Twisty and turns. Witty and a great complicated story. I didn’t realize it was part of a series and it was totally fine as a stand alone book. However this made me want to go start at the beginning! Great thriller.

When I requested this one I didn’t realize it was part of a series, and while it can be read a standalone I think have some background information would have helped. So over it It was okay for me, didn’t love it or DNF it.

I wasn't sure what to expect because I had not read of these books by Steve Canagh before. It wasn't my favorite thriller of all time but I did like the ending.

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanaugh is a masterclass in legal thrillers, combining sharp wit, high-stakes tension, and richly drawn characters. This dark and twisty novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats as it explores secrets, lies, and the price of truth in a world where nothing is as it seems.

The story centers on Ruby Johnson, a woman whose life has been turned upside down. Once a member of Manhattan's ultra-elite, Ruby now works as a maid in the very brownstones she used to inhabit. Though she’s relegated to a lower status in society, she still holds the keys to the lives of the wealthy—secrets she’s privy to simply by being an observer of the privileged. Ruby's life takes a dangerous turn when she becomes the unwitting witness to a brutal murder, but rather than turning to the authorities, she devises her own wicked plans.

Enter Eddie Flynn, the charismatic, street-smart ex-con-turned-defense attorney known for taking on hopeless cases. Eddie has made a name for himself in New York City’s criminal defense world by using his sharp instincts and unconventional methods to get justice for his clients, no matter how bad the odds.
Cavanaugh’s writing is tight, fast-paced, and full of twists that keep readers hooked from chapter to chapter. He does a fantastic job balancing the character-driven drama with the intense legal procedural that forms the backbone of the plot. Eddie Flynn’s character is one of the book’s greatest strengths—he’s a sharp, no-nonsense lawyer with a personal stake in protecting the innocent. His motivations are complex, and his willingness to bend the law to serve justice makes him a fascinating and morally ambiguous figure.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of Witness 8. I really liked this book. It kept me on my toes and I loved the character development throughout the book. I took away one star because I was devastated about a loss in the book and I felt like the character made the story great. Overall, I definitely recommend this book.

Although I haven’t read any of the other Eddie Flynn novels yet, Witness 8 easily earns a 5-star rating from me! I was hooked from start to finish. Even though it’s part of a series, I felt it worked perfectly as a standalone. The alternating point-of-view chapters were brilliant, and the way they all came together in the end was masterfully done. The twists toward the conclusion had me on the edge of my seat!

The pacing was spot-on, never dragging, always making me want to read just one more chapter. The characters, particularly Ruby and Mr. Christmas, were fascinating, with great depth that added layers to the story. If you’re a fan of thrillers, especially crime and legal thrillers, Witness 8 is a must-read!

Big thanks to #Netgalley and Steve Cavanagh for providing the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. WITNESS 8 will be available March 2025.

4.5 STARS! Thank you so much at Netgalley for this e-Arc. I have been very interested in reading more books like this, and this one was fantastic. You know how they say there is a thin line between love and hate and it's mostly how you interpret it? That is exactly how I feel about Eddy Flynn. He is a once con man turned lawyer and the similarities are uncanny. He really thinks outside the box and that makes him really great at what he does. The team he has built with Kate and Lake is so amazing to read. They fit together like a perfect puzzle.

This book not being my regular romance I found is fascinating how I still became so attached to the characters. Even Ruby, who I did not like, I was still so intrigued by her. She was something else to say the least. The twists upon twists that kept coming made it impossible to put down. There was even a moment of pure sadness where I couldn't see the pages through my tears. I love the way this was written and I feel I need more of Eddy Flynn and his team.

꧁𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼꧂

She recognized the sensation. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t revulsion. It wasn’t shock. It was excitement.

In the beginning, and in the end, it all comes down to money.

“Money can take care of a lot of things in life, but it can’t fill your heart. And it sure as hell can’t mend it when it breaks.”

Everyone needs a little help from a stranger.”

I was not able to finish this book. It did not grab me in the way I expected it to. I got through about 25% of it and lost motivation to continue.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me this advanced copy.

I happily requested an ARC of Witness 8 after recently reading Kill for Me, Kill for You. I love Steve Cavanagh's style and was extremely excited to snag his newest book. As always, I loved the alternating POVs and the fast-paced plot. Needless to say, I could not put Witness 8 down and am now going to go back and read all of Cavanagh's previous Eddie Flynn books!

This 8th book in the series is my first taste of Steve Cavanagh and his main character, Eddie Flynn, and I can't wait to go back to the beginning! This was everything you could possibly want in a mystery/thriller and then some! I enjoyed all of the cons and tricks and wins, as well as the loyal relationships between Eddie and his partners. I never saw the twisty twist at the end coming and goodness it fit together with everything so well! Note- one of the characters swore far too unnecessarily.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

Steve knows how to write stories!! I love this entire series and always look forward to his books coming out! This book reminded me of the game clue in a sense. Who did it?? Why were they framed?? So much to unwind within the story but not predictable either

Thank you to NetGalley, Steve Cavanagh and Atria books for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have been busy reading Cavanaghs standalones and completely forgot about these characters. He writes some amazingly quick witted and witty characters that I just loved. This novel has a ton going on but it’s all easy to keep track of and it all comes together beautifully.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not know this novel was part of a series. Had I known that this book was part of a series I would not have requested it for review. I enjoyed what I did read of the first chapters of the book, but it became very clear to me very fast that there were pieces of the main characters I was missing simply because I didn't have the background of the previous novels in the series.

I liked the book's premise regardless and am considering reading this series eventually, I just won't be starting with book #8.

I stopped reading this novel about 20% of the way through when the plot pieces weren't clicking for me like this should, as well as to avoid spoiling anything further in the event I ever want to return to the series.

OH MY GOWWD!!!!! we have another Eddie Flynn series
I love me a good Eddie Flynn book
Y’all gotta start this series asap!!!

Another installment about Eddie Flynn is here! Unfortunately, this one was not my favorite. I really loved Thirteen and (not the same series) Kill for Me, Kill for You by this author but this one fell a bit flat. The plot is based around Eddie working a case for a local neurosurgeon accused of murder, and how this came about and what happens in the trial. There are ALOT of storylines here which made it hard to stay interested, and it lacked action for me. I did enjoy getting more from Eddie though, and would still read another book in this series.

SYNOPSIS
- Book #8 in the series.
- Ruby Johnson is a nanny and a maid on a wealthy street in New York, where she used to reside before her dad gambled away the family’s wealth.
- When Ruby sees a murder go down, she starts plotting instead of reporting it.
- Eddie Flynn is a former con artist who’s now a defense lawyer.
- John Jackson, a prominent physician, is accused of murder, and Eddie takes the case.
- Flynn and his quirky team have to pull out all the stops to keep an innocent guy from going to jail.

MY THOUGHTS
- I have not read any of the other books in the series.
- I really like Cavanaugh’s other books I’ve read, but this one let me down a bit.
- There were a lot of characters & shifting POVs, and these aspects should have been majorly cut back for better execution. I felt like there was a near constant introduction of new perspectives & it took away from the story and true character development.
- For seasoned thriller fans, the outcome will feel predictable.
- Mr. Christmas felt cartoonish.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️Although I am a big Cavanaugh fan, this one fell short for me. Predictable endings + way too many POVs.

Thanks to Atria Books & Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on March 25, 2025.

Witness 8 revolves around a complex web of individuals connected to the murder of Margaret Blackwell. Eddie Flynn and his team are hired to defend John Jackson, a wealthy surgeon falsely accused of killing his neighbor. As Eddie digs deeper into the case, he faces obstacles at every turn, putting his own life in danger along the way. Ruby, the Jacksons' nanny, appears to be involved in the mystery, but there's something wrong with Ruby—something Eddie must unravel in order to uncover the truth.

As a lawyer, I'm not usually a fan of legal books, movies, or shows. However, this one struck the right balance of drama and fiction when it comes to the legal world. The shifting perspectives kept the story fast-paced and engaging, especially with the opening narration from a character who’s clearly bad from the first sentence of the story. I had no idea how everything would come together, but Steve Cavanagh did an excellent job of tying up loose ends and delivering a thrilling, well-crafted story.

This book was so good!!!! I could not put it down. It had major Lincoln Lawyer (on Netflix) vibes and truly just kept me entertained in each chapter all the way until the very end.

I loved all the main characters so much and could really visualize each of the them. I loved the whole Italian mafia feel, the courtroom tension, and the sly con man turned lawyer antics. I loved how everything came together in the last few chapters and the twists towards the end I did not see coming at all. Perfectly written.

I was unaware that this book was part of a series and/or could be read as a standalone. I am already adding the rest of them to my wish list.

Thank you #Netgalley and Steve Cavanagh for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'd like to start off by saying thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The newest book in the Eddie Flynn series is yet another masterpiece from Steve Cavanagh. Con man turned lawyer Eddie Flynn is back to represent John Jackson, a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon who is being accused of murder after being anonymously turned in by Ruby Johnson.

Ruby Johnson grew up in the extraordinarily wealthy neighborhood that is West Seventy Fourth Street. When her alcoholic father lost everything due to gambling, the bank took the house, and Ruby's father ran away, leaving Ruby and her mother to pick up the pieces.

Ruby now works as a maid and nanny to some of the wealthy families on the very street she grew up on. With this job she is able to dig into the lives of the families on the streets and learn their deepest secrets. One night while walking home, Ruby witnesses a murder. With her mother being ill and them struggling to get by, Ruby sees this as an opportunity to change their lives.

New York runs on kickbacks and greenbacks, and Eddie Flynn represents John Jackson, who Ruby anonymously turned in for the murder she witnessed.

What makes Eddie Flynn such a great lawyer is his ability to con his way through cases. When Eddie calls out a crooked cop in court, a hit is put out on Eddie. So Eddie must solve the case while also staying alive and one step ahead of the hitmen that are hunting him.

This book is action-packed and pulls you in from the start. I love the alternating POV between Eddie, Kate, Lake, Bloch, Mr. Christmas, Angel, and The Man. This book will have you second guessing everything and will keep you pulled in from the start.

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟴
We follow Ruby Johnson, a house keeper and nanny for the wealthy, as she witnesses a murder on the block she works on and uses that information to blackmail the killer to help her sick mother. However, Ruby has other secrets from her past that she wants to keep hidden.
This book had an interesting cast of characters, some more likeable than others. I did enjoy “Mr. Christmas” and Eddie Flynn, a conman turned lawyer who has an interesting way of pursuing justice. Overall I thought this book was okay, and I did like the ending, but won’t be in my top thrillers of 2024.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars from me. This book comes out in March 2025.