and sentence. Yet I don’t truly feel like Finlay herself will be murdered.
Cosimano always comes through with a narrative solution that’s hard to criticize. For instance, an extremely dangerous sequence for our heroine reaches its solution via a random, lucky accident. The author has created an escape route for herself by this point, because “Killing It” has been somewhat winky all along.
It starts with Finlay being mistaken for being a contract killer because she’s discussing a murder-mystery plot with her agent in a Panera restaurant (the type of chat Cosimano has had with her industry colleagues). Once something is meta, it can’t be too meta, can it?
Whatever the answer, it can’t be denied that “Killing It’s” dual identities are always dueling. The thriller aspect could be more grounded if the premise wasn’t meta, and the meta observations could be sharper if we weren’t distracted (in a good way, admittedly) by the story’s twists and turns.
“Finlay Donovan Is Killing It” ends with a tease to a second book that forces us to ask “Would you be willing to come back for more?” My answer is (after a catching my breath) … yes. Partially for the mystery writing, partially for Finlay. And also because Cosimano has room to improve, and I wouldn’t mind following her upward path.