Thursday 24 October 2024

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh #libraryloan @SteveCavanagh_ @HeadlineFiction @headlinepg #Witness8 #bookreview

 

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

Published by Headline

Publication Date: 1st August 2024

Book Description:

Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan's West 74th Street.
She knows their routines. Their secrets.
One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour's murder.

She knows the victim. She knows the killer.
She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer.
But Ruby didn't tell the truth...
Because there's something wrong with Ruby Johnson.

Eddie Flynn, conman turned trial lawyer, must defend an innocent man accused of this terrible crime.
As Ruby's deadly game begins, one thing is certain.
It won't be the last murder this witness is involved in...




My Thoughts:

The Eddie Flynn series is one of my favourites. I have dipped in and out over the last few years, I don't think I have read any of them in order but I have never felt this to be a disadvantage - you probably would get more of the detail by reading in order but they have all worked just as well for me as individual reads.

This book is just as twisty and involved as its predecessors, Eddie is still not squeaky clean and tackles his cases in some less than textbook ways. He has a growing number of people willing to take him out, but fortunately for him the people who are on his side are willing to use equally as unorthodox methods to keep him safe. A cracking legal thriller with some excellent court room scenes (which my regular blog readers will know are my thing), Steve Cavanagh has penned some interesting characters this time. Our main witness Ruby has lots of layers which influence her actions on the night which changes the lives of both herself and several of her neighbours. She has no qualms about setting up powerful people for a spectacular fall from grace, or removing them from the equation altogether if they happen to have crept too close to the truth. I'm not going to spoil anything for you, but her reasons for keeping her ailing mum out of supported living and in her own home came as a shocker for me - maybe I was concentrating too much on the defence of the brain surgeon to consider this side of the story? There were sections where I had even less hope for our defendant than he did himself, despite being certain of his innocence. 

If you are putting off reading any of the Eddie Flynn books purely because they're a series, please can I encourage you to put this out of your mind and just grab whichever one floats your boat the most - you won't regret it. They're all great and work so well as standalones, you'll be missing out if you keep putting them on the back burner!

About the Author:


Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, Sunday Times best-selling author of the Eddie Flynn series which has sold a million copies in the UK. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime novel of the year 2019. FIFTY FIFTY was a Richard and Judy Book club choice, and the BBC Between The Covers book club choice. All of his novels have been nominated for major awards. His last four novels have all been Sunday Times Bestsellers.


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