This book is definitely a legal thriller! It also comes with a lot of mystery and drama. Even though this is a fictional book, it felt real while reading it. This was a fast paced, emotional and tense read. I feel like it was a combination of both character driven and plot driven. It flowed well, had multiple point of views and a diverse cast of characters! Some of the characters I liked and some I did not like at all. This comes with a lot of twists, so hold on tight while reading this one! It deals with crime, racism and white supremacy in Alabama. This is a heavy, strong and informative read. I really enjoyed reading this book of his! I have read other books by this author and he never disappoints!

“The Devil’s Advocate” is the sixth installment in the Eddie Flynn Series. This book addresses serious topics in today’s society we live in. Eddie Flynn is asked to go to Sunville to be a defense lawyer for a guy named Andy Dubois. Andy is convicted of killing a girl and faces the death penalty. However, Andy is innocent. An attorney named Randal Korn enjoys the innocent prisoners getting executed. He is beyond sick and twisted, it makes my stomach hurt! Towards the end, Will Randal Korn be able to outsmart Eddie Flynn in the legal battle? Be sure to read the content warnings of this book! I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Steve Cavanagh and Atria Books publishing for this advanced reader’s copy of this digital book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on August 5, 2025!

This is the sixth Eddie Flynn book in this series. Eddie has been recruited to Buckstown, Alabama to take over a case. Andy Dubois is a black man charged with the murder of a young white woman, Skylar Edwards. The prosecutor on the case is known as "The King of Death row" ..... Randal Korn who has the highest rate in the United States for death row convictions ever in history. This guy is absolutely despicable! He gets his rocks off by murdering others without getting his hands dirty.

This book is kinda like To Kill a Mockingbird--- racism in a corrupt town. It doesn't look good for Andy as all the evidence points to a guilty verdict. Evidence has been rigged .... people have been silenced.... and somehow Eddie and his team have to prove his innocence and find the real killer.

***IMPORTANT NOTE****

The Author's note in the end must NOT be missed - He mentions facts about White Supremacist groups, deadliest prosecutors, and racial segregation in the South live and breathing.

Once again, Steve can DO NO WRONG. Eddie Flynn for the win 🥇

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of my best finds this year is Steve Cavanagh! He’s a new to me author and, thanks to the publisher and netgalley, Fifty Fifty was my first book in his Eddie Flynn legal series. I absolutely loved it and was shocked that this book, The Devil’s Advocate, is even better! Eddie is a complex, likable character and I love that he has his own series. Also, for anyone new reading this, you don’t have to read the books in order! If you see a “case” that catches your attention, grab it and read it. The author does a smashing job helping you understand the characters without needing all the other books for background.

This book has a villain who will make your skin crawl, and so many twists and turns that I read it in two sittings, only taking a break to sleep!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read early!

I did not realize this was the 5th book in the series. I'll check out this author's prior work at the library first!

Thank you for allowing me to sample this eARC! I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.

This book does have dark themes so if you are prone to checking the trigger warnings definitely do that. As always Steve has many twists and turns that will leave you guessing. So many red herrings thrown in that once the end comes you are left shocked because it was something you would have never guessed

Another excellent Steve Cavanagh novel! I have read Thirteen and Fifty Fifty and loved both, so I was excited to dive into this one as well. There are quite a few twists in this one that I’ll admit to not having seen coming, which is always a great experience to have in a thriller. Cavanagh has a way of writing that makes you really feel everything that happens, making you tense and anxious. Eddie Flynn is quickly becoming one of my favorite fictional characters in writing! Thank you very much for the eARC via NetGalley and I look forward to reading more from Steve Cavanagh!

This story felt a little textbook, which may be why it took me longer to finish it, but it was still a book worth reading. I appreciate when a book is written to convey a message that remains to affect us today and although this book was a major downer in that sense, there was a lot to learn and this was something you had to see through.

Because of how much doubt was in our main character, I fear I had a moment or two in which I thought omg are doomed??? but I like how in the end it was a simple yet powerful mode of conclusion. The different POVs really create the necessary dimensions the story required. This was the only book I read in this series but I still felt attached to all the characters and their times of peril. The plot twist in the end was so sinister, and the author’s note in the end has genuinely placed a new fear in me that shouldn’t exist in 2025!




Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the arc!!

This was a wild ride. So many tweets and turns. There are quite a few dark themes, so check the trigger warnings. I didn't call the twist and I fell for a rew of the red herrings.

Eddie, a con turned lawyer, gets pulled to a capital murder case. Andy's life is in the line for a crime he didn't commit, but the system is rugged against him. Can Eddie and his team save him? Can they save themselves?

I can’t get enough of this series! I love Eddie Flynn this time he is fighting for Andy Dubois who is accused of murder and if he is found guilty will get the death penalty. The part at the end where he talk about the death penalty and what lead do this book was fascinating. Eddie and his team go to a small town in Alabama where they are not welcomed and the locals make it known they don’t want them there.

The team tries to stay one step ahead and risk their lives trying to correct the wrongs that have gone on for too long.

The Devil's Advocate is the 2nd Steve Cavanagh book that I have read and it won't be the last. Th1rt3en was the first, about a serial killer being on the jury for the crimes he committed, and it was so preposterous in how outside the box the plot was and how the novel was so compulsively readable. Sometimes you need to read a book that is just fun and a page turner. The same goes for The Devil's Advocate, and I am sure ditto for Fifty-Fifty, my next Steve Cavanagh book to read. His Eddie Flynn series is my new obsession, to go alongside my old one for John Sandford's Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In The Devil’s Advocate, a corrupt district attorney thrives on sending people—guilty or not—to death row. But things get interesting when Flynn arrives to town to defend Andy, a man wrongly accused of murder with fabricated evidence stacked against him. The story starts off slow, but once the courtroom drama kicked in, I was hooked. The book also dives into hot political and social issues, adding depth to the legal aspects. My main issue? The high body count—all that murdering felt like an easy way to tie up loose ends.

This book is also part of a series, but works well as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

I am quickly becoming a fan. I am loving the Eddie Flynn series. A slick talking lawyer with a moral compass… GIVE IT TO MEEEEE!

This book struck a nerve with me forsure. Eddie is fighting against white southern beliefs and at every turn it seemed to be an up hill battle. Everyone in that town got on my last nerve 😭. Shout out to Avery for saving the day.

My only gripe with the story was how weak and docile Andy and Patricia seemed. I always love strong black characters but other than that the book was good.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

In this captivating read, Cavanagh draws readers into a suspenseful world filled with secrets where the most dangerous killer knows how to stay ahead of the law! A web of dangerous secrets and morally ambiguous choices will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Cavanagh skillfully crafts a cast of characters that embodies the duality of human nature, with ulterior motives often expertly masked. The interplay between desperation and ambition drives the plot forward, inviting readers to explore themes of trust, deception, and the lengths one will go for a chance at keeping secrets hidden. This book is perfect for fans of legal thrillers, "the killer is a legal authority" cat-and-mouse, and immersive settings. Readers won't be able to put this down!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Not a new title but new to me - Cavanagh is doing what he does best here. This was Grisham and S.A. Cosby blended together in the most interesting way. The Eddie Flynn books just keep me coming back for more.

Thank you to netgalley and Atria for sending me an ARC of this book! This was THE BEST Steve Cavanagh I have read!!! I read this is 2 days! I could not stop! If i was doing something else, I just wanted to be reading! Kept my interest the whole time! Would highly recommend!!

So good, so realistic

This was very well written and the fact that it is pretty realistic is scary and very depressing. A small Alabama town district attorney loves sending people to death row and watching them die. Even when he knows they are innocent. When a black man is headed for trial and his attorney disappears, a team of New York attorneys and investigators come down to give him the defense he needs. Racism is rampant and it is obvious that this was not just the case of a mistaken arrest.

I really liked reading this, but it is sobering to think tha this actually goes on. Not just the legal shenanigans, but the racism that small-minded people use to feel powerful. The book relates that our homeland Security says that white supremacy groups are the biggest threats to our national safety. As someone in an area (Florida) where confederate flags are proudly flown, I agree. This did show several people standing up to the racism and that always gives me hope.

In The Devil’s Advocate, Steve Cavanagh delivers a high-stakes legal thriller that goes well beyond the courtroom, challenging our assumptions about justice, power, and institutional corruption. The novel follows Eddie Flynn—a former con man turned defense attorney—as he and his team battle a deeply rigged system in a small Alabama town where a young man, Andy Dubois, faces the death penalty for a murder he clearly didn’t commit.

From a business perspective, the novel can be read as a study in systems failure and moral leadership. Buckstown is a community where those in power—like the sadistic District Attorney Randal Korn—have manipulated the structure of justice to serve their own ends. The institutions meant to protect and serve have instead become tools of vengeance and control. For students of business ethics and organizational behavior, this narrative is a disturbing but enlightening illustration of what can happen when accountability is absent and power goes unchecked.

Eddie Flynn represents a kind of entrepreneurial leadership—he’s resourceful, strategic, and willing to take calculated risks. His team—comprising lawyer Kate, investigator Bloch, and his mentor Harry—illustrates the importance of collaboration and leveraging complementary skill sets to achieve a shared mission. Each member plays a crucial role, reminding us that in any high-stakes venture, success hinges not just on individual talent, but on team dynamics and mutual trust.

Though this is the sixth installment in the Eddie Flynn series, the book works well as a standalone. While there are some important themes in this book: white supremacy, racism, corruption -the execution fell a little short for me. I had a hard time maintaining my focus on this one. The courtroom drama was a little lacking also, which I enjoyed in 50/50.

This book fueled my inner rage and set my blood on fire! It starts out with a double bang and left me feeling disturbed with a heavy sense of dread hanging over me throughout the story. Cavanagh offers up a few despicable antagonists with some very sinister agendas that made me absolutely sick to my stomach. I'm not a religious person, but the idea that God would be amenable to killing anyone because of their skin color is ludicrous and delusional. Thankfully, Flynn and his team step in to put a stop to this nonsense and to save an innocent man's life. This book was one wild ride of non-stop action, nail-biting suspense, and pure terror. The author did an amazing job keeping me on my toes and delivering pulse-pounding scenarios. I could NOT put this one down! I simply had to get to the end to ensure that justice was served for these a-holes.

The Devils' Advocate is book six in the Eddie Flynn series, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Atria Books for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 stars
Each book in the Eddie Flynn series keeps getting better! I love the recurring supportive characters as well. Legal thrillers are so much fun, especially when a death row appeal is on the docket. The twists in this one were so well played. I didn’t see them coming!!
I’m excited for the next installment and have it on preorder already. Adam Sims is one of my favorite narrators!
*Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley

This was dark, and any moments where I thought "No, certainly that couldn't happen in real life", I was left thinking of what feels like an increase in white supremacist groups and people being elected to positions of power that they do not necessarily deserve, nor will they respect. As with Cavanagh's previous books in the Eddie Flynn series, you could read this as a stand-alone, but reading at least one prior book will help you understand character dynamics and motivation much more. The author's note at the end was a solid way to tie up the book, and I hope readers take the time to reflect on Cavanagh's research. I would recommend this for fans of David Baldacci and S.A. Cosby.