It was sometime during last year that the book Thirteen caught my attention. I saw it around Instagram. What caught my attention was not the title or the cover; it was the tag line. This is what the tag line says “The serial killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury.” This got me intrigued. But then you know with all tbr stack and the library books, I never got around to reading it. Last month I was searching for a thriller book to read on Anybooks app and this book came up. Of course, I didn’t need to think twice before starting it.
Thirteen is part of Eddie Flynn legal thriller series. He is a former con man turned criminal defense attorney. He is hired by a high powered law firm to represent Hollywood star Bobby Solomon who is accused of killing his wife and a security guard. Joshua Kane, the serial killer, doesn’t just kill his victims; but makes sure to insert himself within the jurors and manipulates them into giving out a guilty verdict to the wrongly accused.
It’s been a really long time since I read a legal thriller and I loved this book. What I most crave for in a legal thriller are courtroom scenes. Thirteen delivered on this aspect. I loved all the courtroom back and forth between the public prosecutor and the defense attorney.
The book alternates between the narratives of Eddie and Kane. Kane is a very cliched killer with high intelligence and a troubled childhood. Even then his character development is done very well. We don’t get to know much more about Eddie. But then that’s because this is part of a series and I guess his story develops throughout the various books. I would love to know how an ex conman turns into a criminal defense attorney, an honest one at that.
I guess I should just read the books that come before Thirteen. This was my first read of the author Steve Cavanagh. And I can definitely say that I’ve discovered another great thriller writer. I haven’t read many good legal thrillers with such sharp back and forth courtroom scenes. If these are an indication of his other books, then my tbr list has just gone up.
My Rating: 4.5⭐/5.