Rating: 4 out of 5.

4.5 stars

Love, love, love this book!!! Cosimano knocks it out of the park once again. I was concerned that Book Two would suffer a sophomore slump and because I loved the first book so much, I started this book with a bit of trepidation. Happily, my concerns were for nought, because this book is everything I wanted and more.

It’s been a month since Finlay was mistaken for a hit woman, resulting in a comedy of errors, a bit of danger and a few dead bodies. She and Vero have settled into a nice routine taking care of the kids, dealing with dead pets, fighting with Finlay’s ex about child custody, among other things, and Finlay avoiding her editor. Since her book was a surprise hit, the pressure is on for Finlay to continue her success. Except she has no idea what she wants to write about and hasn’t written a word.

When Vero and Finlay discover an ad on an online forum offering to pay $100,000 to kill Steven, they put down their wine glasses, dust off the cookie crumbs and start their off-book investigation. Of course, nothing goes right and before the duo knows it, they’ve fallen into a sink hole of mobsters, hackers, and yes, more dead bodies.

This book hit the ground running and didn’t let up until the satisfying, and juicy, cliffhanger. Finlay and Vero are wiley as ever and their smarts, and dumb luck, serve them well in getting to the bottom of the latest mystery. Their relationship hits a couple bumps that they will need to delve into later, but Finlay is able to get a small glimpse into Vero’s past life that she’s thus far been vigilant to keep secret. It’s clear, however, that Vero will eventually have to let Finlay in, if only just a tiny bit, if they are to continue as partners.

Both characters grow a bit in this book, and it’s nice to see how confidant they are in themselves, and their ability to manage their lives on their own. Don’t get me wrong, they still have moments where they are a hot mess, but don’t we all? The books could get stale if Finlay and Vero don’t grow, and we don’t want that. Steven even takes a step in being less of a jerk – albeit, a teeny, tiny one.

I don’t want to spoil anything for you – so let me just leave this right here

Carl – WTF?
Fast cars and dangerous women
stroganoff and dumpster diving
wigs – again
Nick and Julian – yum and yum
No money? Big problems

I don’t know what you’re still doing reading this review – go get this book and immediately start reading it!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books. All opinions are my own.