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!

I enjoyed this book overall but I really disliked the villain, never ruling for him. There are lots of clichés which is one of the reasons why I don't read detective or court thrillers such as the main character being alcoholic and His wife leaving him for that but him wanting to get her back and also etc. But still it was enjoyable and one can tell that the author knows about law. I would reccomend it.

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.

I initially hadn’t planned in requesting Th1rt3en by Steve Cavanagh on Netgalley, but since a bunch of friends online were doing a buddy read, I decided to join in and request in anyway. Mystery and thrillers are not my preferred genre, but I enjoy getting caught up in one every now and then.

The synopsis for Th1rt3een sounded very promising. During a big murder investigation the murderer isn’t on trial, but he’s actually on the jury trying to influence the trial. I didn’t end up loving the story, though. Especially the beginning was quite tedious. A lot happened, but it didn’t seem very significant. Many names were mentioned, and bio’s on the jurors were given, but somehow I couldn’t really keep track. When the FBI caught on and started looking for the serial killer on the jury many of those names ended up being important and I couldn’t remember a thing. I’m left feeling very confused.

Furthermore, the ending might have been a climax, but I missed a bit more action and revelation throughout the book. Just little tips of the veil to keep me interested and guessing. Now I was just wishing for it to be over so I could find out who had done it.

Maybe I’m not the right person to review a book like this, or maybe I’m just not up to speed on the finesse that comes with writing and reading mystery/thrillers, but I wasn’t wowed. For me, it was just your average trial novel.

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!

This book is the fourth in the Eddie Flynn series and there are references to previous books but I didn't find it a problem to follow as the story is a standalone. Eddie is a former con-man turned lawyer who is hired to defend a famous movie star accused of killing his wife and security officer. Meanwhile a dangerous man is making plans to infiltrate the jury for the trial for his own purposes.

A slow start soon builds into an interesting exploration of the legal system, especially jury selection. Eddie makes a great hero, a reformed man who wants to make sure an innocent man isn't sent to jail. He also made enemies of corrupt cops and his wife has left him, so he's not having a great life. But his mission remains the same.

There's also Joshua Kane, a man who doesn't feel pain and has his own agenda. Watching him dispatch people to get to his objectives is morbidly entertaining. There are a few moments that strained credulity but I was willling to let it go. The paths of Eddie and Kane is on course collision and I was really pulled into the story. This is my first book by the author but I'm looking forward to reading more!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What did I just read!? Wow. This was such an excellent legal thriller. How does it get any better than the tagline, "The serial killer is on the jury!" This book was thought provoking and intense. Definitely a page turner and I could not put it down. I have not read the three prior books to this series, but I did not have any trouble starting with this one! It was fast-paced and clever. I now need to go back and read the other books in this series!

This was a new author to me and the book was a little hard to get into and hard to follow, I would definitely give this another chance, and I appreciate the chance to read this.

With a hook like "THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL. HE'S ON THE JURY..." how can anyone not be intrigued? Thirteen is a courtroom thriller unlike any I've read before, and I loved it!!

Eddie Flynn, conman turned lawyer, is asked to be second chair for the defense of actor Robert Solomon, half of "the" celebrity power couple, who is accused of murdering his gorgeous wife and her bodyguard. It looks pretty cut and dried at the start that Solomon is guilty, but Eddie finds that a lot of what is being presented as facts just don't add up.

Eddie is brilliant, but so is the serial killer that he's up against. The killer has flown under the radar for years, masterfully advancing his agenda because no one has tied any of his killings together. Until now. GAME ON!!!!

The story is told via two POV's - Eddie's and the serial killer's. After a bit of a slow start, the tension in this book grew to be palpable. With a unique plot line, well-developed characters, and twists I didn't expect, this courtroom drama/police procedural is one of the best I've read.

I have not read the previous books in the Eddie Flynn series, but that was no deterrent to my enjoyment of Thirteen. It stands very well on its own. Now that I've "discovered" Eddie Flynn, I plan to read the previous books in the series, as well as those to come.

My thanks to NetGalley and Flat Iron Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

I don't typically gravitate towards legal thrillers, but this one was definitely a fun ride. The story's perspective switches back and forth between two characters: a serial killer who will slay anyone in the way of achieving his goal of becoming a juror on the hottest trial in New York (centered around a famous actress and her security guard who were allegedly murdered by her equally famous actor boyfriend) and defense attorney, Eddie Flynn, who is fighting for his client's innocence. I felt like both of these characters were well drawn with interesting backgrounds (although I could have done without the distracting side story of Flynn's wife wanting a divorce). There were certainly some twists and turns I didn't see coming, and it's a complete page-turner (the short chapters make it immensely readable). I did question how realistic some of the plot lines were, but it made for a good read if you're able to push past that. My only drawback is that I didn't realize this was the fourth book in a series; I think I would have enjoyed more of the story if I knew of the history of Flynn's character, which is probably laid out in the first several novels. Overall, a fun ride for anyone that likes a good courtroom caper.

I love a good mystery and this one didn’t disappoint. It is a little slow to start and there is a lot of court room drama and lingo to get used to. Most of the action happens at 85% but once you hit that point you won’t be able to put the book down. There were a few surprises at the end that I wasn’t expecting. This is told in alternating chapters of Kane the serial killer and Eddie Flynn the lawyer. The alternating chapters definitely encouraged me to read faster to find out what happens. Kane is truly a scary man! If you love court room drama then this is for you!

A cleverly crafted court room drama. Bobby Solomon is on trial for the murder of his wife and body guard, but Bobby claims he is innocent. With all the evidence pointing toward Bobby, it looks like an open and shut case. Meanwhile there is a serial killer on the loose. A very cunning serial killer. One that is much closer than you think, but who would ever think to look for a serial killer on the jury! Enter Eddie Flynn, attorney extraordinaire, Eddie will stop at nothing to find out the truth and save his client. A wild ride that every court room enthusiast will enjoy.

Eddie Flynn is a former con man turned smart lawyer who wants to help those he sees as innocent. His client is a hot film star accused of brutally killing his wife and lover. But Eddie believes there is more to this story, a lot more.

Joshua Kane is an exceptionally bright and sadistic serial killer. He is playing a long game and Flynn and his client are going to get caught up in it.

Steve Cavanagh takes the reader into NYC courts and neighborhoods where the action becomes twisting and non-stop. Secondary characters are also as interesting as Flynn and Kane. The pages will fly as you read into the small hours of the night to see if you can out guess what both Kane and Flynn are up to. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

The novel was pretty good. The court scenes are well written and compelling. The killer was a bit cliche. The plot line was sometimes too complicated sometimes and the believability of certain moments wasn’t always there.

This is a good courtroom drama, 4.5 stars. It is fourth in the series so I started with book 1, The Defense, so I would get the background story on Eddie Flynn, con artist turned lawyer, which I think is a good idea but this could be read as a stand-alone book. This book has tensions and twists that keep you guessing. It is a perfect light read for summer. I read it on my flights home from my summer break. Steve Cavanagh has a great imagination and ties in many different people. He does not leave you hanging on what happens to some of the characters. Some of the characters were familiar from reading the first book.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review so I did not have time to read books 2 and 3 but I think I will catch up on what happened to Eddie Flynn. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

This a very enjoyable, fast paced legal thriller with a killer twist. I didn't realise that this was the third or fourth book of a series featuring Lawyer Eddie Flynn but I was still able to thoroughly enjoy the story and now I can go back and read his previous adventures.