I really enjoy Steve Cavanagh's writing but I always take his stories with a grain of salt
A lot of what happens seems a bit too out there, but because everything is so well written, I do not mind it one bit!

Ruby and Mr Christmas were both fascinating characters and I really enjoyed the plot twist!

Another great addition to the series!

There's so much going on at the same time that it's not immediately obvious as to how it'll all link together. I really liked how all the sub-plots connected together and that the full story was wrapped up by the end.

On her way home from nannying duties on the exclusive West 74th Street in Manhattan, Ruby Johnson glimpses a chilling scene through a neighbor's window: a murder. Ruby knows both the victim and the perpetrator, but instead of reporting the truth, she devises a cunning plan. When she finally calls in an anonymous tip, she deliberately distorts what she witnessed.

Enter Eddie Flynn, a former conman turned lawyer, who steps in to defend the innocent man wrongly accused of the crime.

What a thrill ride! I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Cavanagh masterfully builds tension, with short chapters that accelerate the pace, especially towards the climax, that kept me reading late into the night.

The plot is ingeniously crafted, with twists I never saw coming.

Eddie, Harry, and the gang are back, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I love this team - their camaraderie, affection, and the lengths they go to protect one another.

Eddie is a brilliant protagonist who takes no prisoners and always has an ingenious escape plan, even when his straight-talking nature lands him in trouble.

The plot is compelling, featuring a fantastic villain I loved to hate. On the surface, she appears to be a lovely, helpful girl, but beneath the mask, she's a scheming sociopath. Despite the numerous characters, each has a distinct voice in the multi-POV narrative, making it easy to follow. Mr. Christmas is a standout character; I liked him a lot.

Witness 8 is the eighth installment in the Eddie Flynn series and already one of my favorites. This series just keeps getting better. Out on August 1st (UK), I highly recommend picking it up.

A huge thanks to NetGalley Headline for the advanced copy – all opinions are my own.

Whilst the storyline was good and kept me entertained, I really struggled with the writing style. There were quite a few POVs, which were difficult to keep up with - it felt like no single POV / character was explored in depth, and more like they covered too many characters too thinly. I don't think this is Steve's best work.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have never been disappointed by an Eddie Flynn book. I love the characters and the twists and turns

I’ve read a couple of Eddie Flynn novels such as Fifty Fifty, Thirteen and Devils Advocate and I loved how clever, cunning and calm Eddie Flynn is. I was hooked the whole way through with the tense storyline, amazing courtrooms scenes and gripping twists throughout. A must read for anyone who enjoys every different side of the law!

If you haven’t read an Eddie Flynn story, you don’t know what you’re missing, Steve Cavanagh has created such a vibrant and plausible character; a former conman turned lawyer who takes on the most hopeless cases. I’ve read and enjoyed most of the books in the series and really enjoyed every one. The character develops each time and he suffers loss along the way, but this works well as a standalone.

Plotting, as always, is incredible. So many characters and a couple of basic plot lines are intricately interwoven. Fast paced to the point I was literally breathless more than once…Flynn lives on the edge and takes the reader with him as he teeters. Brilliant storytelling. It doesn’t get much better.

Wow I loved this book, corrupt cops, hit men and an innocent man fighting for justice, what is there not to like. Eddie Flynn is a great character and I liked the way Steven Cavanagh finds a way for Eddie to manipulate the scenario before him in such a way that he gets people to trip them selves up and end up helping his clients. Although this is book 8 it works well as a standalone but I've enjoyed it so much I am going to go back to the begining to find out whay made Eddie Fly become Eddie Flynn.

Told over 3 Parts and a variety of perspectives. Eddie Flynn ruffles a few feathers when defending a recent case in the courts, which has resulted in a price being put on his head for his demise. Taking on a new case, this making the case more challenging when trying to keep himself safe in the process. Eddie has a very different, often risky way of getting results with the help of a great team.

A page turner from beginning to end, a definite should read.

Another belter from Steve Cavanagh.

It’s exactly what you come to expect from this author-fast paced, snappy and oh so clever.

I love how he weaves all the parts of the story together, Ruby is a deliciously dark character and Mr Christmas is a great addition to keep you reading.

Highly recommend if you like a good crime thriller.

A gripping page turner full of twists and turns, several plots just enough characters which make it easy to follow. Almost at the end of the book before I figured out the conclusion would recommend

My first Steve Cavanaugh book, but after reading this, am going back to read all of the others!

Ruby Jackson is a nanny and general dogsbody to the neighbourhood, pitied as she used to live in the area until her father lost everything and left the family.

One night she witnesses a murder, she knows the victim very well, but also knows the murderer.......

Brilliant book, great characters. Highly recommended

Ruby Johnson is dangerous, and she witnesses a murder by accident but she knows the victim and the killer. What begins is a game of deathly murder.
Eddie Flynn is a conman turned trial lawyer who is defending an innocent man for the murder of the victim. But Ruby is using the knowledge she has to her advantage.
It's a great thriller with some complex characters but aren't we all... Ruby is a fascinating flawed character, with an interesting perspective of her problem is how the picture of the priest seems to talk to her telling her what she has to do and who to kill

I am recommending this book with five stars for a great thriller

This is the first book I’ve read by Steve Cavanagh and it was a great, fast paced thriller that can be read as a standalone.
Having said that, there were so many characters introduced during the first few chapters, it was quite confusing at first! Maybe if I’d read the other Eddie Flynn books, I would’ve known who everyone was and their connections.
The book starts with Ruby, who witnesses a murder and decides to use it to her advantage. So cold and calculating - what a great character!
I really warmed to Eddie Flynn and his colleagues who set out to prove the innocence of John Jackson, who has been falsely accused.
With a great sub plot, I couldn’t race through the pages quick enough to see how things would end.
It’s made me want to read the other books in the series too.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A tightly wound ball of mystery and deceit.

I really enjoyed this book, even though this is part of a larger series that I hadn’t read before. It took me a while to get into the narrative as there were lots of sun plots and chapters from different characters’ point of view. In particular I really enjoyed Bloch and Mr Christmas as characters, for me they were really interesting and quirky characters.

The start of the book is really engaging and thrilling but for me part 1 was a little bit of a struggle. I found it hard to keep up with all of the characters relationships and history (and there were a few!) and it’s where the whole book becomes completely tangled with multiple plots. I stick with it though and I’m glad I did because the writing and personalities in this book are fantastic. Once I got to midway through part 2 the pace of the book takes on a new level. Eddie Flynn is/was a conman and he was the perfect character to hide twists within as he always ‘had a plan!’.

I’d definitely pick up another from this series although I feel that perhaps this wasn’t the best one to begin with? The characters and the way in which they work together was reminiscent of PJ Tracey’s Monkeewrench novels, so fans of those (myself included) I believe will enjoy this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed the duality of Eddie trying to clear the name of a rich man accused of murdering his neighbour alongside the story of Ruby, who witnessed the murder but wants to use that information for her benefit.
There are plenty of thoroughly dislikeable characters (essential for a book set in a privileged neighbourhood!) and Ruby in particular steps off the page with her increasingly strange behaviour in one of the homes she cleans.
The book has several threads running through the main story, not least the bounty on Eddie's head and his relationships with an assassin or two but all the threads twist neatly into a thoroughly satisfying outcome!

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh is an unputdownable page turner from a master of the legal thriller genre. It is part of the ongoing Eddie Flynn series, and while I highly recommend reading those books for their entertainment value alone, this book works perfectly well as a stand alone. Fair warning though, if you pick up this one you will more than likely end up going back to read the rest of the series, it is just that good.
The protagonist Eddie Flynn is a con man turned lawyer, and he's not afraid to play a little dirty when the situation warrants it, something that can cause others to be more than a little annoyed by his tactics, especially when they are successful. In this book he is hired to defend a surgeon accused of murdering his neighbour. The surgeon loudly proclaims his innocence but the physical evidence is very much against him, the gun used was found in his house with a partial palm print and latent DNA that is a partial match. As the tagline of the book says, there is a witness, one that is more twisted than the killer. Meet Ruby, who works for the accused as a babysitter, and has apparently framed him. Why you ask? Well that is something that you will need to read the book to find out, but all I will say is that she is a fascinating character and one that will definitely keep you guessing about just how far she will go. Oh and remember how annoying Eddie can be? Well now someone has put a target on his back and it's open season for some of the country's most chilling assassins.
There is a lot going on in this book but never once was I confused, the pacing is perfectly on point and the different character perspectives kept me turning pages to see how all the plot threads would be woven together. Of course that was expertly done, and I hope that at least one of the characters introduced here makes a future appearance in the series .
Once again an excellent thriller, cannot fault it.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. So. This was a thing. As always, Cavanagh blows me away with his ability to weave intricate stories and build tension which is both awe-inspiring and terrifying. I have to read his books in daylight because the thriller aspect is truly captivating.

First off, we are introduced to a lot of characters very quickly. I will admit to not following who everyone was. There was also some confusion over “good” and “bad” guys. I’m not really sure what I was supposed to be feeling for everyone. I did get confused. At one point there were even two Johns. I think one was a fleeting mention but I still found myself double-taking and wondering why another name couldn’t be chosen for the ease of a reader taking in information. This is the reason for 4 stars from me.

All I will say is that Ruby is a superbly done character. She is nuanced and complex with a number of psychological issues. Whilst not ‘psychotic’, she is portrayed as exhibiting behaviours that are erratic and quite probably unstable with a traumatic past. It would be very easy to pigeonhole her into a typecast but Cavanagh deals with the nature of humans very well and I found that I didn’t just throw the book aside because of stereotypes. Bravo.

Overall, a great addition to the world of crime/thriller books. This one is a solid recommendation for anyone wanting a thriller with a twist (especially when the tagline tells you what that twist is!) I find I am still surprised, turning those pages faster and faster to find out what’s going to happen next. Well worth a read.

Another amazing book by Steve Cavanagh. The Eddie Flynn series is one of my favourites and each book is a welcome addition, I love the characters, the interactions and there's always a twist and a plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Ruby Johnson used to live on Manhattan's West 74th Street, with her parents. This is a very exclusive area, but the family lost everything, including their home, due to her father’s gambling. Her father disappeared leaving Ruby and her mother to deal with the aftermath.

Now she works on that very street as a maid to some of the wealthy families, but she hates not being ‘one of them’. Ruby knows all their precious secrets, so when she witnesses a murder in one of the homes, she sees an opportunity to make some cash and change her mother’s life - and her own!

Ruby knows the victim, and the killer, and so it is that she makes an anonymous call to the police and names the killer, but she’s telling a lie, and, as we eventually find out, she has a very good reason for doing so!

Eddie Flynn, conman turned lawyer, represents the man who Ruby named, and let’s not forget that this guy is completely innocent. However, Ruby is intelligent and extremely devious - she has some big plans and will endeavour to ensure that he is found guilty of murder in order to start her new life.

Eddie Flynn is not your average lawyer, he can be completely reckless, and plays dirty if he needs to, but you’d definitely want him in your corner.
Lots of twists and turns and a cold and clinical character in the guise of Mr Christmas (a name normally associated with love and joy) no sir, not on this occasion! Recommended.