Steve Cavanagh doesn't disappoint! This book was absolutely brilliant and very clever. It had me wondering what was going on and how it was all going to come together!

Eddie Flynn, and by that I mean Steve Cavanagh, knows how to tell a pulp thriller. His books are so entertaining that even in the midst of one of my worst reading slumps, I was excited when I had a bit of time to crack open a Witness 8 and get my reading on.

Eddie and co are in the biggest case of their careers and for some, it’s the fight of their lives. But the one thing I love about Cavanagh’s books is that the good guys usually win. I can’t say always because I’m still hurting over Harper.

This latest instalment, while a little repetitive, and maybe about too big with all the head hopping, has all the makings of a damn fine thriller. It’s fast paced. Full of the seedy conman-turned-lawyer antics, and courtroom and personal drama that readers have come to know and love, and I’ll keep reading them as long as Cavanagh writes them.

Many thanks to Steve Cavanagh, Hachette Australia and New Zealand, and NetGalley for an arc of this book. Opinions are my own.

This was such an action packed read! I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns, shocks to the system, and classic misdirects from Steve. There was a lot going on in this instalment of the Eddie Flynn series!

I always love an antagonist that I can’t quite figure out straight away, and Ruby Johnson was definitely that character for me. Not only was there a murder mystery, but a witness tampering with the case, high stakes bounty missions, and strange new characters being introduced.

I think my main and only critique for this read was the fact that over the series the readers have come to learn how incredibly smart and intuitive Eddie and his team are, and it bothered me that it took them as long as it did to even consider the main antagonist as a critical player. I feel like this avenue definitely would could have been explored earlier to give it a more high stakes cat and mouse dynamic. Otherwise, another very entertaining read!

I ordinarily try to to avoid any kind of legal thrillers or court room based fiction because it's not so much of an escape from work but Cavanagh is a deserving exception to the rule.

This was a twisty, less court and more action, type thriller. Well written with familiar characters and tugging on the heart string moments. The ending was shocking (in a good way) and I think would work really well in a film. 

This may be capable of being read as a stand alone, though I'm not sure as there are a number of characters and more than your usual number of POVs that if you haven't read the previous Eddie Flynn series books then it may be hard to keep up. Also, the "tugging on heart strings moments" referred above are unlikely to have the same impact.

An element of suspend disbelief is required.

⚠️ Please check TWs online ⚠️

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Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher (Hachette Aus and NZ) and author for my eARC in exchange for my honest review

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh is a tricky read as one of our narrators (a young woman called Ruby Johnson), with whom I initially assumed I was meant to bond, ends up being thoroughly unlikeable. Possibly quite psychotic in fact. We're offered some insight into her unpleasant childhood which could potentially elicit some sympathy, but... she's guilelessly wicked in quite a purposeful way and some of her actions make it impossible to feel anything but shock and horror. Of course at the same time there is something sufficiently charismatic about her that she's able to play nice and sane... some of the time, at least.

We're in safer hands with our usual gang... defence attorney Eddie Flynn and his team, brought in to defend a man accused of murdering his neighbour.

As this book opens Eddie is decimating a NYPD case against his client pulled over in an unlawful stop. It brings him to the attention of New York's Finest - not a moniker for the police, but an organisation comprising a heap of dodgy cops all on the take - and, as a result, a bounty is put on his head. Thankfully his old days as a con-artist mean he's still got friends in low places and those wanting him dead need to find out-of-towners willing to do the job. Hence... and enter from stage-right... the unusually-named but eminently fascinating hitman, Mr Christmas.

I often get antsy when there are two many threads detracting from the main storyline but here it works well with Mr Christmas (and a few others) trying to take down Eddie while he's trying to keep an innocent man out of jail.

Cavanagh (through Ruby who witnesses the murder) narrows our killers down quite early here, giving us two options... both of whom Ruby blackmails to keep secret their affairs with the victim. I must confess I kinda understood her motivation for needing the money but she goes WAY further than needed to misdirect the police and discredit others... that it felt quite shocking - not least of which is framing a likeable, and very innocent man.

So adding complexity but not confusion to this is Ruby's agenda. And though I didn't necessarily like Ruby she's an interesting antagonist, as is Mr Christmas, and Cavanagh does a great job to ensure they're the kinds of characters we'd like to meet again... and I suspect we will.

In some ways there's a sad poignancy that any tragedy around the original murder victim is lost amongst everything else happening here but we learn, [the murder] rather than kick off the series of events here, plays into a killer's hands.

This is another excellent addition to this fabulous series so bring on book #9.

Good ole Eddie Flynn, one time conman now the most creative defence lawyer in New York, is back and it’s all systems go as he tackles another impossible to win case. Witness 8 is the 8th book in the series and remains consistent in its ability to throw curveball scenarios at will, and then, in the most unbelievably devious methods possible, solves them in front of our eyes.

The Eddie Flynn team has expanded enormously over the course of the series and we’re treated to the shenanigans of fellow attorney Kate Brooks along with investigator Bloch, ex-judge Harry Ford and the very wrinkly clothed ex-FBI agent Gabriel Lake. Together they form a formidable team.

In this outing, Flynn is hired by a fellow attorney to represent a brain surgeon who has been charged with the shooting murder of a neighbour. The dead woman had a past history of sleeping with several of her married neighbours before ditching them and moving on. Their client’s big problem, however, is the murder weapon found in his bedroom closet with a partial print, his partial print, on it.

Just to make things a little more spicy, a bounty has been placed on Eddie’s head by a criminal organisation who has become fed up with his interfering in their business affairs. His courtroom antics have cost them too much money so they’ve decided he’s got to go. The amount being offered has resulted in specialists from all over the company to come on in for the chance to collect.

This scenario results in the introduction of Mr Christmas. He turns out to be one of the strangest, not to mention most ruthless, professional hitmen you could ever imagine. It was difficult to figure out whether to chuckle or shudder at the well-spoken, Marlon Brando loving, stone killer.

Kate explains to their client, “Eddie has a…creative approach to the law.” and this approach is what makes the Eddie Flynn books such compelling reading. You’ve got legal thrillers and then you’ve got the most imaginative, unpredictable and compulsively enjoyable ride that Eddie Flynn takes you on.

Apart from Flynn himself and his offbeat way of lawyering, I always find myself enjoying the work of his investigator in these books. Bloch is the most complete investigator imaginable. For someone looking to operate completely outside of the law and is capable of killing without any compunction at all, she is a full-on aggression machine completely without emotion. Unwilling to do much talking, her mere presence is daunting and despite all of this she tends to dominate every scene she appears in.

Witness 8 involves the tricky defence of a man who’s been wrongly accused and the case is being prosecuted by a man who likes to cheat in order to win. The backs against the wall scenario plus the added danger of imminent assassination helps to make this legal thriller compulsive reading. Then again, I’m a fan of the series and, as far as I’m concerned, they’re all compulsively enjoyable.

<i>My thanks to Headline and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy that allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book.</i>

Witness 8
Steve Cavanagh

‘A cross examination was best treated like an armed robbery. Get in fast, get what you want and get out.’

For the most part we knew who was who, and what was going on in both camps. The true deceptions to us as readers was what interactions and ploys were underfoot, usually orchestrated by Eddie Flynn.
There were many balls in the air and the thrill was watching them be crafted just so by skill and manhandled circumstances to ensure they hit their marks. Sooner or later the game is always up, but the suspense is not knowing when that time is.

“Before I was a lawyer, I was a conman. The two jobs aren’t that different.”

I always love an Eddie Flynn novel, he has charisma and wit and there is never a dull moment. This is book #8 in the series. Can definitely be read as a stand alone though.

“If you’re going to kill a snake, you don’t chop it up from the tail - you take the head off first. Job done.”

Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan’s West 74th Street. She knows their routines and secrets and even witnesses a neighbour’s murder. She knows the victim and the killer and makes an anonymous call to the Police but Ruby isn’t telling the truth.

“I don’t want this to appear rude, but I have been planning to kill you…”

Eddie Flynn and team must defend an innocent man accused of this terrible crime.

‘Doubt is the defense attorney’s nirvana.’

If you want an unputdownable legal thriller, this is released 13th August in Australia.

“The thing about an unfair legal system is that all bets are off. If the prosecution isn’t playing fair, I’m not going to run a straight game either. They’re forgetting something…”
“What’s that?”
“You can’t cheat a conman.”

Huge thanks to @hachetteaus and @sscav for this ARC.

‘Silent. Invisible. But that was also her power. She was a poisonous spider, lurking in the dark corners of every home on the street.’

(REVIEW POSTED 11th AUGUST 2024)

This was one of those books I could binge read.

Witness 8 follows the story of wealthy people and how everything can all come tumbling down. Ruby Johnson was finishing her babysitting duties when she stumbles upon a murder. She hides and watches the killer leave. The thing is she calls the police anonymously and pins the murder on an innocent man. While all this is happening Eddie Flynn has a hit put on his name. Dodging death everyday from the hitmen and taking on the murder case is definitely keeping Eddie busy.

Steve Cavanagh. You've done it again. This book had many layers to the story with lots of twists and turns. Did my jaw drop? Yes it did. Do I want to go back and read the series from the beginning? Yes I do. I loved the new characters and would love to read more Mr Christmas in the future. I'm very much looking forward to more Eddie Flynn in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for a gifted copy for my honest book review.

Eddie Flynn- a conman turned lawyer... set to defend a man on trial for murder.

Ruby- she witnessed the murder, she knows the woman murdered, she makes an anonymous call to the police... but Ruby doesn't tell the truth. There is something wrong with Ruby.

This book was so good.. Ruby was a great character and the priest painting - super creepy. I loved how the legal trial coincided with the psychological thriller vibe of what goes on with Ruby.

Also, Mr Christmas.. what a shady dude.

Cavanagh has such a way of bringing together an electric group of characters and creating an engrossing read - this one shouldn't be missed!

I love Eddie Flynn, Steve Cavanaghs conman turned trial lawyer. The books are very clever and I can never quite see how it’s all going to come together.
Witness 8 took me a while to get into and I think it was because not all the focus was on Eddie Flynn but other characters. It’s the Eddie Flynn chapters that I really enjoy.
So Eddie is asked to represent a wealthy businessman who is accused of murdering his neighbour in the affluent street they live on. Following an anonymous tip, the murder weapon is found in the accused’s home with a matching print on the handle. We know very early on that John, the accused, is innocent and has been framed by Ruby, his son’s babysitter. Not only does Eddie have to prove Johns innocence but he also has a bounty on his head and several groups out to collect the money.
It’s a page turning read from start to finish, long may Eddie continue.


#Witness8. #NetGalley

My 6P review: Publication, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

Ruby Johnson is not only a nanny and maid to the wealthy families in Manhattan, she’s a little unhinged. When she witnesses a murder she knows who the victim is, she knows who the killer is and yet she pins the murder on an innocent man. Eddie Flynn is assigned to defend this innocent man. Ruby‘s web of lies begins to unravel.

Wow, why was this the first time I’ve heard of Steve Cavanagh and why was this the first time I read an Eddie Flynn boo. This was brilliant.

The plot was so intertwined that red herrings and the truth were impossible to tell apart.

The characters were so believable that you were on the side of all of them.

The setting was easy to visualise.

The pacing of the book was brilliant. The prose was so very easy to read.

Highly recommend this series and I will definitely be reading the first seven in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for anadvanced reader copy in exchange review for an honest review.

Eddie Flynn continues to be one of my favourite characters! There’s less of the big plot twists that you might expect and you have a pretty good idea early on on what the likely ending will be but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless with great sub plots and I can’t wait till the next book!

My first Eddie Flynn book and this did not disappoint. Action, thriller and legal drama all rolled into one. Great characters left me wanting more. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. Mr Cavanagh you have me hooked! Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this advanced copy.

Ex conman turned criminal defence lawyer, Eddie Flynn is back in book 8, with Witness 8. Another dark and twisty legal thriller that I powered through. Eddie and his team are always a joy to read about, always surprising and clever. If I was in trouble, I would want an Eddie on my side.

This time Eddie is defending a renowned brain surgeon on a murder charge. One of his wealthy neighbours have been murdered, and Ruby Johnson, a nanny and maid for the rich, saw who did it. She called the police with an anonymous tip, but she lied. And now she is using this to her advantage. At the same time, somebody has put a hit out on Eddie. He certainly has his hands full.

Set in New York City, we have fabulous courtroom scenes which are my favourites to read. We also follow Ruby as she sets her plans in motion. Will she get away with it, read it and see.

Thanks so much to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on August 13th.

Steve Cavanagh’s books about New York ex-conman turned lawyer Eddie Flynn are always a twisty, fun read and this latest adventure is no exception.

Witness 8 is, appropriately, the eighth book in Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn series and opens in good fashion with a murder. Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan’s West 74th Street.

She knows their routines and their secrets. One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour’s murder. She knows the victim. She knows the killer. She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer. But she doesn’t tell the truth.

Eddie agrees to take on the case for the accused murderer, a high flying New York brain surgeon, convinced that he is defending an innocent man accused of a terrible crime. Little does he realise that his defence of the man is being constantly undermined by Ruby and her actions. Meanwhile, Eddie also finds himself on the wrong side of a New York criminal enterprise involving crooked cops and former cops, and has to fend off several threats on his life while defending his client.

This is a typical Eddie Flynn novel. The multi-layered plot rushes along at a hectic rate and there are plenty of twists and turns, and unexpected developments. The courtroom scenes are engrossing and clever, and the addition of the hired killers hunting Eddie adds a good dose of excitement. The telling is short and sharp, without a lot of introspection or description, and the book powers to a very good climax.

As always, the new characters are engaging and slightly quirky, especially the hitman known as Mr Christmas, and the book serves up an interesting array of miscellaneous detail, and scary insights into the US legal system.

You could quibble over the credibility of aspects of the story, but it is very easy to just settle back and let Mr Cavanagh entertain you.

Fans of the earlier novels will love this one.

Witness 8 is the eighth book in Steve Cavanagh’s always enjoyable Eddie Flynn Series. The series centres around con-man turned lawyer Eddie Flynn. And while there is plenty of backstory from the previous volumes, Cavanagh makes it easy for readers to jump in here. Once again he delivers a fast paced, twisty thriller centred around a court case in which nothing is quite what it seems and where sometimes the con-artist skills are more important than the lawyering.
Among the many things Cavanagh does well in the Eddie Flynn books is the hook, or in the case of Witness 8, two hooks. The first is the main case – a murder in which one person knows who did it but she is intent on framing someone else. And the second, just to drive up the tension, is a contract put out on Eddie by a cabal of corrupt policemen. In doing driving up the tension, Cavanagh ranges across a few points of view including in this book both the woman pulling the strings – Ruby Johnson – and Mr Christmas – one of the hit men sent after Eddie who comes straight out of the Tarantino school of killers.
But despite the number of characters thrown into the mix, none of them come across as two dimensional. All of the characters have rich (if twisted) inner lives and backstories which drive their actions and behaviour. And as a con-man, Eddie works his knowledge of these to his advantage. Flynn remains the beating heart of this series, and the pleasure is the delicious tension that is built up while watching all of the pieces fall into place for him.
There is also a serious side to all of this. The defendant in this trial has been set up and falsely accused. The DA pursued them as the most obvious culprit not necessarily the right one. This gives Cavanagh, through Flynn, the opportunity to reflect on the very real personal consequences of someone being falsely accused and dragged through the justice system.
But seriousness aside, this is another page-turning, high octane thrill ride from Cavanagh. And while there are as always plenty of contrivances, the central hook for Witness 8 (that someone on the inside can manipulate a prosecution) is a little more grounded than some (the killer is on the jury, the killer is the DA etc) and makes the whole narrative more compelling. Making Witness 8 one of the better instalments in a series in which every entry is already five star.

Another fabulous book in the Eddie Flynn series. I always know when I pick up one of Steve Cavanagh's books that I am going to be highly entertained and I have never been disappointed.

Ruby is a nanny and works for wealthy clients in Manhattan. On her way home one day she witnesses a murder, another of her clients by the name of Margaret Blackmore. She then contacts police without revealing her identity and gives them this information naming a particular person for the crime, the only problem is Ruby is providing false information and she has major secrets of her own of which she does not wish anyone to find out.

Now Eddy and the team have the fight of their lives on their hands, trying to get an innocent man off a murder charge. As always the book moves a long at a fast pace and is very hard to put down. Clever storytelling that will completely engage you and keep you interested from the first page, another winner. Now the eternal wait for another from this fabulous author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

If you’ve ever thought you were smart enough to pull off a con without consequences, Witness 8 might just convince you that you’re capable of outsmarting a hitman too.

This is another phenomenal inclusion to the Eddie Flynn series.

Police procedural meets intricately woven plot lines that leave you second guessing everyone and everything. You can guarantee that there will be no stone left unturned and no loose ends come close of trial.

The writing is suspenseful, powerful and intense. The layering points of view add a depth to the work that authors dream of achieving.

If you’re after a gritty thriller that encapsulates the corruption of humanity and the way this infiltrates into all aspects of human life then you need to pick up Witness 8.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. This review is left voluntarily.

Another twisted, wild ride by the author!

Ruby is a nanny, working for wealthy families in Manhattan's West 74th Street. One night she is walking home and witnesses a murder. She knows the victim and the killer. She phones the police and makes an anonymous tip. But she lies.

Eddie Flynn is representing the killer, trying to sift through pieces of the puzzle and a twisted tale unravels. It was so nice to see Flynn and the team back again. You always know that the author is going to bring you such a page turner and this one lived up to that same expectation. This is one of my favourites by the author now and as always, I can't wait to see what he does next. 4.5*

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Aus/NZ for this gifted review copy.