Monday, October 14, 2019

Thirteen Review

Title:  Thirteen
Series:  Eddie Flynn, #4
Author:  Steve Cavanagh
Publisher:  Orion (1/25/18)
Flatiron (8/13/19)
Purchase Link:  Amazon


My Rating:  4 Unique Hearts


*A special thank you to the publisher for a physical copy of this book!


Synopsis:
THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL.

HE'S ON THE JURY...


They were Hollywood's hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife.

This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn.

All the evidence points to Robert's guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie's mind.

What if there's more than one actor in the courtroom?

What if the killer isn't on trial? What if the killer is on the jury?

My Review:
Hollywood heartthrob Bobby Soloman is on trial for the murder of his wife and her security guard in a fit of jealous rage after finding them in bed together.  The trial of the high profile celebrity is front page news.  Ex-con turned lawyer Eddie Flynn is asked to join the defense team as his reputation for thinking outside the box and doing whatever it takes to prove his clients innocence precede him.  Eddie has practiced the skill set needed to be a profitable conman, and he has no qualms about using the knowledge to be a case-winning lawyer.  He has a gut feeling Solomon is innocent, and he's learned to trust it.  Joshua Kane is a prolific serial killer who makes it his mission to infiltrate the jury to influence a guilty verdict.  He wants Bobby Solomon dead.  The question is why?

Thirteen is a legal thriller that unfolds through two points of view - lawyer Eddie Flynn's and killer/juror Joshua Kane's.  A unique plotline, in-depth characterizations, and sharp writing quickly drew me into the story and heads of these two men.  It was fascinating having a front-row courtroom seat to watch these two characters go head-to-head in this cat and mouse game of life and death.  Eddie's courtroom antics helped set and maintain a fast pace even as readers are charged with figuring out which juror is a serial killer.  Thirteen is book 4 (counting the .5 novella)  in the Eddie Flynn series, but I had no issue picking up and reading this book as a standalone as all needed background information is provided.  However, I do plan to backtrack and read the previous books as I find the character of Eddie Flynn to be intriguing - a do-gooder with a less than stellar past fighting to earn the respect of his colleagues and his estranged wife & child back.  I do love a character toting a lot of baggage and Eddie Flynn is overburdened with it!  Fans of courtroom drama thrillers and police procedurals will want to rush to get this one!  A fantastic read!

My Rating:  4 Unique Hearts

Cross My Heart . . . xxx
Sandra

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