GROUP A BOOKS 2023-2024: 14 Nominated books. Vote for no more than 7.

A2 Type: Legal/Courtroom/Attorney Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh, 2019 / MVLC: 25

Basics · Protagonist: Eddie Flynn, a lawyer who used to be a con man. What happens when a murder trial defendant is not the real killer – someone on the jury is the killer who has framed the defendant? · Setting: Contemporary New York City · Context: This is the 4th of 7 Eddie Flynn books · % of Amazon readers giving 5-star ratings: 57% · Combined % of Amazon readers giving either 4 OR 5-star ratings: 87% · Total all Amazon ratings this book: 17,232 Long Form It’s the murder trial of the century. And Joshua Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house – and to be sure the wrong man goes down for the crime. Because this time, the killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury. But there’s someone on his tail. Former-conman-turned-criminal-defense-attorney Eddie Flynn doesn’t believe that his movie-star client killed two people. He suspects that the real killer is closer than they think – but who would guess just how close? --The Amazon blurb "The Serial Killer Isn't on Trial. He's on the Jury." This awesome hook kept coming up in my book recommendations. I had resisted starting this book seeing as it was the 4th in the series, until last week when stuck trying to find something to keep my attention decided to try this. There is no problem reading this if you haven't read the previous books. Former con-artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn finds himself defending a celebrity accused of murdering his wife and security agent; in putting together a defense he comes across some clues that suggest his client has been framed and by someone who's a pro... now pair this with what we know from the blurb - that there is a serial killer "Kane" on the jury - who is going to make sure that a guilty verdict will be returned. The story primarily unfolds alternating between the viewpoints of Eddie and Kane. With twists and red herrings galore and a last minute OMG I didn't see that reveal. This was a breath taking, page turning, coffee went cold and I stayed up too late read that gets my 5 star recommendation ––Amazon reader review 1 TH1RT3EN was entertaining and I liked it, but not very realistic. I thought the character development was interesting and I particularly enjoyed Eddie Flynn. If you are willing to suspend disbelief for almost 500 pages I think it’s worth reading. ––Amazon reader review 2: “A brilliant, twisty, ingeniously constructed puzzle of a book. Steve Cavanagh pulls off an enviable premise with panache.” ―Ruth Ware “Outstanding - an intriguing premise, a tense, gripping build-up, and a spectacular climax. This guy is the real deal. Trust me.” ―Lee Child I tried the first book in the series, and was not a fan. I accepted the con-man skills this protagonist brings with him, but not the Spiderman skills (he climbed along a building ledge to access and break into a third story window). But the author is explosively popular, and has been a Barry Award finalist a few times, so while I have not read this particular book, I'm willing to give it a go. Are you? –Dick No Awards for this Book from the 15 awarding groups as reported by SYKM.