Another amazing thriller from the trial master Cavanagh.. Serving up a perfect balance of good vs evil in his characters, Thirteen is quite simply a masterpiece - I could not stop reading it. But who exactly did Eddie Flynn call in the end - looking forward to the next instalment.

I can certainly see why this has had all the hype that it has... a tense and thrilling pageturner if ever I've read one. Chilling!

Totally unique storyline and fantastic book, I hated the main character with a passion! A great read that had me hook line and sinker, totally different to any kind of storyline I’ve come across before and a must read for any fans of thrillers and what not!

I was intrigued by the title to this book and after reading the blurb thought 'yes' it is worth a read. How good is this book, I couldn't put it down! Twists and turns everywhere. I thoroughly recommend it. I was hooked! It was a cracking good book. I am now looking for the author's other books to read.

Okay for those of you who have been living in a cave, or in deepest darkest Peru, this has to be the most talked about, and well publicised thriller release of the summer. It is everywhere. And I mean everywhere. So is it any good? Is the hype deserved? Well, quite frankly….IT IS!

Having previously reviewed, and greatly enjoyed The Defence The Plea and The Liar I love the character of Eddie Flynn, the renegade, ex-grifter, quick-witted lawyer always up to his elbows in trouble, and this is a series of books that has restored my interest in the legal thriller genre. Flynn is a fabulous creation who uses humour as a defence, is a good guy to have on your side when the chips down, does okay in a scrap, yet is woefully inept in his personal relationships, which brings an endearing authenticity to his character too.

Apart from his characterisation, if there is one thing that Cavanagh excels in, it is his control of pace and tension, with the machinations of the courtroom ebbing and flowing punctuated by outbursts (in true comic book style) of POW! and KABOOM! I would defy anyone not to read this in a relatively few number of sittings, and get thoroughly caught up in this exciting mash up of legal and serial killer thriller. Edge of your seat stuff and a cracking twist at the end too. Highly recommended.

This book is a superb courtroom style drama! The main character Eddie is excellently characterised, and someone who is rooting for the underdog, but not without his own flaws. The bad guy is a truly frightening bad guy who you would never wish to meet! Altogether a great read with some interesting insights into unusual physical and mental conditions, while drawing in interesting supporting characters along the way. I would recommend it.

Eddie Flynn is a con man turned lawyer, who is offered the case of his life defending Bobby Solomon, a Hollywood actor on the brink of success when his wife and security guard are killed in his home. There’s plenty of damning evidence against him but Flynn believes he’s innocent.

Joshua Kane has watched the whole case unfold and he desperately wants in on the jury, how far will he go to get what he wants?

So I have to be honest, legal thrillers don’t usually capture my interest but boy has this book changed my mind! Before thirteen, I’d never heard of the Eddie Flynn series or Steve Cavanagh but that tag line ‘The serial killer isn’t on trial, he’s on the jury,” I mean what crime lover could resist?

Eddie is a really compelling character. He’s a former con man and alcohol turned lawyer who’s distanced himself from his wife and his twelve year old daughter as his cases often put them in danger. But what made me love him the most is the fact that he uses his con man skills to help those people who need it the most. He also goes after corrupt cops which doesn’t make him many friends in law enforcement.

Even though we know quite early on who this killer is, the why and the how he’s getting away with this for so long, doesn’t become clear until nearer the end and the story still manages to pack in plenty of twists that I did not see coming.

Overall Thirteen is a really cleverly written, action packed thrill ride of a novel that I cannot recommend any more highly.

I now will have to buy the rest of the series, looks like Christmas sorted for me then!

7/10

An easy read if not a little preposterous but the pages churn through and the intrigue made it enough to keep at it. I started to enjoy things more when things hit the courtroom with some quick back and forth’s with the attorneys and witnesses. The ending soured things a little for me with a few twists too many and trying to be more clever than it needed to be.

I requested this book because of the tag line. It sounded so out there that it pipped my interest. I didn’t even realise until I received a copy that I’d read one of the authors previous books in this series. I remembered the con-man turned lawyer and still found it a bit too strange but it sets the tone of the novel and where things will go. It’s fun but borders on silly at times. The characters are somewhat 2 dimensional but you don’t really read something like this for characterisation.

It’s an easy read overall but in parts verges on 4 stars and other parts verges on 2 stars which lead to my 3 star total. I wouldn’t be against reading more from this author but he’s not top of the list.

Whilst I appreciate how well written this book is and the cleverness of the plot, it really wasn’t for me. I found some of the scenes too disturbing and gruesome for my liking. That being said, if you enjoy crime thrillers, then you will likely really like this book.

If you like your action fast and furious, albeit with a modest need to suspend disbelief over some of the more unlikely plot twists and turns, then this book is likely to be right up your street. Think John Grisham, with a dose of Lee Child's Jack Reacher thrown into the mix to create the lead lawyer character and you'll not be too far wrong. The writing is fluent and the developing narrative builds tension in a very satisfying way. Steve Cavanagh uses some clever tricks to lead the gullible reader into mistaken assumptions about the way the plot will eventually unfold, and these certainly add to the pleasure. The courtroom scenes are well drawn and contribute significantly to the developing drama. If there was a criticism - and it's only a minor criticism - I would say that the writing and plot were good enough without quite so many tricks and less plausible plot diversions. Highly recommended if you like a book that has plenty of pace and excitement and keeps you reading longer than you intended.

Before I started this book, I had already read some excellent reviews of Thirteen. So although excited to read it, I was hoping that I would enjoy it as much as others have done. Those reviews I read….. spot on! This book is amazing, gripping, thrilling, page turning, keep you up later that you intended, brilliant.

Steve Cavanagh has such a vivid clever imagination. This thriller is unique and like no other book I have read. How can the killer be on the jury??? How can they ever find the killer if its the killer that decides the verdict? So so clever.

I haven’t read any other of this Author’s book, but I am aware that there a few previous books also featuring Eddie Flynn, the con man turned defense lawyer. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t read the previous books, although reading Thirteen makes me want to read more of Cavanagh’s book now.
The main character Eddie Flynn was a con man, now he is a defense lawyer. I think a good defense lawyer woud be wise to know some of the tricks of the trade, and with Eddie’s past, this does give him certain advantages. The other characters also are so interesting and clever. As we follow each one, we learn a little more about them and their pasts. Eventually I got to understand the mind of this highly intelligient killer. There is something very different about him, something that enables him to be one of the “best serial killers” I’ve read about. I know that sounds weird, being the best serial killer, but this is legal, psychological fiction guys, my favourite genre. And now I have found myself a new favourite Author, with plenty of books that I haven’t yet read.

A short review from me, but full of powerful words, go read it, its amazing, I loved it. So clever, legal thriller fiction at its best!

I had been enjoying the legal thrillers of Author Olly Jarvis, my original favourite legal thriller Author. Jarvis’ books are based in the UK. Now I have another favourite legal thriller Author, whose books are based in America.

TH1RT3EN IS AN AMAZING BOOK, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE LEGAL / PSYCHOLOGICAL / SERIAL KILLER THRILLERS.

I read a lot of books and this book is by far the best thriller I have read this year. There are so many twists and turns and never a dull moment - the author will keep you guessing right to the final chapters.

Eddie Flynn is a one time con man turned defence lawyer and he has been approached to be second chair in a murder trial. No ordinary murder trial but that of a famous actor charged with murdering his equally famous wife and their chief of security in cold blood.

The trial date is set and the jury picked but what if the killer wasn’t the person on trial but a member of the jury?

I don’t want to reveal anymore. You need to read this, I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of the book.

It is very unlike me to jump into a series in book 4, but the description of this book tempted me too much to resist. I was not let down as the Eddie Flynn character was a super easy acquintance to make. The villain of the book was both super clever and super coldblooded, so what a perfect match!
I had some issues with the story throughout the book which ends up costing the fifth star in this review, but that aside, I was well entertained and will definitely check out the preceding three books in the series.

Thirteen is a masterclass in crime-thriller writing and courtroom suspense.

Kane, the antagonist, is one of the most intelligent, prepared and downright chilling serial killers I have come across. Add in his special physiological advantages and he seems almost invincible, and yet the scariest element is that he is not the least bit unbelievable.

With the story told in alternating sections, the reader gets to see events from Kane’s third-person perspective, but from the first-person narrative of lawyer Eddie Flynn, the main protagonist. This technique is very effective at giving the reader special insight and advance knowledge from both sides of the story, whilst keeping us intimate with the hero and creating a (safe!) distance from the human monster he is facing.

The storyline is tight and pacy, with plenty of action and numerous twists and turns. Some I spotted, as the author played very fair with his clues and foreshadowing, but some hit me from behind as I followed where the sneaky narrative led me to look!

Whilst Thirteen is the fourth in the Eddie Flynn series of books, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone book (which is what I did), as any pertinent background is fed in through the current action and character development naturally, with no extraneous passages of exposition to slow the pace.

I loved the concept of having a con expert on both sides of the fence and it made for thrillingly tense entertainment to see them go up against each other on similar terms. I would definitely recommend this to fans of legal suspense and fast-paced crime: it’s more action-packed than a Grisham courtroom drama and more twistily intricate than a Patterson killer-chase!


'Given the speed at which Elton slammed the door, and the sheer weight of the thing, there was little doubt that Kane’s arm should’ve been broken. And a messy break at that. Multiple fractures. Massive trauma.

But Kane was special. That’s what his mama always told him. He cried out again. Kane felt it was important to put on a good show: the least he could do was pretend to be hurt.'

– Steve Cavanagh, Thirteen

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Continually upping the stakes is something you would have come to expect in Steve Cavanagh's fast moving Eddie Flynn courtroom dramas, but somehow he even manages to raise expectations from book to book and still delivers on them. Somehow he also manages to do that without losing credibility (or at least not stretching it any further than it already is) which considering the nature of the high drama in his books must make each of them a hard act to follow. Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but not for readers of Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn series.

Maybe not so great for Eddie though, for wouldn't you know it, just as he seems to be getting his life, career and family back together after quite a few knocks and setbacks along the way, he gets smashed in the face again; literally and metaphorically. Eddie's quick-thinking actions in the courtroom hasn't gone unnoticed, nor his ability to turn around seemingly impossible trials, pulling out witnesses and exert testimonies like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat to gain acquittals for his clients. He's invited to be on the defence team of one of the city's top law firms for what will surely be the biggest case of his life, on what could be the trial of the century. Talk about raising stakes. How is Cavanagh and Flynn going to top this one?

The case he is being asked to defend in Thirteen involves one of the movie industries biggest stars, Bobby Solomon, accused of the murder of his wife and another man at his luxury home. Not only does Eddie get involved in one of the trials of the century (on a par and obviously with parallels to O J Simpson), with the offer of a salary considerably larger than usual for his small-time low-profile cases and the chance of raising his profile, but working with a large law firm brings the chance of regular work away from the dangerous hustling that he is usually involved in. Which means there's a chance that he could get his estranged wife Christine and daughter Amy back.

Away from dangerous hustling? Yeah, like that's going to happen. If Eddie Flynn is involved, that means that there's always violence and danger lurking around the corner and Eddie is the man to go poking around in into the corners of those dark alleys. Obviously in any good criminal investigation thriller there's always going to be a similar conflict between the investigator's career and his personal life, and Steve Cavanagh has pushed that dynamic further than most with the kind of personal danger Eddie Flynn has brought to his wife and daughter. Obviously he has come through for them, but there's only so much a relationship can take, and Cavanagh doesn't push that any further, and Eddie knows he can't risk it either.

Even so, all Eddie's good intentions inevitably count for little, but it's not just his fault. Eddie is fairly certain that his client is not guilty and that the murders are connected to a serial killer known to the FBI as Dollar Bill, but proving it and convincing a jury is another matter. Particularly since it soon becomes apparent - to the reader at least if not yet for Eddie and the defence - that the jury has been rigged. There's a particularly ruthless individual determined not to go to murderous lengths to get on the jury for the Bobby Solomon trial, but prepared to 'remove' any other jurors who might be sympathetic to the movie star and thinking of finding him not guilty. Certainly one of the most dangerous adversaries Eddie has ever come across, the maverick defence lawyer's hopes of settling down to a quiet life are vanishing fast.

Thirteen is not the thirteenth Eddie Flynn book (but let's hope we get to that number sooner rather than later), but rather Cavanagh's fourth outing with his hustler/fighter/con-man/alcoholic turned private investigator/courtroom lawyer (or fifth if you count the Eddie Flynn novella The Cross, which is just as action-packed and thrilling as any of the main books). Cavanagh is a practising lawyer so he knows what he is talking about and even if he's not American, he knows his way around the common processes and procedures well. He doesn't get bogged down in technical details here, but rather in Thirteen he draws attention to the psychology and methods of jury selection which play an important part for any lawyer in a trial.

Before we get to the trial of the century then, Eddie Flynn has to do a lot of dangerous ground-work, making use of the services of a few old friends but also running into a few other people who he has upset in the past, and when I say 'runs into', well Eddie sustains quite a few injuries to his person along the way. It's all part of the service as far as Eddie Flynn is concerned, going the distance and against the odds when he truly believes in his clients. You can imagine that things might not be the same for Eddie after such a case is played out in the full glare of the media, but where that leaves him with his family and career is going to be interesting. I think you could safely say that the stakes have been raised once again in Thirteen, and you wouldn't bet against Steve Cavanagh meeting and surpassing them in the next Eddie Flynn book.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book. Steve Cavanagh was an author I hadn't read before and I didn't know anything about Eddie Flynn. It didn't take me long to be completely hooked! Eddie's task is to defend an up and coming actor accused of the murder of two people (one of them his wife) against evidence which seems to point overwhelmingly to his guilt. His adversary is Kane, a serial murderer who will do anything to stop him. This is a clever novel, with lots of twists and turns and the reader is kept guessing until the end. This may be the best book I've read this year - it's certainly in my top three. Steve Cavanagh's previous novels are now on my shopping list and I'll make sure I read his next book as soon as it comes out!

This is a clever book which wears it's cleverness well. There are twists and turns aplenty to get you involved but there are also quieter moments when you can ponder the rights and wrongs of the legal system and the media coverage of high profile trials. But above all it is a good old fashioned crime story of will the good guys win in time - and who are the good guys? There's enough ambivalence here to keep you interested. Parts felt a bit slow to me but I can see they were needed to let the reader catch her breath. I haven't read any of the other Eddie Flynn books and although this works as a standalone very well, the writing and plotting make me want to read the others.

Recommended if you like well written, fairly complex crime stories where you think you know who the bad guy is - but remember just because he's on the jury doesn't mean he's easy to find!

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Wow. I don't actually know where to start with this review. This was one of the cleverest books I've read in a long time. The plot was so tightly woven that I had to just let the book lead me through the story as I couldn't begin to guess how it would pan out. This book felt like it must have taken years to write due to how intricate it was. I believe this was the fourth book on a series, but I read it as a stand alone. I'll certainly be going back and reading the first three now though.

So as the book suggests...… The serial killer isn't on trial - HE'S ON THE JURY

This was brilliantly written, the storyline just weaved and flowed easily with the picture of what had really happened building clue by clue. Kane is our criminal who has literally killed to get his seat on the jury, can he see the man convicted though?

Once again the star of the book is Eddie Flynn who ends up getting involved despite him not wanting too, once he realises that the client is innocent he takes matters into his own hands to help try and prove his innocence.

I don't want to give too much away about the rest of the storyline as I really think that everyone needs to read it themselves to find out. There were points when I was reading that I literally shouted out 'yes!, I'd forgotten about that' and 'oh my god' my friends who were with me told me that I couldn't tell them anymore as they wanted to read it!!

A thrilling read of a clever serial killer and rogue juror facing trial. Interesting read, gripping action and lots of murder. The author keeps the reader guessing but throws out subtle clues along the way. Very enjoyable read and I will be looking for more from this author!