"The Defence", "The Liar", "The Plea", "Thirteen" and "Fifty Fifty" by Steve Cavanagh

Steve Cavanagh’s series based around New York conman turned lawyer Eddie Flynn is pretty much what kickstarted my reading habit.  I’d always enjoyed a good book - but it was never a priority to make time for one.  Reading was something done lying in the sun on holiday, or in my sick bed fighting off a stinking cold.  I’d read 4 books a year across those two weeks and not pick up another book for months.  

I jumped into the series with “Thirteen” as a last minute pick-up at the airport.  You know the hook on the cover is successful when you and your wife (who have very different reading habits) both independently buy a copy at the airport.  Much confusion ensued in the holiday villa before we realised we each had a copy.  After enjoying it, I picked up the later “Fifty Fifty” and then worked my way forwards from the beginning.  And after discovering the joys of (slightly) large print on the Kindle app I’m pretty much now working through two books a week.

“Thirteen” with its killer-is-on-the-jury and “Fifty Fifty” with its which-of-the-sisters-is-the-killer plots are fast paced thrillers, but they are stories featuring Eddie Flynn whereas the earlier novels are Eddie Flynn stories.  It’s a subtle difference, but I’m definitely more a fan of the earlier books.  And if I’m honest, I’m nervous about the upcoming “The Devil’s Advocate” with its the-prosecutor-is-the-killer tale.  They make for great pitches (and no doubt sales) but I miss the less extravagant scenarios.

The whole series is full of rounded characters that are easy to quickly invest in (so much so that in time you may come to hate Cavanagh for it) and consistently delivers clever solutions to their predicaments.  Only once (in “Thirteen”) have I ever felt tricked or unfairly mislead - and even then I could’t manage to find the part that had set me off on the wrong track to give a considered assessment as to whether I had jumped to conclusions wrongly or if Cavanagh had pulled a fast one.

“The Plea” is my favourite, but you should start back at the beginning with “The Defence” - Every one of these books is worth your time and money.  And do also have a look at Cavanagh’s “Twisted” which doesn’t feature Eddie Flynn, but does include a character that then crosses over into the Flynn series.

The Defence

The Liar

The Plea

Thirteen

Fifty Fifty

The Cross (Prequel novella)

Check them all out here.