This book had me in a chokehold. I mean.. what the heck! Not only were the characters in the book stumped by what was going on but I was questioning myself left and right wondering what was going on! This is the first book by this author that I’ve read && it was the first book in this series I’d read. Though there was little snippets that I felt like I’d missed having gone in halfway through the series, I didn’t feel completely lost and the story for sure held out as a standalone for the most part.

This book will have you on the edge of your seat and trust me when I say, the serial killer? Unlike anything I’ve seen on Criminal Minds for one!

Wow! What a wild ride! The plot was an interesting one-which is what drew me to this book originally. The characters were well developed and the pacing was well thought out. However, there was so many characters and storylines that it was a little confusing to keep everything straight- and I think this took away from the overall enjoyment of this book.

This was a very entertaining thriller. It kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the whole time. I had no idea it was part of a series but it was not necessary to have read the previous books to enjoy this one. But now I am interested in reading the rest of the books.

When I read the synopsis of this story I was so excited and this makes this review so hard. After finishing the book I have to say I am so disappointed, I wanted more from the story; more drama and suspense. How the killer infiltrated the case was very interesting and so were how he disposed of the bodies and such, but I still wanted more. It just did not grip me the way I wanted, instead of being on the edge of my seat wanting more of the story all I really wanted was for it to be over. So for me I do not recommend the book.

I honestly don't know if it was timing or what but I couldn't get into this book. I would give it a try another time, but for now this one just wasn't for me

I requested this title on Netgalley without knowing it was part of a series. However, it didn't feel like it anyway, you won't get too lost, aside from small references here and there.

This book is told in the point of view of a smart, evil person, who will try to change up the results of a murder trial by trying to be a part of the jury. The other POV comes from Eddie Flynn, the main character of this series.

I had enjoyed being in the mind of the serial killer, but not much Eddie Flynn. I think it's mainly because I started a few books ahead in the series and I did not really get to know a lot about him. I may revisit this series in the near future, starting on the first book this time around.
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This was a bit of a struggle for me to connect to the characters and the plot. So maybe I will try this again another time.

I've tried to read this book a few times and it doesn't seem to stick with me. I definitely believe this is a case of the reader and not the book.

I requested this book based off the description and I absolutely loved it. While reading I realized it was part of a series and was worried I was going to be missing out on the story line. The author did an incredible job of writing with purpose. I never felt lost or confused and now I’m looking forward to starting the series from the beginning.

The tagline is what really pulled me in and made me say "I have to read this!" Its a legal thriller with a twist. The criminal is on the jury! This book was so smart and different. I really enjoyed the character Eddie. He's a fantastic lawyer!

Thanks to #Netgalley for the arc of
Thirteen
by Steve Cavanagh
Pub Date: 13 Aug 2019

A top of the notch suspenseful legal thriller. A very good entry in the series, a must have for fans of well written and gracefully plotted thrillers.

"The serial killer isn't on trail. He's on the jury..."

With a tagline like that, I needed to read this book. It sounded engaging, interesting, and unique. Unfortunately, I found the tagline to be the most interesting thing about this book.

I expected more from a legal thriller - we spent a majority of this book within a courtroom, hearing about how a jury is set up, what is expected from them, how everyone is chosen. Yet, there was very little plausibility within the story, from a legal sense. It felt as if the author had googled legal terms and tossed them in for funsies, the lack of research really hindered how the story progressed, as well as that believability. The risk taken by the killer were ridiculous as well - the tagline leaves this assumption that the killer is on the jury organically. But, it's just a murder spree of a story to get what he wants. The fact that we got a whole story out of the most non discrete murderer ever is fairly shocking.

I've seen many a five star review for this, and unfortunately I just can't agree. This book made me beyond frustrated to read. It didn't keep me at the edge of my seat, it made me question if any lawyers or police would actually be so poor at their jobs. I questioned how a serial killer could successful escape detection for years in this story, when he was the most evident person in the room. Perhaps I've read too many thrillers like this, so I'm good at guessing the whodunnit - but this felt painfully obvious.

To those that loved it, I'm glad you loved. If you're a big fan of thrillers and especially legal thrillers, maybe you'll find a lot of enjoyment in this one. I want my legal thrillers to be realistic though, so this one just wasn't for me.

Courtroom drama/thriller with a twist. Reading this made me wonder how many times has this happened and which cases its happened. But I suppose I will never know!

I love this book so much! Absolutely riveting! I’m obsessed and want to read the authors entire backlist now. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, bam! Cavanagh throws a twist and I am blown away. I had to take a day to recover after finishing. Then I bought the hardcover and told my husband he HAD to read it.
This is a must read for any murder mystery lovers!

Great thriller that kept me turning the pages, a great story with intriguing characters that kept me guessing. Highly recommend to others!

omg i hated this book so much! It's like if toxic masculinity was a book. The most frustrating part is that I actually ended up caring what happened. Even though I hated every single character!

Thank you, Netgalley and Flatiron Books for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh is a legal thriller, courtroom drama, and murder mystery all rolled into an exceptionally clever story. The synopsis mentioned serial killers and I was invested. I have read a couple of serial killer stories and have enjoyed them a lot. All of them were thrillers and had the investigative angle to them. This one is not that different either. We follow two POVs one of an ex-con turned defense lawyer Eddie Flynn and the other of Kane, the serial killer. Bobby is the next big star in Hollywood and when his wife and bodyguard are found brutally murdered, he is charged with the murder. With the case being so high-profile the studio has hired the best team for Bobby. However, the defense team wants Eddie Flynn on their side and after Flynn takes the case, things start to pop up that makes him question the truth of the case. Meanwhile, Kane is clever and has escaped the law for a long time and he has no plans to stop anytime soon. He is bold, fearless, and is one step ahead of the game playing the trail like his personal toy. Eddie has to figure out a way to convince the jury that Bobby is innocent when all the evidence that has been gathered points to him being the murderer. One smart lawyer, one unhinged psychopath and a million clues left to pick up, we have one unputdownable book full of twists and turns to keep you up awake pulling an all-nighter. That’s what happened to me.

Overall, this was an original and unique thriller in so many ways. The plot was ingenious and the execution was immaculate. The courtroom theatrics had me in their grasp the whole time. The smart characters, brilliant and unexpected twists all added to the enhancement. of this story. I gave the book 5 stars and highly recommend checking it out if you enjoy a who-dunnit style story that’s a legal thriller. Don’t let the courtroom drama style deter you from this gem or else you will be missing out on a brilliant thriller.

Such an interesting and unique perspective on a court room drama. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, storyline and ending!

Thirteen has enough twists and turns to keep you engrossed in the book until the very end. A pleasure to read.

This book is exactly what you would expect and so much more! This story is about a serial killer who ends up on a jury and an attorney who used to be a con man. However, this story also gives you a deep dive into the psyche of a serial killer. It's disturbing and fascinating. I loved following both POVs without anything really being given away. Sure, you know essentially the story from the beginning because it isn't an immediate reveal that a serial killer is on the jury, it still has the build up you would expect from a thriller. I was very satisfied and enjoyed this book a lot!