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.