Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "steve-cavanagh"

The Defence by Steve Cavanagh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An intense, gripping legal thriller by Steve Cavanagh, introducing the character of Eddie Flynn, reluctant lawyer and reformed conman.

Accosted by members of the Russian Mafia, Eddie is forced, under threat of his daughter’s life, to take on the case of mob boss Olek Volchek, who is on trial for murder. But it’s not an acquittal they seek – they wish Eddie to plant a bomb to dispose of the key witness in the trial, who is currently in witness protection and known to the public only as Witness X. Volchek knows who betrayed him, but is unable to access him until he arrives in court. Left with little choice, his daughter kidnapped and her life hanging in the balance, Eddie smuggles the bomb past security into the courthouse.

As he familiarises himself with the case, determined to save his daughter’s life and avoid taking the life of Witness X if possible, Eddie believes he may have a chance of winning Volchek’s case. He knows even that won’t guarantee his daughter’s life and comes up with a daring plan to ensure her safety, having to thwart not only his captors, but the FBI agents with a keen interest in the case and now in him.

Eddie Flynn is an endearing, relatable character – he reminded me of John Grisham’s Mitch McDeere (featured in ‘The Firm’), with a dash of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher thrown in. You could easily imagine Tom Cruise playing him in a film adaptation. Delving into his backstory throughout the novel, we learn how he turned his back on his criminal past to become a defence attorney, before also turning his back on the law after losing his family, now forced to return to both careers against his will. This isn’t a straightforward or typical legal thriller, as much as Flynn isn’t a straightforward or typical lawyer.

Seizing you from its opening scene, ‘The Defence’ barrels relentlessly through to its conclusion. A superb debut novel; a high-stakes legal thriller packed with courtroom dramatics, gangland villains, breath-taking action and edge-of-your seat suspense. I cannot wait to read more from Steve Cavanagh and Eddie Flynn.



View all my reviews
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter

The Plea by Steve Cavanagh

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn returns in another high-stakes legal thriller by Steve Cavanagh.

Following the events of 'The Defence', Eddie has set up his own practice. Still separated from his family, he is recovering from his alcoholism and is slowly putting his life back together. But he finds himself accosted in his own office and offered an ultimatum - either he con his way into representing a man accused of murder and persuade him to plead guilty to the crime or his wife will face charges for her unknowing involvement in the crimes of the law firm she works for.

Eddie reluctantly agrees, but he soon faces a moral dilemma. He believes the accused is innocent. Eddie believes that the legal system should achieve justice, that the guilty should be punished and the innocent not be imprisoned for crimes they have not committed. He becomes determined to find a way to simultaneously see his client exonerated, avoid charges being brought unjustly against his wife, and assist in bringing down the corrupt law firm - a challenge that may come with greater sacrifices than he imagined.

Narrated from Eddie's perspective, the plot is driven by his quest for justice and his emotional peril. This is cinematic storytelling - like a legal action blockbuster on the page, full of action and sleight-of-hand twists. It's the courtroom scenes that shine the most, brimming with drama and building suspense as Eddie plays a long con in cross-examination of multiple prosecution witnesses to ultimately build the defence. The twists build to an action-packed finale.

A gripping and enjoyable novel; I am very much looking forward to reading the third in the series, 'The Liar'.



View all my reviews
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram

The Liar by Steve Cavanagh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Eddie Flynn returns for another gripping high-stakes case.

Eddie’s services are sought by Leonard Howell, whose daughter has been kidnapped and a ransom demanded for her return. Giving in to the kidnappers’ demands will land Howell in legal trouble and he wishes to be well-prepared.

But nothing could prepare any of them for the shocking revelations to come that reveal the true depth of the kidnappers’ malicious plot.

On trial for the murder of his daughter, Howell has little left to live for. Eddie is desperate to achieve justice for both his client and his daughter. But the kidnappers’ scheme is far from over.

The third in Steve Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn series, ‘The Liar’ plunges immediately into mystery and danger before we catch up with Eddie late one night in his office, on the cusp of being drawn into two new legal wrangles. Combining the suspense of legal drama with action and the labyrinthine narrative of a psychological thriller, with multiple emotional punches throughout, the plot hurtles from one twist to the next in a breathless race against time to save lives and see justice done.

Eddie continues to be an endearing, flawed and fascinating character, the story once again told from his perspective, his history and skills as a con man proving to be as crucial as his legal skills and knowledge. Eddie’s family also make brief appearances, while we delve deeper into his relationship with his mentor Judge Harry Ford, whose past comes back to haunt him through this case. Both the action sequences and the courtroom scenes are brilliantly realised, pushing the narrative onwards and keeping the high pace balanced, while multiple key characters feature throughout the ever-evolving plot as the truth is revealed layer by layer.

Once again, Steve Cavanagh has delivered a riveting thriller that you just don’t want to put down, culminating in a satisfying and emotional conclusion – one that is both thrilling and reflective. Next in the series is ‘Thirteen’, which promises to be yet another enthralling case.



View all my reviews
Visit me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram