I want to start off by saying that I have a very hard time with cozy mysteries because they can be quite banal. I looked up the word banal and found that there are three different ways to pronounce it; in case you were wondering. I just listened to Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano and while it was very entertaining I had to skip the cheesy parts because it was too much for me. This book does have cheesy moments but I was able to push past it much more easily than any other cozy mystery I’ve read so far.
The plot of the book revolves around Vera Wong finding a dead body in her tea shop and deciding to solve the murder of the mystery man. She is not happy with how the police handles the case. She is really into Law and Order and CSI of course and the police really need to learn how to investigate from them. All the suspects show up at her tea house and she wiggles her way into their lives.
I feel as if this book is better as an audiobook. The narrator does an amazing job making you feel like you are right in the room with Vera, a very quintessential Chinese grandmother. It was refreshing to have a diverse set of characters as well. I do not suggest listening to it if you are hungry because there are amazing descriptions of food and tea in it. I laughed a lot throughout the book and even teared up at the end. I feel like I can’t say more since it is a cozy mystery and you don’t want to give away too much. I will definitely listen to the second book in this series.
Ultimately, I suggest this to everyone who needs an easy read and wants to be entertained.
Book It Babe 