Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

The third installment of the Finlay Donovan series follows Finlay Donovan, a romantic-suspense novelist and divorced mother of two, as she juggles her chaotic domestic life, a stalled manuscript, and dangerous criminal entanglements closing in from every side.

In the previous books, a sleazy accountant named Harris Mickler turned up dead in Finlay's minivan, and his body was buried alongside victims of Russian mob boss Feliks Zhirov. A mysterious contract killer called EasyClean used one of Feliks's websites to arrange hits, including an attempt on Finlay's ex-husband Steven. After Finlay coerced Feliks into shutting down the site, EasyClean began blackmailing him, and Feliks now expects Finlay to identify and kill EasyClean before his upcoming trial. Meanwhile, Finlay's live-in nanny and best friend, Vero, owes two hundred thousand dollars to a loan shark named Marco in Atlantic City.

When Cam, a teenage hacker who works for Feliks, delivers an ultimatum giving Finlay two weeks, and a surveillance photo from Marco's people proves they know where Finlay's children can be found, the stakes become urgent. Finlay sends her children to stay with Steven and plans to sell a bullet-riddled Aston Martin hidden at Vero's cousin Ramón's salvage yard, arranging for Javi, Ramón's best friend and Vero's unresolved love interest, to sell the parts.

The plan derails when Ike, an enforcer sent by Marco, confronts them at the salvage yard. During a frantic chase, Finlay's kick dislodges a support jack, and a stack of crushed cars collapses onto Ike, killing him. Ekatarina Rybakov, Feliks's attorney, proposes a deal: If Finlay identifies EasyClean before the trial, Feliks's people will make Ike's body disappear. If she fails, they will report the death to police. Finlay reluctantly agrees.

Cam advises Finlay that EasyClean is likely a dirty cop who stays close to detectives to monitor investigations. At Hooligans, a bar where off-duty police gather, Finlay reconnects with Detective Nick Anthony, a lead investigator on Feliks's case whom she has deep feelings for but has kept at arm's length. She encounters Nick's partner, Detective Joey Balafonte, whom she has long suspected; Wade Coffey, a former deep-cover officer; and Dr. Stuart Kirby, the department psychologist. Finlay's police officer sister, Georgia, registers Finlay and Vero for a weeklong residential citizen's police academy where these cops will teach. Vero eagerly accepts, recognizing the chance to investigate the officers up close while hiding from Marco.

At the training facility, Finlay and Vero are greeted by Charlie Cox, Nick's beloved former partner who retired after cancer treatment and now works as an instructor. They draw unwanted attention with their suspiciously efficient body-moving skills on the agility course. Joey warns Finlay he knows she is hiding something. She sneaks into Joey's office and discovers toxicology reports showing Mickler tested positive for ketamine, overhearing Nick and Joey theorize he was likely murdered by one of his female victims, a deduction that edges dangerously close to Finlay.

The investigation into EasyClean proceeds through classes and conversations. Finlay learns Wade carries a concealed Glock and gives Pete Kim, a forensic lab technician, the bullet recovered from the Aston Martin. Pete's colleague later identifies it as a 9mm fired from a Glock. During a midnight crime scene exercise, the training dummy is found dismembered with "Carl" written on its forehead, an alarming echo of Carl Westover, whose dismembered body Finlay helped conceal. No instructor claims responsibility.

Complications multiply. Parker Keller, a prosecutor visiting for a mock trial class, brings along Julian Baker, Finlay's recent ex-boyfriend, and goes off-script to expose their past relationship in front of Nick. Joey then announces that Feliks has escaped from jail, his cell occupied by a body double. Steven arrives and reveals he discovered Vero's real surname and a warrant for her arrest in Maryland. Finlay extracts a promise of silence. Vero reveals she was charged with larceny despite her innocence and has avoided Maryland ever since.

Overhearing that Nick plans to investigate Carl Westover's grave after the dummy photo was emailed to Feliks from the academy's network, Finlay and Vero steal a training cruiser and race to the Westover property, swapping Carl's headstone with a cremated relative's so any exhumation will reveal ashes. Charlie and Nick arrive unexpectedly, but Finlay and Vero escape. During their return, a man in a New Jersey-plated Audi surveilling Ramón's garage fires shots at them during a chase.

The climax begins when Feliks infiltrates the academy gymnasium with armed men. He reveals Cam bugged Vero's phone and overheard Finlay's suspicions about Joey. Feliks demands Finlay execute Joey. She refuses, even with a gun to her temple. Cam seizes the weapon and shoots Joey, but Joey had signaled Cam to aim low, and his Kevlar vest absorbs the bullet. Finlay declares Joey dead to satisfy Feliks, who departs. Feliks accuses Joey of participating in an Internal Affairs investigation against him, though Joey denies being the blackmailer. Nick transports Joey to a hospital under a false name.

Finlay and Vero set a final trap, posing as Feliks's assistant via a dark web email and offering EasyClean a cash drop on the fire tower roof at three A.M. Before the drop, Finlay and Nick finally consummate their relationship. Nick confronts her about Steven's claim that he and Finlay are reconciling, which she vehemently denies, admitting her fear of ruining what she and Nick could have.

At the drop site, Finlay encounters Wade, who is only searching for hidden cigarettes, and then Dr. Stuart Kirby, who arrives looking for the duffel bag. Everything clicks: Stu's silhouette matches the shooter who targeted Steven, he carries a Glock matching the bullet evidence, and Finlay infers his role as department psychologist could have helped him vet targets. Stu pulls his gun, but Nick arrives and talks him into surrendering. When Stu reaches for a hidden weapon, Finlay tackles him, and Nick secures the cuffs.

A power surge reactivates the fire tower's training simulators, engulfing the lower floors and trapping Finlay, Vero, Nick, Wade, and Joey on the roof. Georgia races to the control room and shuts down the system, saving them. During the chaos, Stu vanishes from custody, presumably extracted by Feliks's men. Nick confirms Feliks boarded a private jet to Brazil.

As the academy shuts down, Charlie offers to drive Finlay and Vero home, then reveals himself as Feliks's inside man within the police department. He explains that a $250,000 duffel bag Finlay and Vero discovered in their dorm room came from Feliks as a token toward future collaboration, not from Javi's car sale. Because Finlay lied about Joey's death, Feliks wants the money back. Charlie confiscates the cash and warns them to disappear.

At Ramón's garage, security footage shows Marco's men ambushing Javi, binding him, and loading him into the Aston Martin's trunk, followed by the same New Jersey-plated Audi from the earlier chase. Vero deletes the footage, grabs a set of keys, and tells Finlay they are driving to Atlantic City to rescue Javi, setting up the next book in the series.