The Defence: Win the trial. Or lose his life. (Eddie Flynn, #1)

by Steve Cavanagh

'Everything a great thriller should be and I can't wait to see more of Eddie Flynn.' Mark Billingham

'So Hollywood, punchy and cool and pacy as hell.' Eva Dolan

Eddie Flynn has 48 hours to save his daughter...

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 forty-eight hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial - and win - if he 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?


Praise for race-against-time legal thriller writer, Steve Cavanagh:

'A gripping, twisty thriller' Ian Rankin, number 1 bestselling author of Rather Be The Devil

'Legal thrillers are my blind spot, but I'll always make an exception for Steve Cavanagh. Quite simply, THE PLEA is one of the most purely entertaining books you'll read this year. It's a blast.' John Connolly, bestselling author of the Charlie Parker series

'In the crowded field of legal thrillers, Steve Cavanagh stands head and shoulders above the competition, with his skilfully plotted, action-packed and big-hearted Eddie Flynn novels . . . highly intelligent, twist-laden and absolutely unputdownable' Eva Dolan, author of the critically acclaimed Tell No Tales

'A cleverly constructed legal thriller combined with a classic locked-room mystery. Eddie Flynn is fast becoming one of my favourite fictional heroes and Cavanagh one of my favourite thriller writers.' S.J.I. Holliday, author of Black Wood

'Raymond Chandler could have created Eddie Flynn. THE PLEA is Phillip Marlowe and Michael Connolly's Mickey Haller combined, with a bit of Jim Thompson's THE GRIFTERS thrown in. A superb read with a main character destined to be one of the most talked about in crime fiction.' Howard Linskey, author of The Search

If you like John Grisham, Lee Child and Michael Connelly, you will LOVE the gripping and twisty Eddie Flynn series:

1. The Defence
2. The Plea
3. The Liar

* Each Eddie Flynn thriller can be read as a standalone or in series order *

• ISBN10: 1409152316
• ISBN13: 9781409152316
• Publish Date: 11 February 2016 (first published 12 March 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 15 January 2025
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
• Imprint: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[thebookdisciple]

I started this series with Thirteen and loved it so much I decided to go back to the beginning. The Defense is a very different sort of book. Eddie has experience a trauma and left the law. The Russian Bratva forces him back in. You see him as both the lawyer and the con man. There is tons of danger and deception, but its not a creepy as 13 was because there is no killer. So, the story has a different tone. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to book 2!