Category: Steve Cavanagh

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The Accomplice by Steve Cavanagh – Review.

About The Book

THE MOST HATED WOMAN IN AMERICA

The Sandman killings have been solved. Daniel Miller murdered fourteen people before he vanished. His wife, Carrie, now faces trial as his accomplice. The FBI, the District Attorney, the media and everyone in America believe she knew and helped cover up her husband’s crimes.

THE LAWYER

Eddie Flynn won’t take a case unless his client is innocent. Now, he has to prove to a jury, and the entire world, that Carrie Miller was just another victim of the Sandman. She didn’t know her husband’s dark side and she had no part in the murders. But so far, Eddie and his team are the only ones who believe her.

THE FORMER FBI AGENT

Gabriel Lake used to be a federal agent, before someone tried to kill him. Now, he’s an investigator with a vendetta against the Sandman. He’s the only one who can catch him, because he believes that everything the FBI knows about serial killers is wrong.

THE KILLER

With his wife on trial, the Sandman is forced to come out of hiding to save her from a life sentence. He will kill to protect her and everyone involved in the case is a target.

Even Eddie Flynn…

My Review

I read a lot of crime fiction but not usually where it has a courtroom setting. However Steve Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn series is one that I will always be eager to read. I know I’m guaranteed a brilliant backstory that runs alongside the drama in court.

The Accomplice is the latest book in the series, it could be read as a standalone but you will be doing yourself a huge favour if you read them in order. Not just to be familiar with the characters, but also because they are so entertaining.

Eddie Flynn has little choice but to take on the trial of the wife of the notorious Sandman. Running out of money, he believes in her innocence and when the case becomes more personal he has to try anything to get the case dismissed. But the case is more difficult than he expected it to be, and he is aware that he is running out of time. 

I don’t read a lot of courtroom based fiction because they don’t grip me the same way as a detective led book does. I don’t connect to the characters. However Eddie is different. He just about manages to stay clean whilst making his opposing lawyer look dodgy. It was strange to read an often harrowing account but smiling as I did.

Told by a handful of narrators, including the brilliant Bloch, The Accomplice gets increasingly tense right up to the absolutely fascinating last few chapters. Everything I thought would happen didn’t and I just gave up trying to work out what the outcome would be. I loved every page of this book, I hope there is more to come. 

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The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh – Review.

About The Book

A DEADLY PROSECUTOR

They call him the King of Death Row. Randal Korn has sent more men to their deaths than any district attorney in the history of the United States.

A TWISTED RITUALISTIC KILLING

When a young woman, Skylar Edwards, is found murdered in Buckstown, Alabama, a corrupt sheriff arrests the last person to see her alive, Andy Dubois. It doesn’t seem to matter to anyone that Andy is innocent.

A SMALL TOWN BOILING WITH RAGE

Everyone in Buckstown believes Andy is guilty. He has no hope of a fair trial. And the local defense attorney assigned to represent him has disappeared.

A FORMER CON-ARTIST

Hot shot New York lawyer Eddie Flynn travels south to fight fire with fire. He plans to destroy the prosecutors case, find the real killer and save Andy from the electric chair.

But the murders are just beginning.

Is Eddie Flynn next?

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I have enjoyed the books from the Eddie Flynn series that I have read and after reading this I know that I need to read the couple that I have missed. The Devil’s Advocate could be read as a standalone but I would recommend reading the earlier books if you want to know more about the characters, in particular, Eddie. 

I knew that this book was going to be a favourite from the prologue, it isn’t often that just a few pages can leave me feeling horror and fear over the actions of one of the characters. Even more so, because they were totally unexpected. This feeling didn’t diminish throughout the entire novel. I can imagine that there are communities that exist like the one here in parts of America.

There are a few nice people in the novel but nearly all of them are forced into being little help to Eddie and his team. There are threats and also promises. Offers of help which had a high price to pay. What was evident throughout this novel is how easy it was to manipulate somebody who was grieving. There was no compassion and no remorse. There was guilt from some, but only when it was too late. I also noticed that the ones who saw through the act of kindness were on the whole female. 

It is difficult to review without revealing the plot but this novel is extremely powerful, especially with recent events around the world. I felt horror at some of it but this was offset by the way Eddie worked. All of his team made me want to smile and clap.

A brilliant addition to a well established series and I am happy that I saw a tweet that showed signed copies are available at Waterstones.

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Twisted by Steve Cavanagh – Blog Tour Review.

About The Book

BEFORE YOU READ THIS BOOK
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THREE THINGS:

1. The police are looking to charge me with murder.
2. No one knows who I am. Or how I did it.
3. If you think you’ve found me. I’m coming for you next.

After you’ve read this book, you’ll know: the truth is far more twisted…

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I had read some of the Eddie Flynn series by this author and was looking forward to reading this stand-alone novel. I was amused to see Eddie mentioned, if only briefly.

There has been a lot of chat recently about publishers who constantly use the phrase ‘you won’t see the twist coming’ and more often than not the reader does. Or spends that much time anticipating it they stop enjoying the novel. Steve Cavanagh has used this and more to write a cracking novel that has so many twists I lost count. I’m not going to say if I spotted them or if they worked, it didn’t matter. This book is great entertainment.

It is difficult to review without discussing the characters or the plot because of the twists. But I can say that the female characters in particular are very strong, especially Deputy Bloch who was probably my favourite. She was an officer who could see things that many others would miss and knew immediately that what they had been told by Maria wasn’t strictly accurate. 

It is very different to the series, this is more black comedy, at times it was similar to Fargo. There is violence but most of what you read about concerns what each of the characters are planning. Some want revenge and the money. The police just want answers.



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Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh – Blog Tour Review.

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About The Book

To your knowledge, is there anything that would preclude you from serving on this jury?’

Murder wasn’t the hard part. It was just the start of the game.

Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life. He’s done it before. But this is the big one.

This is the murder trial of the century. And Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house.

But there’s someone on his tail. Someone who suspects that the killer isn’t the man on trial.

Kane knows time is running out – he just needs to get to the conviction without being discovered.

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Thirteen is the second full length novel that I have read featuring Eddie Flynn. And what a brilliant novel it is and it has served a reminder that I need to read the two that I missed.
It is a court based drama, which you can gather from the synopsis, but the first half of the novel concerns Kane and his attempts to be part of the jury on the case involving a Hollywood celebrity. It also focuses on Eddie trying to find a way of clearing his client’s name. What the author does so well is his different personalities. He shows the ‘showbiz’ side to the top named lawyers who are only interested in getting their names in the papers and who have no interest in justice.  And he does the ones who are in a situation they have no control over. There are only a couple who do the job for the right reasons. One of these is Eddie. Eddie is different to the others, he has a conscience, a dubious past and a wrecked marriage. But he refuses to back down, believing his client is innocent.
The parts of the novel that involved Kane were sinister. The reader knows from the prologue what he is capable of and he gets worse. There is nothing that he will stop at to ensure that he will be on he jury.  I had no idea who he was or how far he would go to do this, nor did I know why. He is only ever identified as Kane, not the person he pretends to be.
I don’t read much court based drama, they sometimes feel a little cold but this series is different to all the others. This is a series that has a lawyer who despite his past and his faults, is honest, down to earth and has a good heart. He wants to earn a living, who doesn’t? but he wants to do his job to the best of his ability for the right reason.
I can’t wait to see what he gets up to next.

THIRTEEN BLOG TOUR (002)

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The Defence by Steve Cavanagh

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Its been over a year since Eddie vowed never to set foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn’t have a choice. Olek Volchek, the infamous head of the Russian mafia in New York, has strapped a bomb to Eddie’s back and kidnapped his ten-year-old daughter, Amy. Eddie only has forty-eight hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial – and win – if he wants to save his daughter.

Under the scrutiny of the media and the FBI, Eddie must use his razor-sharp wit and every con-artist trick in the book to defend his ‘client’ and ensure Amy’s safety. With the timer on his back ticking away, can Eddie convince the jury of the impossible?

My Review:

It’s a few years since I have read a legal thriller, the ones I have read were ok but nothing memorable. I decided to download The Defence after seeing a lot of reviews praising it, I have to say that I agree, it really is very good. I decided to read it just before the release of the follow up book The Plea then I wouldn’t have to wait months for it to be published.
The start is very intense, Eddie knows how much danger both he and his family are in from the opening few pages. He isn’t sure if and how he will succeed, just that he has no other option. He has to do what they say. The people who he has to deal with are ruthless but Eddie is tough. He isn’t squeaky clean and has a few tricks of his own. He also has people he can rely on when things get bad.
It’s everything I love to read in a book. Drama, fear, humour, and the feeling that I had to keep on reading the book. Just one more chapter was a phrase I used often. After reading this I’m really looking forward to reading the follow up and I’m glad I already have it on my kindle.