By Elle Cosimano
This book is about struggling, newly-single mother, Finlay, and her attempts to get a book in on deadline. Struggling is putting it mildly, and deadline is a punny choice of word….
While venting to her agent at a Panera, Finlay is overheard and mistaken for a hitman…well, hitwoman, and the contracts keep rolling in from there. In a city fraught with mob connections, there seems to be no shortage of women supporting women, and wanting their husbands dead. And Finlay is broke, with a literal mountain of past-due bills, a custody case looming, and the prospect of having to return her meager advance as she has nothing for her editor.
Inadvertently teaming up with her former-now-current nanny/accountant/roommate, the sharp-witted, well-connected, Vero, Finlay starts writing about their misadventures with dead bodies, husband-stealing mistresses, and love interests along the way. In between juggling her two children, shrouding her “characters” enough in anonymity to land a six figure book deal, and figuring out who is killing all these people, Finlay’s hands are full. She also has to keep her police officer sister, along with the dreamy officer assigned to the case, unaware of her illegal activity.
Making the wrong choice every step of the way, Finlay still forges a heartfelt connection with her reader being so relatable. After all, what overstressed mother has not contemplated killing someone for the sake of their child? Just me? Overshare? Read the book – it’s ok, Finlay KNOWs she’s bad at this.
Soundtrack
- Boots are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra
- Goodbye Earl by Dixie Chicks
- Gunpowder & Lead by Miranda Lambert
- Getting Away with Murder by PapaRoach
- Choctaw County Affair by Carrie Underwood
Pros & Cons & Potential Spoilers
Pros
- Female empowerment
- Framing your husband’s mistress for murder
- Picking the guy that sees you with no makeup, wearing sweat pants, aware you have two children, rocking a minivan rather than repeating ex-husband mistakes
- Bad guys seem to die in ironic, got what they gave, sort of ways
- Highlights the unspoken pain that is retinal irritation/tearing
- The book is just hilarious
Cons
- Sleep deprivation does terrible things
- Even with sleep deprivation, she had to see at least some of these things coming
- Stephen never learns