Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh

 

First Line: A young woman has the camera in selfie mode as she goes through a door into a modern apartment and walks into the kitchen area.

Social media influencer Elly Parker thought she had the perfect life until, in the worst way possible, she discovered her husband was having an affair with her best friend. She thought there was no way things could be worse until she stopped to help a stranger in distress. 

Now Elly needs a lawyer who's willing to bend the rules in order to find the truth that will keep her out of prison. Eddie Flynn and his team sign on for the job, but they find themselves hunting a master manipulator who's always one step ahead.

~

It's always a pleasure to watch former con man/current lawyer Eddie Flynn take on the impossible, and his latest, Two Kinds of Stranger, is no exception. 

Even though I have a rather jaundiced view of social media influencers, Elly Parker is such an engaging character that I couldn't help but want her to be saved. Cavanagh does an excellent job in showing her world, her emotions, unraveling right in front of everyone. 

What is unusual in Two Kinds of Stranger is the fact that the master manipulator who's decided to ruin Elly's life isn't your garden-variety criminal. There are twists and turns to his own life that, although you know he must be brought to justice, you can't help but feel a tiny bit of sympathy for him.

Eddie Flynn and his team are at their best here, dealing with two very important cases simultaneously, and I loved watching everything come together. If you're in the mood for a fast-paced tale with plenty of surprises as well as a strong cast of characters, Two Kinds of Stranger may be just what the doctor ordered. 

Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh

eISBN: 9781668093412

Atria Books © 2026

eBook, 400 pages

Legal Thriller, #9 Eddie Flynn

Rating: A-

Source: Net Galley

The Devil's Advocate by Steve Cavanagh

 

First Line: Holman Correctional Facility, Escambia County, Alabama. Randal Korn had waited for this moment for four long years.

Randal Korn has sent more people to death row than any other district attorney in history. Part of his success is due to the fact that the guilt or innocence of the accused doesn't matter a bit; he lives to watch prisoners being executed.

Korn has already fixed things to ensure a fast conviction and the death penalty for Andy Dubois, an innocent man accused of murdering a young girl. The one thing Korn didn't take into account was Eddie Flynn.

Eddie has seven days to save an innocent man and find the real killer. In a week, the judge will read the verdict, but there's a very real chance that Eddie will not be alive to hear it.

~

I have become hooked on Steve Cavanagh's former con man turned lawyer Eddie Flynn, and The Devil's Advocate gives readers another opportunity to watch him pull one legal rabbit out of his hat after another.

The stakes are high in this case. Young Andy Dubois is innocent, but Randal Korn is a master at convicting the innocent. Eddie is one of those "slick" New York City lawyers who probably won't get a fair deal in Deep South Alabama. There's also a packed jury to contend with. But Eddie has an expert team to help him, and with only seven days, every second counts.

I have to admit that I did find Randal Korn and all the evil surrounding him to be a bit over the top, but I still enjoyed The Devil's Advocate. Why? Because it's always a pleasure to watch Eddie Flynn perform miracles when everything is stacked against him. I look forward to his next case.

The Devil's Advocate by Steve Cavanagh

eISBN: 9781668093481

Atria Books © 2025

eBook, 432 pages

Legal Thriller, #6 Eddie Flynn

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

 

First Line: There's something wrong with Ruby Johnson.

A former member of the Manhattan upper class, Ruby Johnson now works as a maid and a nanny to the people in the types of houses she used to live in. She knows everyone's dirty secrets, and when she witnesses a murder, she has plans in mind that do not involve telling the authorities the truth.

Eddie Flynn is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases, and none is more hopeless than John Jackson's: the gun that killed his neighbor was found-- with Jackson's DNA on it-- in his own home. Flynn and his team will need all their expertise to keep an innocent man from being sent to prison. However, while Eddie is trying to save his client's life, he must also protect his own loved ones. The scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head.

~

Few authors can write absorbing legal thrillers like Steve Cavanagh. Witness 8 has it all: humor, a sympathetic yet scary witness to murder, life-and-death situations, and a roller coaster ride of a courtroom drama.

I love watching the way Eddie Flynn's mind works. He's not your usual lawyer. He's a streetwise ex-con-artist-turned-defense-attorney, and he knows all sorts of people from all walks of life. The team he has assembled is top-notch, so much so that it seems that there is nothing they cannot do.

As a witness to murder, Ruby Johnson is scary yet sympathetic. I felt for her circumstances, but she was so skilled in her manipulations that I wanted her stopped ASAP. Ruby also made me realize just how much the "hired help" knows about the families they work for. My advice to the rich? Pay your servants well, be nice, and don't anger them. They always know much more than you think.

To add to Eddie's worries, there's the danger for those near and dear to him-- not just from corrupt police officers but also from an assassin named Mr. Christmas. (Don't you love his name?)

If you love legal thrillers, by all means, acquaint yourself with Eddie Flynn. I would definitely want him defending me if I were on trial.

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

eISBN: 9781668049396

Atria Books © 2025

eBook, 416 pages

Legal Thriller, #8 Eddie Flynn

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

 

First Line: For a trial lawyer, there are two words in the English language that terrify us more than any other.

 

The premise is simple: a man is murdered. His two daughters are in the house with him. Each woman makes a 911 call accusing the other of killing him. Which one of them is lying? Which one of them is the killer?

 

~

 

 

Having read and loved Steve Cavanagh's Thirteen, I looked forward to reading Fifty Fifty with a great deal of anticipation. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat. Not necessarily because it was badly written-- it wasn't. It fell flat because it didn't meet my expectations. 

What did I expect? I expected to have to work hard to deduce which one of the sisters was the killer. I knew which sister "done it" almost from the beginning, and that burst my bubble. Granted, I did enjoy watching the main character, defense lawyer and former conman Eddie Flynn, putting the pieces together, but it just wasn't as much fun as playing Sherlock Holmes for myself. 

Sometimes these twisty legal thrillers work, and sometimes they don't. While this one didn't quite hit the mark for me, it was still a good read, and I look forward to reading more of Cavanagh's books featuring Eddie Flynn.

Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

ISBN: 9781409185864

Orion Books © 2020

Paperback, 368 pages

 

Legal Thriller, #5 Eddie Flynn mystery

Rating: B

Source: Purchased from Amazon UK

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

First Line: At ten after five on a raw December afternoon, Joshua Kane lay on a cardboard bed outside the Criminal Courts Building in Manhattan and thought about killing a man.

A popular actor is on trial for the murder of his actress wife and their head of security, and the media is drooling at the thought of all the juicy stories they'll be cranking out in the weeks to come.

There's one person who is determined to make sure Robert Solomon is sent to Death Row, and he wants a front-row seat while it happens. In fact, there's nothing that Joshua Kane won't do to ensure his wishes come true. You see... Joshua Kane is the real killer, and he's managed to find his way onto the jury of Solomon's trial.

There's only one small glimmer of hope for Bobby Solomon and that's his lawyer, former conman Eddie Flynn. For one thing, Eddie believes his client is innocent. For another, he thinks the real killer is closer than everyone thinks. What he doesn't realize is just how right he is.

When I was alerted to an upcoming appearance by Steve Cavanagh at my favorite independent bookstore, I was a bit puzzled by why the messenger was making a "big deal" in telling everyone. So I looked up Thirteen and was instantly blown away by the premise of the book. I remember the heady days of Thomas Harris and Red Dragon when the serial killer in that book had the power to change how I performed a routine task. Since those days, serial killers have become a bit of a snooze, very predictable, and something that's seldom added to my reading. With the synopsis of one book, Steve Cavanagh changed all that. I'd never heard of a serial killer smart enough and bold enough to force his way onto a jury just to further his plans.

The pace of Thirteen is fast and furious and never lets go. Alternating chapters let readers know what's in the minds of lawyer Eddie Flynn and serial killer Joshua Kane. This is the fourth Eddie Flynn mystery, but I immediately felt at home. No awkward "Who's he?" or "What's he talking about?" moments. Eddie has a Harry Bosch mentality-- everybody counts or nobody counts-- that made me immediately warm to him. He's also the type of lawyer who will not defend a person whom he believes is guilty. He's not in it for the big bucks. That former conman background means that he looks at things differently from most people, and that's certainly going to help him with Joshua Kane.

Joshua Kane is probably the most intelligent, twisted, and dedicated serial killer I've ever run across in crime fiction. Reading of the duel between Kane and Eddie Flynn was sheer pleasure. Something tells me I'm going to be backtracking and reading the earlier exploits of this conman-turned-lawyer. Thirteen is quite a ride, and I want more!

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

eISBN: 9781250297617

Flatiron Books © 2019

eBook, 336 pages

Legal Thriller, #4 Eddie Flynn mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley