The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh is a fast paced thriller that keeps you on your toes throughout. Full of the twists, turns and surprises I’ve come to expect from this author, it’s a dark rollercoaster of a read that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. Fantastic!

The Devil's Advocate was my first introduction to Eddie Flynn - and I'm hooked. What a fabulous character - with his conman background, he knows all the tricks and is not adverse to using underhand tactics if it helps his clients cause and where he feels that unfairness and corruption are being used against them.

In this case, Flynn is on the side of the underdog and went above and beyond to fight the small town corruption and racism to try and get justice for his client, young Andy Dubois. Andy is accused of murdering a young woman he worked with and destined for death row if the evil DA Randal Korn has his way.

White supremacy, murder and racial discrimination - Eddie and his colleagues, Harry, Kate and the marvellous Bloch have to battle against these and more and not everything goes their way. A fast paced, exciting read that had me wondering how on earth Eddie was ever going to win this fight. I loved it.

Well, what more needs to be said, when a new Eddie Flynn arrives in your life, except to get stuck in and enjoy the ride. For my money, and having read every Flynn to date, I can honestly say this is Cavanagh’s best yet. I raced through this one with it’s intensely sultry and atmospheric Alabama backdrop, which added so much to this tense and nerve shredding legal thriller. With a young black man’s life, literally in Flynn’s hands, Cavanagh has constructed not only a taut and exceptionally well plotted thriller, but a book that addresses the very serious issues of racism and the inequalities of the American legal system for black defendants. Through Flynn, and his legal team’s experience, we quickly fear for how this one is going to play out, and the injustice that permeates every inch of this case. Cavanagh’s precise and always fluid style is like a knife through hot butter as always, and with the authenticity of legal procedure, the assimilation of the particular socio-economic climate of Alabama and how this affects the black communities so deeply, Cavanagh produces a necessary and overwhelmingly powerful distillation of the American legal system, yet balances it perfectly with the needs of a pacey and entirely compelling plot.

It also has to be said that prosecutor Randal Korn, who proves to be a truly sinister and dangerous nemesis for Flynn, can quite rightly be crowned one of the most evil protagonists I have encountered in crime fiction. He positively oozes- literally- a demonic compulsion to send as many men as possible to the electric chair whether guilty or innocent, and Flynn is embroiled in his most testing case yet. Still grappling with the overhanging grief of the events of the last book, Flynn is at his most vulnerable point that we have observed, but surely that tenacity and sass can’t desert him now? Enjoy finding out in this brilliant addition, to hands down one of my favourite series ever… Highly recommended.

Steve Cavanagh has done it again with the latest Eddie Flynn book (number 6) and this, like the others was brilliant.

The former con-artist Flynn finds himself in the South of USA tasked with defending Andy Dubois who has been charged with and has admitted to the killing of a young lady Skylar Edwards. Flynn has to go up against a DA in Randall Korn who takes delight in using the legal system to kill defendants via capital punishment.

Cavanagh creates a horribly believable environment comprised of racism, corrupt officials and a mounting body count. This is a story that packs a punch and twits and turns aplenty.

If you have not read an Eddie Flynn story but like legal thrillers you will love this (think James Patterson x John Grisham = Steve Cavanagh), why not go and read the other 5, you can thank me later.

Superb - 5/5

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an impartial review.

This was a spectacular read. Lots of twists and turns until the truth came out. Fast paced, exciting, very difficult to put the book down. Highly recommended.

I must confess from the outset that Steve Cavanagh is one of my favourite writers and that I'm a huge fan of the Eddie Flynn series. This is Cavanagh's sixth Eddie Flynn book and, in my opinion, the series gets better each time. For the first time, Eddie is taken out of New York as he travels to Buckstown, a remote Alabama town, to represent Andy Dubois, a seemingly innocent man who has been accused of murder and who is destined for the electric chair. Flynn knows this will be the toughest case yet but nothing can prepare him for what he's up against. The book's villain, Randal Korn, the district attorney who has sentenced more people to death than any other in the US, is reminiscent of Thomas Harris' villains because of his particularly inhumane and brutal nastiness. Eddie is accompanied by a formidable team that has grown with the series: Harry, his friend and mentor, Kate, his new partner, and Bloch, an ex-cop with a tough, emotionless exterior but who is also incredibly sympathetic.

Taking Eddie out of New York and putting him in the South allows Cavanagh to challenge Eddie and explore his character. Eddie is largely a creature of habit and is most at home in an urban setting. The setting shift also makes the book more reminiscent of John Grisham's books. However, Cavanagh's books are far superior because of his focus on characterisation.

As with all of Cavanagh's books, nothing is as simple as it seems and the climax of the novel is more complex than we first expected. Once again, Cavanagh proves that he is one of the best writers out there at the moment and I'm sure will bring even more readers to the Eddie Flynn series.

BRILLIANT!!!!

"And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of stars upon ahead...... and there appeared another wonder in heaven: behold a great red dragon, with seven heads, and ten horns and, and seven crowns upon its head.... "
In this book, Eddie and his team are looking for the devil himself!

Set in the conservative South and not in their hometown they are really up against it. Has an innocent man been arrested for the murder of Skyler Edwards and is there anyone in the town that is not corrupt?!
DA Randall Corn's favourite" pastime" is to send people to death row. Will Eddie be able to outwit him and will they survive this case?

I've been a fan of Steve Cavanagh since his first book and it's amazing to see that he is just getting better and better with each book. I think this is my favourite so far! It's not only about Eddie Flynn;  the flyest man in town; but it's also about a team of characters. It's amazing to see how the stories and the characters evolve and how each person brings their own special skill set to the story giving the story so much more depth and making it such an enjoyable read.

This is definitely more than a five out of five stars read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really like the Eddie Flynn series but I felt this one was slower paced than other books in this series.

I don’t think we got as much of Eddie’s personality as usual but hopefully the next book brings it back!

These are the best crime thrillers I’ve read! Eddie Flynn just keeps getting better and better!

A change of scenery from the previous books in the series and wow oh wow what a setting! We’re taken into the redneck part of America and it shows why it’s known for having backwards views!

As always a joy to read.....write the next one faster please!

Steve Cavanagh never disappoints when it come to create a gripping and twisty new novel, especially when the protagonist is Eddie Flynn. In this new novel, the smart, witty, and impulsive lawyer is facing his toughest challenge so far: prove that a young man didn’t murder in cold blood a young woman and save him from the death penalty. Set in an Alabama that reminds of To Kill a Mockingbird, Eddie and his team not only have to prove the young man’s innocence, but also face the prejudices of the local people and a very dangerous and powerful district attorney. Once again, I was completely engrossed in Eddie Flynn’s new adventure. It is suspenseful, thrilling, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading!

Eddie Flynn is facing his toughest case yet. A death row case.
Randal Korn is a district attorney in Alabama who has sent more men to their death than any other DA in the history of the United States. This time he is trying to convict an innocent young man, Andy Dubois for the murder of his friend Skylar.
Eddie and his team must prove Andy's innocence and save his life before it is too late.
Steve Cavanagh never fails to get my heart racing with his fast paced, clever legal thrillers. The devil's advocate is packed with suspense and tension. I felt myself feeling pure hatred for the evil characters of Korn and the Pastor and pure empathy and hope for Andy and his Mom, Patricia.
I found myself holding my breath as I turned each page and I couldn't put it down until I got to the explosive ending. I would 100% recommend this to any thrillers fans.

Having read Thirteen and 50/50 I was really pleased to receive a digital copy from Netgalley
The storyline was fast paced but, apart from the original murder, there were so many killings that I began to feel unmoved by them although I did hope the defendant in the case wasn’t found guilty
Nevertheless I did enjoy the book overall

When a young woman, Skylar Edwards, is murdered, a suspect is soon arrested, his fate sure to be the death penalty. No one seems concerned that Andy Dubois is innocent and with local feeling the way it is, there is no chance of him receiving a fair trial. Prosecutor Randal Korn is determined to put Andy on death row, and judging by his reputation as the district attorney to send the most people to their death, this is a foregone conclusion. When Andy’s defence attorney disappears, New York lawyer Eddie Flynn is drafted in to try to achieve the seemingly impossible – beat Randal Korn and save Andy Dubois.

The Eddie Flynn books have become a firm favourite of mine and I couldn’t wait to read The Devil’s Advocate. Here, we see Eddie out of his comfort zone, heading to Alabama to defend a young black man, charged with the murder of a popular white woman. Race definitely plays a part in this book, his skin colour condemning him to death in the eyes of many people regardless of the evidence. Andy and his mum were very likeable characters, and, although they don’t feature much in the book, their bond was clear to see and I willed Eddie to break the case and see justice served.

We see Eddie at his best in The Devil’s Advocate, using every trick in the book (and tricks most definitely not in the book!) to counteract the devious mind of Randal Korn. This is where the author’s legal background really comes to the fore, Eddie’s investigations and courtroom scenes being a joy to read.

In Randal Korn, we have a despicable antagonist of the highest order. He is one of those characters who get under your skin right from the start, without a single redeeming feature. His control over society was terrifying and we see this right from the start with the hostility Eddie and his team face when arriving in Alabama. In The Devil’s Advocate, Steve Cavanagh has given us a plethora of abhorrent characters, each of them with their own terrifying reasons for framing Andy.

In the previous book in this series, Fifty Fifty, there was a particularly shocking moment where we saw the death of someone unexpected. There was a horrible sense of deja vu in this book that had me completely on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t believe that Steve was doing this to us again! You will have to read the book to see what I am referring to and see the outcome. Be prepared!

Eddie Flynn has become a force to be reckoned with and I am already eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

It's like my two favourite books had a baby and this book is it!

It's gripping, it's jaw dropping and I was hooked from the first page

I loved Thirteen and no book has matched up to the love I have for it until I read this book.

Steve Cavanagh has a way to really blow your mind and play games in your head and he mastered it with this book.

Just when you think this series can't get any better; it does. This book is superb. The plot is dark and sinister with numerous twists to keep you totally hooked.

You know you are fully invested in these books and characters when something happens to make you shout out loud when something unexpected happens.

An absolute masterclass in storytelling from Steve Cavanagh.

I look forward to reading more of these excellent books soon.

I love all the Eddie Flynn books but this one has to be the best. A court room drama mixed with corruption, racism and a death penalty case was set to be explosive and it didn’t disappoint. The characters are likable and I loved the fact Bloch really came into her own in this book, showing a different side to her hard shell. The plot was flawless, well rescued and engaging.

Thank you for my gifted digital copy.

I am always recommending Steve Cavanagh's books, especially the Eddie Flynn series. And I will continue to recommend the books ☺️ I am also looking forward for the next book already.

Eddie Flynn is a babe, I am in love with this man and his brains. His mastery to solve impossible cases. I love how Flynn and his team gel together each using their own skills and talents to get to the truth.

Remember all that ⤴️ I love the Eddie Flynn and Steve Cavanagh's work. Which is why I am finding it hard to say that this book just didn't float my boat 🙈

My only reason for not liking this book as much as I thought I would was the content/plotline. Police corruption and politics always deflates me in storylines. Basically because it's an easy get out to foil the good guys. For example when Eddie and the team find a piece of evidence that could smash the case open. Along comes the corrupt sheriff and DA and they managed to eliminate the evidence (vary vague but didn't want to give spoilers)

However this is purely my own aversion to said plotline. I know others will love this story 👍🏼

Eddie is still amazing and I will be on the look out for the next installment ☺️

I'm not going to lie, I was beyond excited when I was chosen to receive one of the first 100 copies of The Devil's Advocate, but I was also nervous would it keep up to the pace that was set by Cavanagh's most recent book Fifty- Fifty.

Well, quite simply, it didn't keep up. It raced ahead at lightening speed with a grisly, gnawing tension that grew even larger on each page! In all honesty, I was the one who couldn't keep up with the blows and punches that Cavanagh kept throwing. There got to a point where I realised my heart rate had gone through the roof and I sounded as if I'd just done 10 flights of stairs!

Cavanagh is the master of the slightly unrealistic thriller that sometimes borders beyond belief, but what was even more mesmerizing with The Devil's Advocate was that this felt all too real and plausible. I was really thinking about horrific topics such as racism, corruption, the death penalty and terrorism without even realising they're flitting around in my brain.

Gripping, twisted and disturbing another classic 5 star pager-turner by Cavanagh.

When Skylar Edwards is murdered in her home town of Buckstown, Alabama the sheriff arrests the last man alleged to have seen her alive, Andy Dubois and he is now facing Death Row, thanks to District Attorney, Randal Korn who loves nothing better than to see someone face the electric chair, dubbed the Yellow Mama. Korn doesn't care whether Andy committed the crime or not, because he's got him banged to rights with confessions and witnesses galore and nothing is going to get in Korn's way, especially since Andy's defence attorney, Cody Warren has mysteriously disappeared. That is until Flynn and his team are drafted in from New York to prove Andy is innocent and reveal how far Korn and his corrupt team will go in their pursuit of a conviction.

The Devil's Advocate is the latest in the Eddie Flynn series and once again Cavanagh reels the reader into another tense drama, with this one proving to be Eddie's toughest case yet, everything seems stacked against them, but we all know that Flynn will never represent anyone he believes to be guilty and he knows Andy isn't, he just needs to get past the corruption, bribery and racism surrounding this case to prove that, even if his own tactics are a little unorthodox at times. This is another edge of your seat thriller that will keep you hooked until the very last page and I can't wait to see more from Eddie and his team.

I'd like to thank Orion and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

So I have read a few of the Eddie Flynn books, bought the ones I have missed and need to actually read them. I LOVE Eddie, he is a lawyer who won't represent anyone who is guilty, I imagine this may be covered, the why, in the earlier books. He has a colourful past and can be a wee bit dodgy but in a totally good way, he is a really good guy and has a moral compass, he also bends some rules as and when needed. He has been asked to come to a small town to help a guy accused of murder, the prosecutor has a record for going for the death penalty and it is never reversed. The town is shady, dodgy, racist and even the decent people aren't huge on outsiders. The prosecutor loves his record, he is powerful, rich and very influential, nothing and no-one gets between him and his goal, Eddie has met some bad people in the past but this town has folk of the likes he has never encountered before.

If I hadn't had work I would have sunk this in one sitting. I make no qualms about how much I love Flynn so I really need to find the earlier books and get them read. He is the type of guy you can't help but love, wee bit shady, heart in the right place, fighting for the good "guy" and the odds are usually placed against them.

This book gave me "A Time To Kill" vibes, racism, them vs us, murder, violence, manipulation, corruption, abuse of power, ooft heart in my mouth multiple times and beyond horrified at the behaviour of some of the humans in this book. I know it is fiction but attitudes and violence like we see in this book is all to real and fiction that evokes strong emotional responses *mic drop*.

I couldn't guess where the book was going, I gasped a fair few times and was just like there is no way out for X character, where to next? The author pulls the rug from under you a fair few times, I was totally invested in the characters and a total ragin spice at others. Definitely one of my 5/5 this year, I am re arranging my 5 bookcases soon so will be actively hunting the earlier Flynn books. Out to buy tomorrow in ebook and tree book, I can't recommend this story enough. Be warned it has some very hard hitting themes, do not start it late at night or if you have plans that day because you are drawn in and need to know what happens next! Buy link from AMAZON UK.