The Devil’s Advocate by Steve Cavanagh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up **
The Devil’s Advocate is the 6th-installment to Steve Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn series, and it’s the 3rd-book that I’ve read in the series thus far. I’m having a lot of fun. They keep me so engaged and guessing like nothing else.
This series does indeed follow Eddie Flynn, a criminal defense attorney, as well as his team, as they investigate, work and defend various cases in and around New York City. Or at least, that’s what I thought, until this case…
In this book, Eddie actually gets called away from the city in order to work a death penalty case in a small town in rural Alabama. As you can imagine, this is quite a culture shift for our city boy, Eddie.
Andy Dubois is facing death, accused of killing a young lady that he worked with at a diner. Eddie believes Andy is innocent and that he’s being railroaded by the local DA, Randal Korn, a man known for counting his death penalty convictions like notches in his belt.
From the moment they arrive in town, Eddie and his teammate, Harry, are met with cold shoulders, and various obstacles making them aware that their presence in town is not welcomed. Nevertheless, they push on.
A man’s life is on the line and it’s gonna take a lot more than what these locals are dishing out to scare Eddie away. In just a week, Eddie and his team need to overcome this corrupt system and find the real killer before time runs out for Andy.
The Devil’s Advocate is another really fun case with Eddie and his dynamic team. I enjoyed how this one gets Eddie out of his comfort zone in NYC and into the deep South.
This one didn’t feel as psychological as the other 2-books I’ve read in the series. It focuses more on small town corruption and flaws within the criminal justice system in general, but I thought it was a nice change of pace.
There was also a lot more involvement with officials from the Federal system, which was interesting. I feel like I’ve seen a whole new side of Bloch, one of Eddie’s valuable teammates. She’s one of my favorites, so it was nice to see her built out a little more.
This is the kind of case that will absolutely get your blood boiling. It actually had me on the edge of my seat too, because it felt very dangerous for Eddie and his team. You never want to be an outsider in a situation like this.
I feel like Cavanagh did a great job of building that intensity and making it feel believable. Sadly, corruption isn’t just in fiction, and numerous lives have been affected by it in cases much like this.
I particularly enjoy the courtroom elements, but honestly, they’re all just so compelling. They’re fast-paced, easy to read and wicked entertaining. As you can tell, I’m really looking forward to picking up the rest of the books.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria, for introducing me to the Eddie Flynn series and providing me with copies to read and review. I highly recommend these books for people who love intense Legal Thrillers!