Helpful Score: 1
Eddie Flynn is my favorite lawyer. Steve Cavanagh does it again with another fantastic Flynn book (#4). A movie star is on trail for a double murder and Eddie is on the case with a job offer from a prominent firm. Not everything is as it seems. Joshua Kane is a killer who gets himself on the jury with ulterior motives that are deadly. Edge of your seat thrill ride with twisty suspenseful turns. This jury might become deadlocked or dead before Eddie can prove his client's innocence
The book cover to "Thirteen" by Steve Cavanagh has a great blurb by Michael Connelly and that must be the reason I picked up a copy, I could not remember. This is a terrific book from cover to cover. Eddie Flynn is a defense attorney drawn into defending a movie star accused of murdering his wife and another man. The case looks hopeless, as it does in most courtroom thrillers, but what sets this story apart from the norm is a genuinely original evil villain and plot developments you don't see coming. "Thirteen" is the fourth in a series, the first one I have read, and the start of a commitment I will be making to reading Steve Cavanagh.
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!
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!
I really wanted to like this book. It started out quite exciting but as I kept reading, it just became too unbelievable. I also felt nothing for the characters. That tends to be a big selling point for me. Win me over with the characters and I'll stick with you through thick and thin. This one, it never happened and I ended up giving up on it. I will admit there were some exciting moments that kept me with it longer than I thought I would but not enough.
Fast moving story of a famous actor on trial for a double murder and the lawyer trying to find the real killer. Enjoyable, but has too many plot twists and devices for me. Not hard to follow, but some of the developments are a little far-fetched.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
It kept me up late to see how it would all end. Kane is a scary, twisted, cold serial killer with a lot of nerve.
