THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL.
HE'S ON THE JURY...
They were Hollywood's hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife.
This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn.
All the evidence points to Robert's guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie's mind.
What if there's more than one actor in the courtroom?
What if the killer isn't on trial? What if the killer is on the jury?
Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh was published in paperback by Orion on 13 June 2018, and is the fourth book in the Eddie Flynn series. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
I realise that I'm very late to the party with this review! I did actually read this whilst on holiday back in September but have only just got around to posting up my thoughts.
Please don't worry about the fact that this is number four of a series, I haven't read the previous books but had no problem at all reading this as a standalone. The bloke read it after I did and he didn't struggle with the back story either.
So, where to begin?? What a clever story this is, it's so smart and so gripping, I was totally hooked from the compelling and intriguing opening, right through to the awesome finish.
Set in New York; Eddie Flynn is a something of an enigma in the legal world. He used to be a con-man, now he's a defence lawyer and uses his past experiences whilst in court. He's taken on a case that has been dropped by a rival hot-shot law firm. A popular young actor is accused of murdering his girlfriend, and whilst his studio originally stood by him, recent revelations have left him on his own .... with only Eddie to defend him.
However, we the readers know that the killer is on the jury! Oh my goodness, what a fabulous hook for a book. I defy anyone to read that line and not be intrigued and just have to dive in and find out just how the hell that happened.
This is wonderfully done. Cavanagh has created two magnificent characters in Eddie, and in our killer jury member. We know the murderer as Kane, and he's perverse and genius and lacking in any feelings, both physically and mentally, and I just loved him. Odd, I know, but there you go ... I've always had a soft spot for a bad boy.
I'm no court room expert but Cavanagh's depiction of the American trial by jury appears to be very authentic, and certainly fits with things that I've read before, or seen on screen. This author knows just how to keep his readers on the edge of their seats. The tension cranks up page by page and becomes unrelenting in its intensity.
I absolutely devoured Thirteen, it's one of those books that keep you up way past bedtime. Excellent hook, fabulous characters and ingenious plotting. I can't wait to read more from this author.
Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, award-winning author of the Eddie Flynn series and lawyer. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018.
He is also one half of the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast.
His latest novel, Thirteen, is out now.
His first standalone book, Twisted, is released in the UK in April 2019.
Find out more at www.stevecavanagh.com or follow Steve on Twitter @SSCav
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