The Devil’s Advocate (Eddie Flynn Series)

In the Author’s Note for The Devil’s Advocate, Steve Cavanagh explains the fact that over a period of about three years just five prosecutors were responsible for securing 450 death sentences between them, around 15% of the total death row population of the entire US. Some real life District Attorneys are so obsessed with the death penalty they disregard the institution they swore allegiance to, just to send someone to death row.And it’s with these facts that the 6th Eddie Flynn novel takes and runs with. Honing in on the small town of Buckstown Alabama, DA Randal Korn will stop at nothing to see a death sentence passed. And his latest trial is no different. Young black man Andy Dubois is accused of murdering a young white waitress Skylar Edwards, and everyone in town believes he is guilty - not helped by an actual confession.But some evidence just isn’t adding up and after Andy’s lawyer goes missing, con-artist turned Defence lawyer Flynn is brought in to represent him. Flynn is an amazingly solid and likeable character as are the counterparts in his law firm – a delightful cast which you care about and are rooting for every step of the way.It’s a fast and furious novel which excels with its courtroom scenes as you just don’t know what’s coming next from either side – and that’s part of the fun. This novel has everything and doesn’t suffer at all for it. Murderous DAs, corrupt police force, tampered/missing evidence, small-town racism, bribed jurors, US-government goodies/baddies, a mysterious character called The Pastor, jaw-dropping twists and end of chapter cliff-hangers.Another astounding, unputdownable Flynn novel from Steve Cavanagh.

There is not a lot of nuance in Steve Cavanagh's latest Eddie Flynn thriller, but it's true that as far as the law and morality are concerned, good and evil acts should be clearly defined. While it seems a little heavy-handed then, there's certainly no getting away from the fact that this makes for a rivetting good read, the opening chapters of The Devils Advocate hitting with maximum impact.Cavanagh even seems to have come up with a (literally) black and white case to push all those emotional buttons, and doesn't take long in laying it out either. A young black man, a barman and student Andy Dubois, has been accused of killing a young female co-worker in Alabama. Cavanagh lays it on thick, showing the girl on her way to meet her boyfriend who was planning on springing a surprise engagement proposal on the very evening when she is abducted and brutally murdered. You can be sure that the racist DA Korn is also laying it on thick to get a death sentence for Andy. Flynn knows he is up against DNA evidence and a signed confession but has never been one to sidestep a challenge. For all these reasons this is going to be his toughest case yet.Which you could genuinely say about every one of Eddie Flynn's previous cases, and yet it's not just Flynn but Cavanagh who has consistently risen to the challenge. What is different about The Devil's Advocate is that this one goes deeper than a personal legal tussle between two adversaries and even beyond swaying public opinion. It's a little more difficult when it is positioned as standing up to a whole corrupt system and historical evil. John Connolly can get away with this through the supernatural embodiment of evil in his Charlie Parker series, but it's a lot harder to deal with it in a conventional courtroom thriller.Is there room for any nuance in this position? Honestly, not much, but there is some. It shows how ordinary or otherwise good people can get caught up in a corrupt system. The case also highlights the sheer scale of the battle that needs to be fought against the legacy of historical attitudes and prejudice, and how it feels to be a single individual pitted against such forces. I would have loved if some of the characterisation had been toned down a little - particularly on the side of the downright evil racist characters - but would, for example, anyone expect Colson Whitehead's writing to be fair and balanced? Cavanagh isn't writing a literary work on historical racism, but a courtroom thriller that challenges the inequities and abuses of the capital punishment system in the United States, and he makes it a typically tense, rivetting drama.

Incredible! The character très are so believable, I could not put this book down. Sorry it’s finished!! This is an amazing series of books.

This book and others by this author blew me away, I couldn’t stop reading! Ordered all releases by Steve Cavanagh. Pure fun, with lots of suspense and great story telling. Don’t miss this, I can’t wait for more from him..

I liked this first time I have read his books but I will read more by him.

I’ m mesmerised with his thrillers. I absolutely adore reading his unique; twisted, unexpected, plots! I try to make the novels last….. to fully savour every moment and to make the story last!Looking for book-reading thrills? He won’t disappoint! Highly recommend.

Gut geschrieben, schönes Englisch, spannend wie ein Roman von John Grisham, ein Blick hinter die Kulissen des US-Rechtssystems. Mittelgroße Schriftgröße, für alte Augen etwas zu klein, aber sonst ok, empfehlenswert! Macht Lust auf weitere Bände von Cavanagh.

Un libro che indubbiamente ti prende: all’inizio è un colpo di scena continuo, e come con la legge di Murphy, se può andar male lo farà! Così, ti domandi: come potrà, come potranno i nostri eroi, non dico vincere la causa, ma portare a casa la pellaccia? (E - fra parentesi - come farà l’autore del libro a schivare le vendette degli abitanti dell’Alabama, dopo che ha tanto bistrattato la loro madre terra?). Quando proprio si pensa che non ci sia via d’uscita, la situazione volge al meglio, un po’ troppo e un po’ troppo all’improvviso, in realtà. Non conosco abbastanza il sistema giudiziario USA, ma dopo tanti film visti e libri letti ho il dubbio che alcune libertà che i nostri si prendono in aula non sarebbero tollerate nella vita reale... Comunque, se “all’s well that ends well”, siamo contenti di vedere il giovane accusato tornare libero. Anche se in realtà, non ne avevamo mai dubitato.