Steve Cavanagh's The Defence - Review

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.



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