When I read what this book was about I knew I had to read it. I love legal thrillers and books about police investigations (such as books by Michael Connelly, and Tana French) so this book was right up my alley. This book is told by two characters, Eddie Flynn, a con-man turned defense attorney, and a diabolical serial killer who will do what it takes to make sure someone else is convicted of the crimes he commits.

From the very first page I was completely hooked on this book. Other readers have said it took some time to get into, but I honestly felt like it was a white-knuckle ride from page 1. The pacing was excellent and I couldn't stop reading, I had to find out what happened next.

Also, sometimes books that have so much happening in the plot are light on character development and dialogue. This book did not have that problem. Eddie Flynn is a fascinating, well-developed character who I could not help but root for. The other characters are also well-developed, realistic, and interesting to read about. The villain is one of the more fascinating I have ever read. There are many layers to his evil deeds and motivations. He is definitely not a one-dimensional "bad guy".

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am excited to read Steve Cavanagh's back list to learn more about Eddie Flynn. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys legal thrillers and courtroom mysteries, and to anyone who enjoys fast paced thrillers in general!

**Thanks to Flatiron Books and to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

The book’s cover teaser is “The serial killer isn’t on trial, he’s on the jury” was what attracted me to this book.

Eddie Flynn is a defense attorney representing Bobby Solomon who is on trial for murder. The key piece of evidence a folded up dollar bill with Bobby’s DNA.

Joshua Kane has the rare ability to feel no pain and the talent to change not just his looks but his mannerisms and speech to steal the identity of others.

Joshua has killed people to get onto the jury for Bobby’s trial, and picked the identity of one of the potential jurors and has become this person.

The legal procedures and the jury memos dropped between chapters added another dimension to this book. The ending seemed to wrap everything up a little too quickly for me, but maybe I just didn’t want the book to end.

I finished this book in two sittings, because I NEEDED to find out why it was so important for Joshua to be on Bobby’s jury. Although this was the #4 book in the series, the author explained Eddie and his background well in the opening chapters that I never felt like I was missing anything. I’m definitely going to look for other books in this series.

TH1RT3EN releases on August 13th… I’d wait outside the bookstore to grab this one on Tuesday morning!

📚📚📚📚/5

What a great premise! What if the murderer is on the jury? You’ve got dual story lines here, both equally engaging. In the first, a serial murderer is determined to get on the jury of a murder trial so he can get the defendant convicted. Flip side, a lawyer is picked to be second chair on the defense side of the same murder trial.

I hadn’t realized this was the fourth in a series. Cavanagh gives you enough background that it’s easy to read this as a stand alone.

This isn't believable but it’s fun as hell. Eddie Flynn was a con artist before he was a lawyer. He’s a great main character, full of observant remarks about everyone else, sharp as hell, able to see connections that others miss. And Kane is one creepy villain. He can’t feel, in either the real or figurative sense.

This moves at a quick pace. I had sussed out one of the big reveals but several others caught me off guard, especially the ending. As I said, this is a fun read and I recommend it to everyone who likes legal and police procedural.

My thanks to netgalley and Flatiron Books for an advance copy of this book.

If you love courtroom intrigue filled with false leads and "whodunnit" drama, this is the book for you!

My first Steve Cavanagh read, it certainly won't be my last. Eddie Flynn and his fellow characters are well-developed. Although Flynn has been featured in previous Cavanagh novels, Thirteen carries its weight as a standalone. Honestly, there is nothing more disappointing than buying a novel and then feeling as if you are missing a significant part of the plot because it is so contingent upon previous novels. Please do not hesitate to read Thirteen, even if you have not read the others. Kudos to Cavanaugh for striking this balance!

The story hinges on a high profile murder trial. Remember, everything is not always as it first appears. This page-turner is rampant with twists and turns. Red herrings abound. It will keep you guessing until the satisfying end. More suspense than thriller, a satisfying read nonetheless!

Mystery. Legal Thriller. Police Procedural. Page Turner. Yup, my new favorite series! How has America not thoroughly discovered and embraced Irish writer Steve Cavanaugh?? His Eddie Flynn series (quite popular in the UK) is highly entertaining. Flynn is a conman turned lawyer, whose personal life is a hot mess, who has an intriguing collection of friends, who only defends the innocent, and who will literally do anything, legal and otherwise, to get his client free (in this case, a famous movie star entangled with a serial killer and a little jury tampering just to make life interesting). Cavanaugh wraps his story in intelligent, thoughtful prose with a snappy sense of humor thrown in just when it is needed. Both my husband and I are obsessed with Eddie Flynn and are waiting breathlessly for Book #5. Seriously, get this entire series.

Wow! What a ride this book is. Actor Robert Solomon has been accused if murdering his wife and bodyguard, who appear to have been having an affair. Pretty straightforward, right? For some reason, Eddie Flynn doesn't think so. He thinks Solomon is innocent - and he's going to do his best to prove it. As the reader, we also know Solomon is innocent - because the real killer is on the jury. A true chameleon, Joshua Kane has been killing and getting away worth it for years. But has he finally met his match in Flynn??
While this is a book you can't think about too hard because it feels so unbelievable, it made for good reading - I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the ride because the story was different from most thrillers I've read and hit the spot just right. I'll definitely be checking out the other books in the series (though this can easily be read as a stand-alone) and I'm looking forward to my buddy read chat!

It’s one of the biggest murder trials New York has seen for some time and all the country is waiting for actor Robert „Bobby“ Solomon to be convicted for the double murder of his girlfriend and her lover. Chances for Bobby are low, all the evidence is clearly against him: he was at the crime scene, blood all over, he left a finger print on a dollar note which was found on the victims, the murder weapon, a baseball bat, belongs to him and has his prints and blood of the victims all over. And he does not have an alibi for the time of the deed. Yet, there is another factor which will make sure that Bobby goes to jail: the murderer is on the jury. But, the killer didn’t anticipate Eddie Flynn, Bobby’s defence attorney, who looked his client in the eyes and saw that this man is innocent. So there must be someone else to blame. Let the game begin.

Steve Cavanagh’s legal crime novel has a rather slow start, but then it takes up pace and suddenly you can only wonder what unfolds in front of you. A brilliant puzzle and fight between two highly intelligent combatants who quickly combine facts and spectacularly try to outplay the enemy. “TH1RT3EN” is the fourth novel of the Eddie Flynn series which can also be read without knowledge of the preceding books. For the third of the series, “The Liar”, Steve Cavanagh was awarded the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger in 2018.

The novel clearly lives on the fight between the killer and the lawyer. Both are highly interesting characters and certainly equal in many respects. On the one hand, Joshua Kane who seems to have perfected crime and taken killing to a higher level. It is brilliant how he proceeds and does not only care about the murder itself but also about what follows after. On the other hand, it seems as if nothing can stop Eddie Flynn, his sharp intellect guarantees clever tactical manoeuvres and seeing things that other might overlook.

It’s the classic fight of good versus evil integrated in a complex story. When the actual trial starts, the plot accelerates and suspense rises enormously. It is fascinating to follow the story line and see how all pieces finally fall into places. Even though there are some blunt and brutal murders, “TH1RT3EN” is a rather demanding and intellectual thriller that demands all your attention and concentration, something I highly appreciate.

The book cover of Steve Cavanagh’s thriller novel, Thirteen, features the blurb, The serial killer isn’t on trial, HE’S ON THE JURY. I’ve never seen that before. This will be one of several firsts for me in reading this novel.
The setting of Thirteen is a murder trial. Not just a murder trial, but a murder trial of a t.v. reality star accused of killing his wife and his security guard. The trial is important to serial killer Joshua Kane. He has selected the defendant Bobby Solomon as his next victim. We don’t know why. Just that it is so important to Kane that he will take extreme measures to insinuate himself into the jury pool for the trial, get himself onto the jury and take more extreme measures to insure a guilty verdict.
Newly hired defense attorney Eddie Flynn believes Bobby is innocent and sets out to help the lead attorney get Bobby acquitted.
Kane is not pleased. He will have to make adjustments but will not give up his plan to have Bobby convicted. He wants Bobby dead. It is central to his plans. Bobby will do anything to get Bobby convicted. As an astute planner and a master of deception and disguise, Kane is able to counter Flynns work and stay a step ahead.
Slowly Flynn unravels the clues and in this mystery forensic evidence reveals anomalies. Little issues pile up. Flynn calls his friends for help. These former FBI agents reach out to their contacts. But the leads are difficult to accept. Their findings point to hard to believe conclusions. And Kane stays a step ahead of them.
When Flynn finally concludes that Kane must be stopped, the major question becomes can Kane be stopped before he kills again.
The ending is a stunner. You will be shocked by this dramatic action packed twist. Hopefully you will be able to issue a sigh of relief. Relief that it is over and relief that indicates your satisfaction.
This is a novel of good versus evil. Kane is an evil damaged man who draws you in. You want to know why he does what he does. Flynn is a lawyer who gives his all to his client. He is willing to risk his well being as well as his reputation is on the line. While there are difficult to believe courtroom rulings, that flaw is no reason to avoid this book. You will miss out on engrossing novel that you hope cannot happen in real life. I received an advance copy of this book from Flatiron books. #Thirteen #Flatiron #NetGalley

This book gripped me completely; it was so well-written and suspenseful.
We meet the killer Kane straight away, but we aren’t aware of what his plans or goals are. It is clear he has them as he is putting a lot of effort into whatever he’s doing. We have no idea what is going on, but we know that Kane is a complete sociopath.
The chapters interchange between Kane and a lawyer Eddie Flynn. At first, I wasn’t sure who’s chapter it was, but the lawyer is written in the first person, but Kane’s sections are narrated in the third person. We still know what he is thinking and feeling, but we are a little more removed from him that we are with Flynn. So once you understand the rhythm of the book, you know who’s chapter you are reading.
As Flynn starts to uncover why the killer is doing what he is doing, we are also watching Kane’s plan unfold. Mini cliff hangers are happening throughout, but if Kane leaves you wondering what is going on, Flynn discovers it in the next chapter. It’s a lovely trail of bread combs being left by both characters.
It was very cleverly written. 
I was a little disappointed with the ending; it felt a little bit too neat and tidy. I would have rather have had a more gritty finish. However, this did not distract from it being, overall, a fantastic book. I am certainly going to be back-reading the first three books of the Eddie Flynn series. Even though this is book four, you don’t really feel as if you have missed out any vital information. It can be read as a standalone without even realising it is part of a series.

"The serial killer is not on trail. He's in the jury." Those two sentences alone caught my attention immediately.
I normally like reading a series from the beginning but I felt I couldn’t wait to read it. It’s different from any book out there.
This story is being told in alternate perspective from Flynn and Kane. I think this book would have been better with just Flynn perspective. I think that would have created the shock value. Many of the scenes were dramatic and not realistic.
Overall I don’t hate this book but I don’t love it either.
I am grateful to have gotten the opportunity to read it. Thank you FlatIron and NetGalley for ARCS

Steve Cavanagh writes a high pulsed thriller about an ex-con turned lawyer, on the way to fame and a highly intelligent killer who ensures a guilty plea by sitting on the jury.

The lawyer, Eddie keeps a low profile in his life. He lost his relationship with his wife and daughter due to the high risk factor of enemies that come along with his job. After struggling with his past and his alcoholism, he remains to be a straight edged lawyer. Especially when Rudy asks him to be co-chair on the biggest murder case Manhattan will ever see. Eddie is the kind of man who won't represent someone if the evidence points to the defendant being guilty. Turns out that the high profile case is about a hugely famous actor, Bobby. He's accused of murdering his wife and head of security in a crime of passion. Eddie decides something isn't sitting right and decides to come on board and fight for Bobby's innocence.

The murderer, Kane is a soulless man who feels no pain. Literally. He's diagnosed with a condition where he cannot feel any pain whatsoever. Growing up was tough with an alcoholic mother but he found solace by murdering neighborhood pets. Typical murderer tendencies right? Sure, except Kane has gotten away with murder for over two decades and is nowhere being caught until he entangles with Eddie and Bobby's case. Kane's MO is about a dollar bill with strange markings and infiltrating the jury to ensure that his victim is labeled the guilty sentence. It is a wild, high intelligent ride.

Thirteen should be an episode on Criminal Minds and Law & Order because that is exactly the vibe I was getting. When I read the summary that Steve had written, I was hooked; an ex-con who becomes a lawyer? No way. The killer sitting on the jury? Double no way. The entire time I thought I knew exactly what was going on and whose role was whose but then the ending hits and you cannot read fast enough! I have to give major major kudos to this book because the 5 stars was solidified by the endings plot twist. Without that twist, this book would not have been made one of my all time favorites. I can't wait for it to come out so I can purchase a copy.

4 stars ⭐


This book is about:

The murder of the wife of one of Hollywood's power couples, the prime suspect being her husband, Robort Solomon.

This is the celebrity muder trial of the centure and the defense wants one particular man on their side: con artist turned lawyer, Eddie Flynn.

Although every evidence seems to point that Solomon is guilty, Flynn believes in his innocence and as suspicious and sinister incidents begin to happen in the court room when the trial starts, everything turns out not be as simple and obvious as most thought.


Pros:

This book includes two POVs, one written in 1st person and the other in 3rd person which I appreciated because it helps differenciate the character's voices and it makes the reader perceive them in distinct ways.

I really liked both of the main characters: Kane, because of how creepy he is as a result of his psychopathic personality and his inability to feel pain, a very unusual but fascinating characteristic; and Eddie, due to his clever way of thinking and how determined he is to find the real killer as it shows his deep devotion to his job and the duty that comes with it.

Towards the ending is when the plot becomes particularly thrilling and fast-paced, in other words, when the trial starts.

Also, I was very shocked by a plot twist at the very end of the novel as I was not expecting it whatsoever.


Cons:

Firstly, it took me a while to finally get into the story. I'm not sure how long since I didn't keep track, but I remember feeling slightly bored, especially at the beggining when I had no idea what was going on as I went into this thriller novel without knowing anything about it.

In addition, I didn't care about Flynn's personal storyline, to put it simply, his relationship with his wife. For this reason, I'm glad that it doesn't play a major role in the book at all.


Final thoughts:

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Thirteen and it has definitely made me interested in reading the other books in this series. I would highly recommend it if you are in the mood for a legal thriller which will leave you breathless due to its unpredictability.

I liked Thirteen and found it to be a quick, thrilling book with some great twists and turns. There were two things however that brought down my rating. The first is that the synopsis gives away that Robert is not guilty and that the killer is on the jury. While I understand that's a unique storyline and a great way to sell/market the book, but it also gives away the most important and intriguing twist of the story. The second issue I had was how early the serial killer was revealed. I think the author should have built a little more suspense before revealing the killer and sharing his narrative. The killer's narrative was fascinating but I think it would have been more impactful if the reveal had come a little later in the book. I do think that Thirteen worked excellent as a standalone book, even though it is part of a series. There was also one twist in particular that made me gasp out loud because it was so unexpected!

The killer is not on trial, he’s on the jury. This is the premise of Thirteen, book 4 in the Eddie Flynn series, which is totally fine to read as a stand-alone! Told in alternating perspectives from Flynn & Kane (the killer), we learn the logistics of how he got himself on the jury and why. For me, the alternating perspectives kind of ruined this one for me. I think it would have been great to discover that the killer was on the jury alongside Flynn and in a big reveal, but knowing it all along dulled some of the suspense a bit for me. However, I did really love Flynn’s character so I’m planning to read the prior books in the series and hope the reveals are a bit more jawdropping!

Book Review: Thirteen, Eddie Flynn, Book #4, by Steve Cavanagh

By the prologue, you sense the unusual, never before read, morbid bête noire but curiously - very curiously, not horrific.

Before the first chapter concludes, you're sold! There's just that Eddie guy and the straw and the McD bag gotcha that gets 'ya. Can't put it down.

This book has you at "hello"!

"Dollar Bill", the unsub. Diagnosed with congenital analgesia, he feels no pain. An evil genius with such high ideals he wants it clear in no uncertain terms that the "American Dream" is a lie. And to this end, leaves a trail of death and utter destruction in thirteen states. For years, with no one the wiser. Not the FBI. Not the cops. No one.

Thirteen states. No more; no less.

Why?

Eddie Flynn, divorced, the protagonist. "Con man at law", decidedly unsuccessful but arguably brilliant and clearly the best - in a brawling street fighter sense.

The defense attorney finds himself struggling in the mother of all fights and needs all that he can muster. All the sleighs of hand. And his very own inside knowledge of killing.

"I knew two things: I knew how to deceive. And I knew about killing. When I was a con artist, I'd dealt with trigger men on almost a daily basis. Some were in it for the money. Most were in it for the sport..."

The defendant: A movie superstar with many deep secrets, accused of double murder with a preponderance of evidence. And who really hasn't changed much from the farm boy who left home...

A prosecutor who dreams of fame, fortune, and big, bold headlines above the fold. Cops who detest Flynn, - no, who detest Flynn and would like to finish him off!

All out for justice - of one kind or the other.

But "Dollar Bill" wants more. He wants his targets to suffer massive financial and personal shifts in life. Losses of the unrecoverable kind. Humiliation, mental anguish. And conviction. And he has an insurance policy to exact extreme measures.

Infiltrate the jury. Be a juror. And he does. But which one?

You'd never guess - through the end of the book. Everyone's going to guess wrong! And that isn't even the finale!

Review based on an Advance Reader's Copy provided by NetGalley, Flatiron Books and the author.

The plot of this book had me intrigued - the murderer is in the courtroom, but he’s not the defendant. He’s a juror. I thought this would be a great twist on the typical courtroom drama and thriller. But it really was just both combined. Alternating chapters, basically. It still was a good courtroom drama and thriller, even if the originality i was hoping for wasn’t there, with a good twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. If you’re into courtroom dramas, this one is worth checking out!

A riveting legal thriller, Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh is the fourth book in the ongoing Eddie Flynn series.
I must confess that this is my first encounter with con man turned lawyer Eddie, and I am delighted that we finally had a chance to meet.. This book can easily be read as a stand alone, I did not even realise it was part of series as I was reading, so skillfully was the necessary background and history slipped into the story, and what a story it was.
When the wife of a movie star is found stabbed in bed alongside his best friend, the police did not have to go too far to find their prime suspect, but the actor maintains he is innocent. When his lawyer drafts Eddie onto the defence team, and they start to investigate the murders a little more deeply it seems that there may be more to the story than first appears. Could a serial killer be involved, one who gets his kicks from framing innocent men for his crimes?
The answer is yes but not even Eddie could have predicted that the killer has murdered and manipulated his way onto the jury, and is in prime position to make sure that he gets the verdict he wants.
A clever and disturbing premise with plenty of twists and turns and an appealing and interesting main character in Eddie combine to make this well crafted thriller a fast paced and fun read and I look forward to reading more of the series in the very near future.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thirteen is a legal thriller that I couldn’t put down. Its premise is listed right on the cover: “The serial killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury.” Kane is a manipulative serial killer with his own agenda. His modus operandi is to set up an innocent individual for the murders that he commits. However, this time he’s up against defense lawyer Eddie Flynn who is convinced of the innocence of his client despite all the evidence the prosecuting attorney presents. There is one very unusual piece of evidence discovered by the medical examiner which leads Eddie to contact the FBI to determine if this is a “signature” used by a serial killer in the murders he commits. The tension keeps escalating as Eddie races the clock (and the prosecuting attorney) to vindicate his client. Before that happens, however, more innocent victims are murdered and others are almost killed until this serial killer can be stopped.

The narrative is told from two different POVs: Eddie’s and Kane’s. In this manner, the reader knows certain details about Kane that Eddie has not yet discovered. Some aspects about the murderer are barely believable, but they come across as credible within the context of this novel. And just as Eddie is convinced that he’s figured out who the serial killer is, things start to go south, putting even more people’s lives in danger. While I might have hoped for some things to be different as the narrative winds down, the ending is very satisfying and even leaves an opening for future novels in this series. Great suspense!

This was like learning to drive a stick shift for the very first time. At times it's moving well, others not so much.

What worked well:

I enjoyed the alternating POV's between Eddie & Kane.

Kane was a great villain: ever so calculated with impeccable timing.

Unfortunately, the story itself didn't quite have the same effect as the premise did.
It was entertaining, but not the nail biting experience I was hoping to get.

When I was alerted to an upcoming appearance by Steve Cavanagh at my favorite independent bookstore, I was a bit puzzled by why the messenger was making a "big deal" in telling everyone. So I looked up Thirteen and was instantly blown away by the premise of the book. I remember the heady days of Thomas Harris and Red Dragon when the serial killer in that book had the power to change how I performed a routine task. Since those days, serial killers have become a bit of a snooze, very predictable, and something that's seldom added to my reading. With the synopsis of one book, Steve Cavanagh changed all that. I'd never heard of a serial killer smart enough and bold enough to force his way onto a jury just to further his plans.

The pace of Thirteen is fast and furious and never lets go. Alternating chapters let readers know what's in the minds of lawyer Eddie Flynn and serial killer Joshua Kane. This is the fourth Eddie Flynn mystery, but I immediately felt at home. No awkward "Who's he?" or "What's he talking about?" moments. Eddie has a Harry Bosch mentality-- everybody counts or nobody counts-- that made me immediately warm to him. He's also the type of lawyer who will not defend a person whom he believes is guilty. He's not in it for the big bucks. That former conman background means that he looks at things differently from most people, and that's certainly going to help him with Joshua Kane.

Joshua Kane is probably the most intelligent, twisted, and dedicated serial killer I've ever run across in crime fiction. Reading of the duel between Kane and Eddie Flynn was sheer pleasure. Something tells me I'm going to be backtracking and reading the earlier exploits of this conman-turned-lawyer. Thirteen is quite a ride, and I want more!