The Defense

Steve Cavanagh | March 2015

Book Summary:

The truth has no place in a courtroom. The truth doesn’t matter in a trial. The only thing that matters is what the prosecution can prove.

Eddie Flynn used to be a con artist. Then he became a lawyer. Turned out the two weren’t that different.

It’s been over a year since Eddie vowed never to set foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn’t have a choice. Olek Volchek, the infamous head of the Russian mafia in New York, has strapped a bomb to Eddie’s back and kidnapped his ten-year-old daughter Amy.

Eddie only has 48 hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial—and win—if wants to save his daughter.

Under the scrutiny of the media and the FBI, Eddie must use his razor-sharp wit and every con-artist trick in the book to defend his ‘client’ and ensure Amy’s safety. With the timer on his back ticking away, can Eddie convince the jury of the impossible? Lose this case and he loses everything.

My Review:

Last year I read Cavanagh’s Thirteen and it was fantastic. The review is one of my most popular on Pinterest. (🤷🏾‍♀️ go figure!) I decided to go back and read Cavanagh’s earlier stories. The Defense was his debut novel and I was not disappointed! Cavanagh clearly has a knack for good court room dramas a’la Law & Order.

The Defense introduces us to former hustler, turned New York defense attorney, Eddie Flynn. Eddie’s going about his fairly average day when he’s kidnapped by a Russian gangster and forced to defend him in court. The gangster has killed Eddie’s partner, threatens Eddie’s family, straps a bomb to his chest and forces him into the courtroom. If Eddie doesn’t get the guy off, all is lost.

There really aren’t any cons/negatives for me in this book. The characters are likable, especially Eddie and his band of imperfect friends/street hustlers. The book is a nonstop adrenaline rush right until the end with well thought out scenes, described masterfully, if maybe a bit lengthily in some parts. You get pages of Eddie attempting to make it into the courthouse with the bomb and though it was entertaining and mostly suspenseful, we kinda already know how it ends..it could have been shorter. Its a series so you can be pretty confident Flynn is going to make it out of this mess, but, what will he loose in the meanwhile? Heavy stuff.

Interesting tidbit about the author Cavanagh, whose real last name is Mearns, he was born and bred in Belfast and has never lived in New York…or even the United States. Cavanagh/Mearns is a human rights attorney specializing in discrimination law. I look forward to reading Cavanagh’s other books in this series because I recently purchased them all! Goodbook 11 of 42.