Book Review: The Devil's Advocate by Steve Cavanagh (Eddie Flynn#6)

 My Rating: 3.5⭐

The sixth book in Steve Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn Series has our conman-turned-lawyer traveling out of state to represent a young black man Andy Dubois, accused of brutally murdering a young woman Skylar Edwards in Buckstown, Alabama, where corruption runs deep in the small town as does racism. Pitted against Randal Korn the sadistic prosecutor of Sunville County, Alabama whose idea of justice equals capital punishment and with the real killer whose agenda includes much more than simply murder, on the loose, Eddie and his team (who subsequently joins him) have their work cut out for them. From the moment they step foot in Buckstown, Eddie and Harry realize that the whole town is against Andy and by default, resent the out-of-town lawyer and his team defending the young man they believe is guilty of murder.

Steve Cavanagh’s The Devil’s Advocate is an intricately plotted, action-packed thriller that kept me guessing till the very last page. While I did enjoy following Eddie Flynn and his team (I love that Eddie is now working with Kate and Bloch and retired Judge Harry Ford), I did feel that the investigative element and the build-up took precedence over the signature courtroom drama (which features much later in the narrative) that we expect from the Eddie Flynn series. I like that each member of the team significantly contributes to the team’s efforts to save Andy from being wrongfully convicted. Presented through multiple PoVs over seven days, the narrative has strong socio-political overtones and touches upon issues such as capital punishment, corruption in law enforcement, prosecutorial misconduct, conspiracy, white supremacy groups and domestic terrorism and racism. I know that these issues are of critical importance, timely, and relevant, but the narrative gets a tad convoluted in the process of incorporating all these elements into the plotline. The Author’s Note at the end of the book is informative and provides context on some of the issues mentioned in the plot.

Overall I did enjoy this novel – it is fast-paced, thrilling and suspenseful- but not as much as the previous installments. I am a fan of this series and do look forward to reading more from Steve Cavanagh in the future.