Steve Cavanaugh became a favorite author of mine last year after reading *Kill for Me, Kill for You*. I went down the rabbit hole with the Eddie Flynn series. Eddie is a former con artist turned legal defense genius! He isn’t your average attorney. He plays dirty; after all, this is New York, a city that runs on “kickbacks and greenbacks.” We follow a young woman named Ruby; she is a nanny and maid to the elite residents in her neighborhood. Ruby and her family used to be “one of them,” and while the residents may overlook her, she never forgot. Ruby has her own hidden agenda; she knows everyone’s secrets. When she witnesses a lover kill another, she sets a plan in motion. Great story, full of twists and turns, with multiple villains and unexpected alliances. Cavanaugh has done a great job with the series. I recommend starting at the beginning to be introduced to the characters. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I had no idea it was a part of a series! Nothing on the cover, synopsis, or information on NetGalley suggested that this was the 8th book in a series. Of course, I should’ve checked Goodreads first before requesting it. It’s not that I regret reading this book, but I prefer to start with the first book in a series to experience character growth.

Witness 8 is supposed to be about Ruby Johnson, a maid and nanny who works for high-class families. She witnesses the murder of one of her neighbors. She knows the killer, too! But being the wicked and manipulative person she is, she decides to hold that information and use it for her own benefit.

On the other side, Eddie Flynn, the defense attorney (who used to be a conman), takes the case of the accused of the murder, whom he believes is innocent despite the strong evidence against him.

The plot is very clever and intriguing. It is the strongest aspect of the story. The courtroom scenes were quite compelling and showed the author’s expertise in writing them. However, I didn’t enjoy reading the book as much as I was expecting. I feel the many perspectives spoiled it for me. The main story was overshadowed by numerous distractions, some of which were unnecessary to the plot and only served to lengthen the pages.

Perhaps if I had read the previous books, my view on this book would’ve been different since I see mine as an unpopular opinion. I’m not giving it a negative rating because the story has its moments and merits. I’m just disappointed because I was looking forward to enjoying this one more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Steve Cavanagh for an ARC of Witness 8. I am not okay after this book. Absolutely riveting, jaw dropping, wildly suspenseful. The note from the editor at the beginning completely sums this book up. If it wasn’t for the fact that my eyes were heavy and I was rereading the same sentence multiple times and finally put it down, I would’ve stayed up all night to finish it. This was my first Eddie Flynn book, but not my first book by Steve, and this will not be my last. I felt like this story completely took over my life and this was something that was actually going on. All I can say with certainty is you will not be disappointed.

There is something wrong with Ruby. Her grandmother has said so her whole life. But what if the witness to a murder is more wicked than the murderer? Eddie Flynn, ex con now defense lawyer, and his team are doing any and every trick in the book to keep his client out of jail. Mind you he’s working this case and also has a hits out on himself. Action packed - there is no break in this story that will keep you up all night until you’re reading the same sentence multiple times.

Ruby Johnson used to live on West 74th Street. Now she is the maid/nanny for several residents on the street. Ruby witnesses a murder and takes this as an opportunity. A opportunity for what we don’t know.

Meanwhile, we meet John Jackson, the man accused of killing Maggs. John was home alone on the night Maggs was killed so he has no alibi. Then the police find the murder weapon with a partial palm print and DNA matching John.

Enter Eddie Flynn, defense attorney and former con man. He is hired to take the case for John. Eddie and his ragtag team have unconventional methods of solving cases.

What a wild ride. You will find yourself wondering who, what, how, and why. It is my first book by Steve Cavanagh. It definitely won’t be my last.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book!

All opinions are my own.

Last year’s twisty, suspenseful ‘Kill For Me, Kill For You’ was the first novel I have read from Steve Cavanagh, and it was one of my favourite reads of the year.

Cavanagh’s new thriller, ‘Witness 8’, deals with a murder in a very posh Manhattan neighbourhood, where the killer thinks they have gotten away with it… but we know there was a witness to the crime, and that witness is way more twisted than the killer.

Ruby Johnson, a former resident who fell on hard times and now works babysitting and odd jobs for her former neighbours, is that witness, and she sees a chance to strike it rich - yes she makes an anonymous call to the police and names the killer, but she is lying - because blackmail pays better.

When that accused innocent neighbour, a do-gooding doctor, is framed and going to trial, he hires lawyer Eddie Flynn, an ex-con turned shady defense attorney, who also has the mob after him.

The accused is innocent, the witness is unhinged, and the defence lawyer is borderline unethical. So fun and weird stuff is gonna happen.

What can I tell you without giving away the twists and turns of this one? Nothing actually, I started up way too late reading it, which is the best thing you can say about a thriller.

‘Witness 8’ is the eighth book featuring lawyer Edide Flynn, and much as that makes me want to read all the blacklist titles, you don't have to before this one as it totally stands alone.

This is a fast paced thriller with lots of twists, an interesting case, and even some humour. Highly recommend.


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It publishes March 25, 2025.

I honestly wasn't expecting to love this half as much as I did. It's kind of a "boy" crime novel but with a fuuuun behind the scenes POV, such interesting characters, and the best plot line. Every time I didn't understand where something was going, Eddie Flynn made me and the antagonists look like fools. Every little detail was just a piece of his larger puzzle.

This book has:
Crime
A conman turned defense lawyer
Corruption
Mobs
Hitmen
A dog
Friendship tropes
Twists and turns
Great characters

Eddie Flynn uses his previous con-man ways creatively as a lawyer. He knows how to defend his clients using sneaky tactics, but unfortunately this can get him into trouble, especially when he calls out a crooked cop who is linked to some very corrupt individuals. Thankfully Eddie has special friends in all the right places. But that is just part of this story...

There is also Ruby Johnson. A horrible woman from the start. When she witnesses a murder, she takes things into her own hands causing damage to several families that live on the rich NY street she works on. Since we get Ruby's POV throughout the book, the more her behavior comes to light, the more you grow to hate her.

Eddie and his "family" of friends on the other hand become more likeable. I read a book or two in this series a few years ago and definitely missed this series. If you are looking for a legal thriller with some great characters, this is a great read.

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wait. A. Minute.

I hit page #4 and I KNEW this was going to be good!! You should know this story is told in multiple POVs with a lot of different things going on at once, but hear me out... stick with it because it's alllllll tied together and takes you on one helluva ride! I was sucked in immediately and thoroughly enjoyed several of the characters. Action packed, great banter, clever scheming, and a realistic crime made this the perfect legal thriller. Witness 8 left me reeling!!! I had no choice but to look up more books by Steve and was stoked to realize "Eddy Flynn" is in fact a series. Ironically I already had book 1 marked in my never-ending TBR shelf on Goodreads. Let's just say it won't be there for long because I am diving allllll the way in because, 🗣 Greenbacks and Kickbacks!!! 👀🤣😂🤣👌🏻

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from first to last page.
I keep thinking about it long after being done with it and that, to me, is the best indicator of a great book!

Oooh this was such a roller coaster. Like reading an elevated episode of Law&Order plus so much more. Every single character was written so well and just the adrenaline rush chapter after chapter was so much fun to read. This was my first book in this series and I definitely want to go back to start this whole thing.

My only thing was the main culprit, which isn't spoiler - I just couldn't buy into why she would do so so much when it seemed like she was just bitter. But revenge could be so many levels, right, but her character just became too annoying, too convenient to move the situations along. But I overlooked that and gave credence to everyone else in the book. There was so much turns in different aspects of each character that this was such an enormously well driven plot line. Well, maybe except Ruby. Just when you thought the author would limit the storyline, the arc to a certain point, he upped the ante and blew up more of the plot Great fun read for sure.

Pub date: March 25, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a great book! I have thought so many times about it long after reading it. I loved the plot and how it all played out.

Ruby works as a housekeeper/maid/nanny on a very upper class street in Manhattan. She used to live on that very street before her father gambled away everything the family had. Now Ruby works and tries to care for her ailing mother. Ruby learns a lot of secrets about the people on the street since she seems to blend into the background without much notice. Ruby witnesses a murder late one night, but rather than report it she starts a plan to use the information to help herself financially and help her mother get the care she needs. Eddie Flynn is a defense attorney hired to represent Dr. John Jackson who has been accused of the murder. Eddie was a former con artist who takes on difficult cases and uses tricks from his former life to help defend those he feels are wrongly accused. This is the first book in the Eddie Flynn series that I have read, but it was fine as a stand alone book. The plot moved along at a good pace and I liked the character of Eddie and the members of his team. I did feel the ending was rather predictable but I still enjoyed it overall - it wasn’t great but it kept me entertained. I give the book 3.5 stars out of 5, which I’ll round up to 4.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 25, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book.
Cavanaugh writes another fast-paced story that definitely sweeps you along. There were just too many facets of the story and plot points that I couldn’t feel were believable, and I can’t write about them here as they would definitely disclose some major spoilers .

It’s a great fun and quick read.

This was a fun read! I didn't realize it was book 8 of a series before going in, and it's fine to read as a stand alone although I do think having more background could be helpful. There were just too many POVs and characters flying around, which made things feel scattered and impacted how smooth of a read it was. The writing was binge worthy though and I enjoyed it overall. I will definitely look for more books by this author and would be interested in starting the series from the beginning.

I recently discovered Steven Cavanagh and he’s quickly become one of my favorite authors. His latest, Witness 8 was another excellent book.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

I wasn’t familiar with this series or this author and I’m now happily aware and will add additional books to my “to-read” list. A mystery/thriller that was fast-paced and twisty to keep me captivated.

I didn’t feel like I was missing anything having not had read any earlier novels, so I’m sure one could read it as a standalone, but that might change as I delve into their canon.

Cavanagh did it again!! While I have not read the whole Eddie Flynn series, I have read a few. You do not have to have read the entire series to understand what is happening in this book. Cavanagh introduces well known characters in such a beautiful way in all of his novels. The DEPTH of the characters in this book is amazing. I could not wait to finish this book to see where Flynn is taken. Between crazy housekeepers, hit men, and a quiet neighborhood murder......read this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t know this was part of a series when I requested. It sounded good but once I got into it, it just wasn’t for me. There seem to be a few too many story lines going around and lacking history with the characters and style of writing it made it a turn off. Nothing wrong with it just not for me!

Reads like a high stakes action movie. And even though this is book #8 in the series, you can jump right in (just like I did) and not feel like you are behind in the story.

Lots of characters and many POV but your main person is Eddie Flynn - previous con man turned defense attorney. He's finishing up one case when he's pulled into another. But this second case is an innocent man accused of murder and Flynn knows he has to take the case and keep an innocent man from behind bars just to get a DA re-elected.

This is a fun, high adventure read. Every chapter draws you and leaves you hanging, wanting to devour another chapter. All the strings in the air that Flynn is working on don't play out for the reader until they all come masterfully together in the end. I liked the twists and the interesting characters. I loved Flynn's team and how tight they were and how much they trusted him. The mystery was interesting, this was a highly entertaining read. I'd definitely check out more from this author.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you for the ARC!
Enjoyed this book, it was a little hard to get into but once you do it’s great ! Enjoy all the books from the author !