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shansaunders's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kristel1010's review against another edition
3.0
I have opinions about this book but I am not yet able to put them to words. I like the main characters and mostly reading to know what happens to them, I guess.
sienna_reads04's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
As always I love steve Cavanagh so much and all of his books are excellent. Wouldn’t say it’s my fav book of his as I found it a little bit harder to get into at the start, but as always I was left shocked and amazed with the twists and brilliance of eddie. low key didn’t really care about the side plot, but was interesting either way.
mayalberg_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is not in any way a romance book, but I gotta say, I love me some Eddie Flynn.
I’ve read this entire series out of order. Does it matter for the plot of the books? Not necessarily. Would it help to better understand the history of the main characters? Probably, but Cavanagh does a great job of explaining previous events in a “short n’ sweet” way. I also really like that Eddie’s POV is always first person, and everyone else’s is in third person. It helps keep things organized in my noggin.
The book itself tho? So great. I’m still a lover of Thirteen, probably my favorite book of all time, but I loved this book too. I had no idea who the murderer was, once again, despite my best attempts to figure it out. I will say tho, how does this town still have a population? Like damn, can’t have a town if there’s no people alive in it 🤷♀️
I’ve read this entire series out of order. Does it matter for the plot of the books? Not necessarily. Would it help to better understand the history of the main characters? Probably, but Cavanagh does a great job of explaining previous events in a “short n’ sweet” way. I also really like that Eddie’s POV is always first person, and everyone else’s is in third person. It helps keep things organized in my noggin.
The book itself tho? So great. I’m still a lover of Thirteen, probably my favorite book of all time, but I loved this book too. I had no idea who the murderer was, once again, despite my best attempts to figure it out. I will say tho, how does this town still have a population? Like damn, can’t have a town if there’s no people alive in it 🤷♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Suicide
keith_nixon's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a while since I read an Eddie Flynn novel, I managed to miss the last couple of installments. I thoroughly enjoyed The Plea and The Liar when Eddie (if I remember right) was operating pretty much on his own and by his conman wits.
In The Devil's Advocate, Eddie and his team are up against an Alabama DA, Randall Korn. A young man, Andy Dubois, has been accused of murdering teenager, Skylar Edwards. The case is a dead cert, with a mound of evidence and two guilty confessions. A government fixer, Berlin, comes in to persuade Eddie to take the case, because Korn is known to enjoy seeing convicted killers die (Korn's county has the highest death penalty count in the US). So, how can Eddie resist?
Cavanagh makes it immediately obvious that Korn is the bad guy, a truly bad guy. So obvious it could be tattooed on Korn's forehead in big red letters. And everyone else seems to know it, too. Korn has the sheriff and half the cops in his pocket, he scares witnesses and experts alike to do his bidding. Nobody likes it, not really, but they're all too scared to push back. The novel possesses a very clear good vs. evil theme (made obvious via the title).
But Korn isn't the only antagonist, there's also The Pastor, a killer too, a white supremacist who wants to make a big and very deadly statement, so that strand runs as an undercurrent beneath Eddie and the team's investigation into Korn. Unlike Korn, who's a big red flag, The Pastor operates much more undercover and his identity is only revealed in the final few pages.
Cavanagh creates a lot of jeopardy for his characters and there are several deaths along the way creating a seemingly impossible mountain for Eddie to climb. The characters are really well developed and compelling. And there's an unmissable element of racism and gun advocacy here too.
All in all I enjoyed the plot and Eddie plays his usual hand - the law wins out but needs a push along the way. There was something missing, though, which I can't quite put my finger on. A small amount of dissatisfaction with the story that cost the one star. Maybe it was that despite the challenges facing Eddie and his guys it all kind of felt inevitable? Or that Korn was so overtly evil, like there wasn't anyone who wasn't aware? I don't know, I haven't figured it out yet.
Nevertheless, this is a good, taut read from a fine thriller writer.
In The Devil's Advocate, Eddie and his team are up against an Alabama DA, Randall Korn. A young man, Andy Dubois, has been accused of murdering teenager, Skylar Edwards. The case is a dead cert, with a mound of evidence and two guilty confessions. A government fixer, Berlin, comes in to persuade Eddie to take the case, because Korn is known to enjoy seeing convicted killers die (Korn's county has the highest death penalty count in the US). So, how can Eddie resist?
Cavanagh makes it immediately obvious that Korn is the bad guy, a truly bad guy. So obvious it could be tattooed on Korn's forehead in big red letters. And everyone else seems to know it, too. Korn has the sheriff and half the cops in his pocket, he scares witnesses and experts alike to do his bidding. Nobody likes it, not really, but they're all too scared to push back. The novel possesses a very clear good vs. evil theme (made obvious via the title).
But Korn isn't the only antagonist, there's also The Pastor, a killer too, a white supremacist who wants to make a big and very deadly statement, so that strand runs as an undercurrent beneath Eddie and the team's investigation into Korn. Unlike Korn, who's a big red flag, The Pastor operates much more undercover and his identity is only revealed in the final few pages.
Cavanagh creates a lot of jeopardy for his characters and there are several deaths along the way creating a seemingly impossible mountain for Eddie to climb. The characters are really well developed and compelling. And there's an unmissable element of racism and gun advocacy here too.
All in all I enjoyed the plot and Eddie plays his usual hand - the law wins out but needs a push along the way. There was something missing, though, which I can't quite put my finger on. A small amount of dissatisfaction with the story that cost the one star. Maybe it was that despite the challenges facing Eddie and his guys it all kind of felt inevitable? Or that Korn was so overtly evil, like there wasn't anyone who wasn't aware? I don't know, I haven't figured it out yet.
Nevertheless, this is a good, taut read from a fine thriller writer.
lisayoung's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0