Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line

Cosimano’s madcap sixth adventure for mystery writer and divorced mom Finlay Donovan (after Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave) finds the frazzled series heroine trying to clear Vero, her nanny and trusted friend, of bogus theft charges. At the outset, Vero is under house arrest in Maryland as she awaits trial for stealing from her old sorority. Though Vero did squirrel away cash for the organization by hosting clandestine poker games as a senior, she swears she’s not responsible for the money’s disappearance. For her part, Finlay believes Vero (“Vero and I had both broken plenty of laws in the short time we’d known each other,” she muses, “but stealing from her former sorority house hadn’t been one of them”), so when the 20-something receives threatening letters at her family home, Finlay heads to Maryland to investigate. As the women seek ways to circumvent Vero’s ankle monitor, Finlay’s boyfriend, hunky police detective Nicholas Anthony, steps in to take care of Finlay’s two precocious kids back in Virginia. Cosimano keeps the tone freewheeling and funny, though the sheer volume of red herrings and colorful supporting characters threatens to overwhelm. Still, this is a raucous good time. (Mar.)