Book Review: THIRTEEN

TITLE: Thirteen
GENRE: Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Courtroom Drama
PUBLISHER: Flatiron Books
PUB DATE: Aug 2019
SERIES: Eddie Flynn Series Book #4 (but this is a great stand alone book)


SYNOPSIS: THE SERIAL KILLER ISN'T ON TRIAL.

HE'S ON THE JURY...

They were Hollywood's hottest power couple. They had the world at their feet. Now one of them is dead and Hollywood star Robert Solomon is charged with the brutal murder of his beautiful wife.

This is the celebrity murder trial of the century and the defence want one man on their team: con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn.

All the evidence points to Robert's guilt, but as the trial begins a series of sinister incidents in the court room start to raise doubts in Eddie's mind.

What if there's more than one actor in the courtroom?

What if the killer isn't on trial? What if the killer is on the jury?


THOUGHTS: “THIRTEEN” is the 4th of the Eddie Flynn series following ‘The Defence’ (February 2016), ‘The Plea’ (April 2017) and ‘The Liar’ (November 2017). This is an amazing book that is a hybrid of a murder and court room drama which I absolutely enjoyed. The chapters alternate from Eddie Flynn (first person narrative) the lawyer and Joshua Kane (third person narrative) the murderer. It works amazingly well and you get a great sense of the characters’ thoughts, actions and behaviors. The story is split up into days as the story is told over a weeks’ time. Flynn is an exceptional lawyer who cares nothing about ego but instead the drive to protect the innocent, and risking his family and life in the process. He is the ideal in moral and character. I find myself rooting for him and feel every bit of his pain and agony as he goes through this trial of the century. The opposite goes for Joshua Kane who feels no pain whatsoever and is one of the scariest character I have ever read and you will be amazed how this character was written with absolute brilliance!! A true psychopath, cold killer, meticulous, cunning and an expert impersonator! Overall, I highly recommend this novel to those of you who enjoy reading thrillers and legal/courtroom drama. It’s a fast-paced, high-energy novel, with a really unique storyline and characters. This book is one-of-a-kind and original, and I was hooked from the start. I will definitely be reading all the other Eddie Flynn series.


AUTHOR:

Steve Cavanagh was born and raised in Belfast before leaving for Dublin at the age of eighteen to study Law. He currently practices civil rights law and has been involved in several high profile cases. Selected for the Amazon Rising Stars programme 2015. ACES award winner 2015 from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The Defence is his debut novel.