Book Review: "Thirteen" by Steve Cavanagh

I don't know about you, but I can't resist a thriller with the tagline, "The serial killer isn't on trial: HE'S ON THE JURY!"

Eddie Flynn used to be a conman, but he rehabilitated himself and is now a criminal defense attorney. Through the years his work has put him and those he loves at risk, so he's been debating changing career paths. But then he gets approached to serve as second chair on what is shaping up to be the case of the century: reality television star Bobby Solomon is accused of brutally murdering his actress wife and his chief of security.

Bobby and his wife were on the cusp of major movie stardom. The evidence against him is overwhelming, but he vehemently insists he is innocent. His renowned attorney maintains that the NYPD is trying to frame Bobby for these murders. He believes Eddie can help prove Bobby's innocence by raising doubts about the police's behavior.

Everyone knows this is going to be a tough case, but they don't have any idea what their biggest obstacle is. Joshua Kane is a cold-blooded killer who has actually killed to get himself seated on the jury. He's going to ensure that Bobby is convicted and he won't let anything—or anyone—stop him. As events begin to occur which convince Eddie that there is something truly dangerous happening, he has to figure out how to reveal the real killer without falling prey first. And that won't be easy.

Thirteen had a really cool concept and it featured a pretty ruthless killer. Kane is creepy, easily one of the most memorable villains I've seen in a while. Obviously there's a lot of suspension of disbelief required for this book to work, but it's fortunate that no criminal has thought of the methods Kane used to get on the jury. (Or at least not that we've heard of.)

This is the first book of Steve Cavanagh's I've read, although this is the fourth in his series featuring Eddie Flynn. It definitely can be read as a stand-alone, although now I'm interested in reading his earlier books, because I really like Eddie Flynn's character in particular. Cavanagh definitely threw in lots of twists and turns, some which surprised me and some which I saw coming.

All in all, this was a pretty addicting read.