Witness 8

This was my first book by Steve Cavanagh, and I warmed quickly to the main character Eddie Flynn and his crew because they gave off vibes of Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series with its humour and strong secondary characters.

The main plot was about a nefarious nanny named Ruby, but as more and more perspectives and subplots are added, this plot became overshadowed. With almost double digit POVs the pacing slowed, and the tension wasn't quite as high as I had anticipated, but there are some good red herrings and a final twist for a decent, if predictable, wrap up.

Some readers mention this can be read as a standalone book but this 8th book in the Eddie Flynn series had me feeling like I should have read at least a couple of the earlier books beforehand to understand the relationships between Eddie and his crew.

Overall, I enjoyed this story that has a lot going on. It could have benefitted from more courtroom drama and dangerous takedowns, but the strength of this book is in Eddie's dark past and the secondary cast who worked well together. I especially loved Bloch who I pictured as a blend of Kalinda Sharma from The Good Wife and Win from Harlan Coben's books - small in stature but tough and a little unhinged. I plan to go back and read some of the backlist in this series.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Atria Books for the complimentary digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Steve Cavanagh

Genre: Suspense

Series: Eddie Flynn 8

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Atria Books

First Published: March 25, 2025

Read: March 3 - 6, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: This riveting psychological thriller from master of twists Steve Cavanagh, author of the “unguessable and unputdownable” (Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Kill For Me, Kill for You, What if the witness was more twisted than the killer?

Something is wrong with Ruby Johnson.

A former resident of the ultra-elite Manhattan upper class, Ruby now works as a maid in the type of houses she used to live in. Unassuming, she sees everyone’s dirty secrets from the inside of their beautiful, renovated brownstones. But when Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth.

Eddie Flynn, streetwise ex con-artist-turned-defense attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s—the gun that killed his neighbor found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. Flynn and his unconventional team will need to use every trick they know to keep an innocent man from being locked up. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head.

Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda, Witness 8 is a fresh knockout page-turner from an author who is “the real deal” (Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author).