Wow! A great read! Fascinating story, a legal drama with a difference. Great characters, ca0tivTed to the very end. Looking forward to more stories from this author.

I raced through this entertaining, gripping and rather chilling novel. It is ingenious with a pretty unique premise: ‘The serial killer isn't on trial. He's on the jury.’ It is courtroom drama at its best. Other reviewers have compared Steve Kavanagh with John Grisham and I would agree. There is the same slick delivery and the need to turn the pages just as quickly as possible.

A film star on trial for the murder of his wife and his security advisor. He looks banged to rights but we know he is innocent. It is up to defence lawyer Eddie Flynn to fight his corner through the murk of police corruption, an enigmatic prosecutor, the damning evidence and the shadow on the jury. Fantastic stuff. Do yourself a favour and buy this book!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Crime thrillers are my favourite books and I loved the fact that this was seen from the perspective of the accused's lawyer rather than from the police or detectives (although Flynn did have some help from the FBI!) This book hooked me from the first chapter and with so much going on I couldn't wait to keep turning the pages to see how the plot developed. I loved the character of Eddie Flynn and just knew he would get to the bottom of things! Apparently this was book four in the Eddie Flynn series but it didn't matter a jot that I had not read the first three - except that now I do want to go back and read them! An excellent read - would definitely recommend.

This is my first Steve Cavanagh books, but, it won't be my last! This is such a clever premise, a serial killer who manipulates his way onto the Jury of a murder trial...it's such a good read.
The characters are all so well written and the lead, Eddie Flynn, is amazing. A complex man with an interesting past (that I intend to get to grips with by reading the previous books) and a difficult relationship with his wife and daughter, from whom he is estranged.
This courtroom thriller doesn't let up and the writing in the first person for Eddie and the third person for Kane (the killer) really worked for me.
I really cared about Eddie and look forward to more.
Thanks to net galley and Orion for the opportunity to preview this really good read.

Wow, what a brilliant book this is with ‘runaway train’ pace, an awesome plot and fantastic characters. I was grabbed by the tag line ‘The serial killer isn't on trial. He's on the jury’ in the first instance, but then I was totally hooked on the novel from the very first pages until the last few words. The storytelling is as smart as a whip and highly original. I haven’t read such an engrossing legal courtroom thriller in years.
This is the fourth novel in the Eddie Flynn series and it’s the first novel I have ever read by Steve Cavanagh. I’m so impressed with his writing and will definitely read more novels from his backlist. I really liked hard working Eddie. He was an excellent character, determined to fight for justice and with a very clever head on his shoulders. From his first meeting with the movie star defendant, Steve believed he was innocent and we, the reader, definitely knew he was as well. The author told us Joshua Kane was guilty at the very beginning and this really intrigued me. He was in fact a merciless serial killer hunted by talented detectives; he was driven to complete his mission and as bright as a button. He managed to keep one step ahead with the help of an anonymous well informed partner, but during the latter stages of the trial he sensed that his cloak of invisibility was endangered and he was running out of time. It’s nip and tuck that he will be able to persuade the other jurors to bring in the guilty verdict as well. The tension and suspense is well and truly ramped up but the shocks, surprises and twists and turns keep coming. What a monster of a page turner!
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Orion through my membership of NetGalley. These are my own honest and well considered opinions that are uninfluenced by any other reviews or publicity. I absolutely loved this novel and am very grateful to have been given the chance to read and review this book. It’s unmissable.

This is an action-packed courtroom drama with a smart premise and it’s really, really good. The characters are recognisable types without being clichés. The plot is very clever and completely plausible (within the conventions of the genre, of course). The conclusion, when it comes, is satisfying. 13 is the best page-turner I’ve read in a long time and I would strongly recommend it.

A big 5 stars to this book.

What can I say except, this novel takes the crime/thriller/mystery genre to the next level, mind blowingly good!

Joshua Kane has been killing people for a lot of his adult life but not only that, he's framing others for the crimes he's committing.

It's hard enough to solve a crime when you know exactly what the criminal looks like, so how tough will it be to crack a case when the killer isn't visible and in actual fact, is changing his face to make sure the wrong person is convicted?

Carefully calculated, Thirteen has the perfect impact me as the reader.

I found this a refreshing read. Often a genre can become stale when the same sort of stories are continually rehashed but Steve Cavanagh has created something quite unique here.

You've heard this phrase used often but this book really is a page turner, I quickly devoured the tale, kept on the edge of my seat impatiently waiting to see if the case of the Dollar Bill Man could be cracked.

What makes this even better is that we actually know who's committing all of these crimes so it isn't a 'who done it', more will they pay for what they have done?

Plenty of suspense and enough mystery to keep you interested. Thirteen is a must read!

I had no idea that this wasn't the first in a series until I read reviews afterwards. It's very rare that it doesn't matter that you start in the middle of a series and lose nothing.
Eddie Flynn is a lawyer who only wants to defend the innocent and he believes that Bobby is just that; innocent.
However his opinion is not the one that matters, he has to convince a jury of that. The only problem is that the real killer is on the jury and he is desperate to give the verdict.

I was gripped from the first chapter. The story from the viewpoint of the killer has been done many times but this was such a fresh take that it didn't matter.
The killer's ingenious yet horrific methods of ensuring that he got appointed to the jury as well as his machinations to get his way were thrilling and convoluted. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was who in the jury but I think that was done deliberately.
Despite having the killer as a narrator you still were guessing as to his identity right up to the end.
A perfectly gripping and intriguing story. I will go and read some of his other works.

This might be the fourth in a series but don’t let that put you off if you haven’t read the previous ones as this author not only pulls you in, he drags you there. Don’t worry, you’ll soon know Eddie Flynn, charismatic defence lawyer, ex-con artist Eddie Flynn. He’s a complex guy , with an estranged wife and child, his job having seriously endangered family life. He’s been asked to join the defence team of a famous celebrity actor, accused of killing his wife and security guard. But Flynn suspects the New York cops are corrupt having revealed this fact in public before.

The choosing of the jury, the behaviour of those chosen, their sequestration, place on the trial, the evidence....all gripping stuff which reminded me of that film The Juror. What does go on behind the scenes of a trial? When you realise, that one of the jurors has an ulterior motive for being there.....boy this is good stuff.

There are SO many twists and turns, alternative explanations for an upturned table, blood on the mattress...and then the clue that seems to suggest this case is not at all what anyone thinks.
Although set in New York, there’s barely action outside the courtroom which heightens that tension like a noose around your neck. Gripping is not the word. Death vice grip would be a better way to describe it.

Brilliant in so many ways and a legal thriller with the darkest and fascinating serial killers I’ve read in a while.

A gripping read with many twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. The story told from two viewpoints keeps you enthralled.

A fast paced thriller from the start. Eddie Flynn is a lawyer who works alone. He is hired by a major law firm to handle the case of Bobby Solomon accused of killing his wife and bodyguard. Very slick, this is not a light read. We follow both the killer and Eddie with his team as they try to catch the killer. Good story and this is my first but not last in the Eddie Flynn series.

I HATE SUPER-VILLAINS.

I HATE THEM MAGICALLY ALWAYS BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

I HATE THEIR OMNISCIENCE.

IT'S LAZY LAZY WRITING.

BITE ME CAVANAGH. I'M DONE.

Firstly, an admission. This is book four of the Eddie Flynn series and I haven't read 1-3. I've had this book recommended to me so many times and word on the street is that it's a book that I really need to read so I asked those in the know if it would be OK for me to dive right in and the consensus was that I'd be ok. Well, cut story short, I was.
Eddie Flynn is a lawyer with a bit of a dubious past. He is also estranged from his wife due to previous shenanigans but these don't really play too much of a key part in this book so it isn't necessary to dwell on them much more than the offer of a steady job is more than tempting for him. Thing is though, that offer is part of a deal where he takes second chair in what is believed to be the trial of the century. A slam dunk case against Bobby Solomon, an actor who is accused of killing both his wife and his head of security. Sounds like a good deal? Well, not when the offer is from the defence and his late inclusion smells more of tactics than actually needing him per se. But money and a steady job is tempting and the dead is done when Eddie meets Bobby and sees something in his look that convinces him that there is more to the case than the prosecution thinks there is. Jury selection has already been completed so the trial begins with Eddie on board with the defence team. And that's all I am saying about the plot other than it was brilliant. In fact, I could have completed this review in only a few words - read this book, you won't regret it!
You may think that the blurb says too much but the story is so much more than just who is guilty or innocent. There are the whys and wherefores, we see the means and opportunity but we need a motive. We see the evidence presented and the clever way that it is picked apart. There are so many small things that happen throughout the book that you really need to pay attention to. Little innocuous things that don't seem important at the time but which later on prove to have been key to the whole charade. Obviously, ultimately, we also need a who and that is also very cleverly done and included so much more than I expected.
It's pacy, it's gripping, it grabbed me from page one and didn't let up until the very end. It took my life away from me for the hours I was reading it. Time I was more than happy to give, even if some of it was in the wee small hours when I should have been asleep. In fact, even though I hardly ever re-read books, as soon as I had finished I wanted to go again to see what else I had missed along the way. I can't remember the last time I wanted to do that.
And Eddie himself; oh my! I so need to go back and start from book one now. I loved him as a character in this book and now I feel that I have to go back and get to know him properly. Judging by the quality of this book, I don't see this as being too much of a chore. Hopefully I can squeeze them into my bulging tbr soon.
All in all, this was the perfect book for me. It ticked every box I need to make a good book a great read. I really can't recommend this book enough.

Steve Cavanagh writes top notch adrenaline fuelled legal thrillers with his charismatic defence lawyer, ex-con Eddie Flynn, set in New York and this is his best one yet. Eddie has been hoping to get back together with his wife, Christine, and his beloved daughter, Amy, which his defence work in the past has placed in grave danger, leading to their separation. He thinks he has it finally worked out as he plans for a safe and secure legal career with Rudy Carp, where he has been co-opted onto the legal defence team for famous celebrity Hollywood actor, Robert Solomon, on trial for the murder of his actress wife, Ariella Bloom, and his security man. Is it already too late to save his marriage? Flynn has attracted the rage of NYPD cops he has publicly revealed as corrupt. Solomon appears a lost cause, the evidence stacked against him is overwhelming, but Eddie can feel he is an innocent man, and will do all that he can to prove it. However, Eddie is to find himself in the most testing case of his career with no idea of what he is up against.

Eddie's close friend, Judge Harry Ford, takes over the trial after the health issues of the previous judge. The colourful Southern PR savvy prosecuter for hire, Art Pryor, has never lost a case, and with the support of his formidable expertise, confidently believes that Solomon will be convicted. Eddie knows that he has been recruited as the fall guy should he fail to prove that the NYPD has tampered with critical evidence, a dollar bill with the DNA of a convicted killer from the past, Richard Pena, and the DNA of Solomon. Eddie hires ex-FBI Harper to be his investigator, and this leads to an FBI agent, Delaney, who believes there is a serial killer whose MO includes leaving behind a specially marked dollar bill on the victim, but has escaped detection because he ensures someone else is always convicted for the murders. Could this provide a viable route to save Solomon by introducing another suspect? However, Delaney is refusing to testify and Eddie has a problem he could not have imagined, the killer is on the jury, ideally placed to ensure that a guilty verdict prevails.

Cavanagh engineers masterly misdirections and twists in this taut and fast paced thriller that had me reading until I finished. The suspense and tension is palpable in this brilliantly plotted story of a highly intelligent manipulative serial killer with the chameleon like ability to become another person, feel no pain, a true sociopath who knows that he really is special and untouchable with the help he receives from someone close to the case. Eddie is a phenomenal lawyer, displaying his courtroom skills with panache as he illustrates that the art of the cross examination and the art of the con are one and the same thing. This is a terrifically entertaining read and Cavanagh can be counted to have you gripped from the moment you start reading. A fantastic legal thriller that I recommend highly! Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

Once again, I didn't realise that this was part of a well established series. I don't think that made any difference though and I thoroughly enjoyed this as a stand alone.

A very thrilling read that kept me hooked from the very first page.

Having binge read Steve Cavanagh’s previous 2 books in a January because I knew Thirteen was coming out and I can’t read a book out of order in the series I can honestly say WOW.

Thirteen is possibly Mr Cavanagh’s best book to date. Featuring my favourite hotshot lawyer/ex-con man Eddie Flynn Thirteen is one hell of a fast paced, edge of your seat legal thriller.

In this book Eddie finds himself defending a Hollywood superstar who is charged with murdering his wife and bodyguard, but what makes this book so brilliant is that there is a serial killer determined to get on the jury.

With alternative narrators Thirteen is sleek, gripping and also pretty gruesome. I absolutely adore Eddie and discovering more about his personal life brings him to life. His ability to see an opportunity or angle that others don’t see and turn a case on it’s head always entertains.

This book also gives us a glimpse into the mind of a ruthless, brutal serial killer and Boy is it dark and disturbing in there.

If I could give this book Thirteen stars I would.