I wanted to love this book.
Sadly, I was only able to make it to the first 75 pages. The multiple povs was throwing me off.

Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh is the eighth book in the Eddie Flynn series about an ex-con-turned-lawyer in New York City.

I wish I was better acquainted with this series before picking up this book. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I were an Eddie Flynn fan.

The premise of this story sounded great: the only witness of a murder in a wealthy neighborhood is a young woman who is a villain in her own way. “Something is wrong with Ruby Johnson” and “What if the witness was more twisted than the killer?” were both taglines that heightened my anticipation for a twisty psychological thriller.

Despite the title being about a witness in a murder trial, I’d say only about half of the book is about this plotline and a third of the book actually delves into Ruby as a character (19 out of 70 chapters are from her point of view and she doesn’t even cross paths with Eddie and his team until at least 40% of the way into the book). This is primarily a novel about Eddie Flynn and the cast of characters that have been introduced throughout his series. The chapters jump across multiple points of view with Eddie as the sole first-person POV. There is a lot to follow in this story above and beyond the case at hand: corrupt cops, city-level politics, assassination attempts, and child trafficking, to name a few. It was too much, in my opinion. It strained my focus of attention.

Unfortunately, I skipped a good deal of this book to hear more from and about Ruby. Take, for example, this incredibly creepy description:

“Silent. Invisible. But that was also her power. She was a poisonous spider, lurking in the dark corners of every home on the street. …

So many spider threads she had yet to lay out. Some she could now begin to gather.

One thing was for sure: Ruby’s game was just beginning.

And she had flies to catch.”

Amazing, right?! Who wouldn’t want to know more about this spider and her web?

However, this is a story largely about courtroom drama, twisted cops and district attorneys in NYC, con-men and hitmen, and the uber-wealthy behaving badly. If that’s the vibe you’re going for, you’ll like this book. It just didn’t hit home for me as a psychologically thrilling page-turner. I saw the interwoven narratives as interrupting each other rather than building to a strong general plotline.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I didn't realize at the time that this book is part of a series. In other reviews it states you can read it as a standalone so I decided to go ahead and give it a try.

I enjoyed this thriller especially since it was set in NYC. i will now have to go back and read the rest so I can catch up.

Recommend this one!

Eddie Flynn is back at it again baby.
What a fantastic book.
I will take on a hoard of zombies for Eddie, because I know that he will save me in the end.
I'm always excited to see where the next case will lead us, and this one did not disappoint.
Ruby has to be one of the most troubling characters I've ever come across. Burdened and full of secrets, she strikes out at anyone who gets in her way. Eddie, as always, is fighting an uphill battle to get his client off, not knowing the tornado of destruction that Ruby wields at every turn.
This book takes you on a journey of insanity, and survival. Neglecting to follow a narrative that provides a comprehensive acceptance of reason. It instead emulates selfishness, bold and unforgiving to the very end.
Every character that was introduced had their secrets exposed, but not really judged, if that makes sense.
Again, a brilliant read with grey AF characters who are all too willing to show who they are.

This was truly entertaining. I loved the back and forth chapters. I loved the suspense and agony you got from the characters who had no idea what was going on.

I really do love his writing. He has a way grabbing you and not letting go. This was very thrilling.

Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this!

4.5

"What if the witness was more dangerous than the killer?"
Witness 8 is the 8th book in the Eddie Flynn series and it does not disappoint. This time Eddie has to clear his new client John Jackson, who is the only suspect in a murder. The neighborhood maid even placed him at the scene, but not everything is what it seems in this captivating read. This was written well and I could not stop turning the pages. I enjoyed every character in this especially Eddie. In this one nothing is obvious. The suspense in this book is so good. I highly enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more from this series. This is book I would recommend to any readers who like mystery or thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this great read in exchange of my honest review of Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh.

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“Witness 8” by Steve Cavanaugh is a psychological thriller set in the heart of NYC. Eddie Flynn is an ex con man turned defense attorney. He has been approached to represent a man accused of murder in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in town. Ruby, works in that neighborhood, and upon leaving work one night witnesses, the murder of an affluent woman.

Seems like it would be two different plots… Right? See how they’re connected!

There were multiple POVs in this novel, and I think that it may have been a bit of a detriment. I enjoyed some narrator’s stories over others, but the voices of the narrators never really changed. However, I did enjoy the storyline. I figured out the ending about halfway through so I would knock a star off for a predictability.

This book is out now!

@netgalley #netgalley #stevecavanagh #witness8

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this new edition to the Eddie Flynn series written by Steve Cavanagh. I love this author and series and couldn’t wait to start reading this next book in the series. It could be read as a stand alone, but I recommend starting from the beginning of the series to really get to know all the characters. The series gets better and better with each book and I hope there will be more in the future. They are always full of fun twists and turns and are such quick reads because you can’t put them down! Thank you again for letting me read and review this great thriller!

I really enjoyed this one. Eddie Flynn is as clever as ever, and the twists kept me guessing right up to the end. Ruby, the witness, is a wild card—you never know what she’ll do next, and that makes her fascinating.

This book moves fast and packs in a lot, though that means there’s a lot to keep track of. Still, I was hooked the whole way through, especially by Eddie’s courtroom magic and Ruby’s cunning. I’d give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Another Eddie Flynn novel win! The plot is fantastic and not super complicated to follow. I love a good legal/law enforcement thriller, and this is perfect for my fellow readers. The way everything is tied together and wrapped up is elite.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC copy of Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh. I absolutely have loved the Eddie Flynn series, but this one wasn't my favorite. It was still good, and action packed. I wanted more Eddie, especially in the courtroom. I won't give up on the series though!

This series has me in a chokehold!!! Steve please never stop writing! I was so grateful to receive this arc and be immense into this world again and it didn’t disappoint!

With a complex and multi-layered plot, an unreliable narrator, distinctive characters, a murder investigation, and a trial, this story kept me rapidly turning the pages. This is not your typical murder mystery or legal thriller. It has more depth and is thought-provoking and full of surprises and twists. The pacing is fast and the ending brings everything to a satisfactory conclusion that is well done. Many themes run throughout the novel including secrets, knowledge as power, family, lies, friendship, and much more.

After loving Kill for Me Kill for You, I was excited to dive into Witness 8—and it absolutely delivered. This was my first Eddie Flynn, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was quickly pulled in by story. I didn't feel like I needed to read the previous books to understand this one. The plot kept me guessing, with plenty of sharp dialogue, suspense, and clever reveals. Cavanagh knows how to build tension and keep the pages turning.
Ruby Johnson is a troubled young woman with questionable morals and Eddie Flynn is an interesting lawyer with a knack for getting into hot water and this one keeps him in deep! It was an edge of your seat courtroom thriller! Will be reading more from Eddie in the future!
4 stars.

This is a gripping and intense legal thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story follows Eddie Flynn as he takes on a seemingly impossible case involving a plane crash and a mysterious witness. Cavanagh’s writing is sharp, fast-paced, and filled with clever twists that continually surprise the reader. The complex characters and tight plot keep the tension high from start to finish.

I really enjoyed this book. I usually do not like lawyer and courtroom themed books but this one is not your normal courtroom style. It is very well written and holds your attention. I would want Eddie to be my lawyer!

This one was all over the place for me, a somewhat unpopular opinion. I hadn’t read any Eddie Flynn books. Maybe if I had started from the beginning of the series I would have enjoyed this one more. I struggled to connect with Eddie because of his grey life choices. I did like that Eddie represented the underdog and I will be trying another Eddie Flynn book.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Simon & Schuster Audio for my copies of this book.

Witness 8 is a well-paced psychological / legal thriller packed with duplicity and drama!

Nanny and maid to the rich, Ruby Johnson witnesses a murder on her walk home from work one night. But when she calls the police, she lies about what she saw. Now an innocent man is on trial, and it’s up to con-man-turned-defense-attorney Eddie Flynn to unravel the truth before it’s too late.

Ruby simultaneously fascinated me and creeped me out. And Eddie continually impressed me! He reminded me of a less-cringey Saul from Breaking Bad, always with a clever (semi-legal) trick up his sleeve. The rest of the cast is equally compelling, all well-fleshed out and brimming with personality. This multi-POV thriller is well plotted, clever as all hell, and impossible to put down.

Witness 8 is the eighth book in the Eddie Flynn series, and while I was hesitant to read it before the previous seven, it reads perfectly fine as a standalone (but that doesn't mean I'm not eager to read the others in this series 🔥).

I LOVED reading Kill for Me, Kill for You from this author last summer, and I was so excited to get an advanced copy of Witness 8 - thank you to Atria and NetGalley for access in exchange for my honest opinion. Sadly, pub day came and went but I forgot about it :(
Luckily, I remembered recently and was able to take out a library loan for the audiobook. This is another fast paced thriller that I breezed through. It’s the eighth in a series for main character Eddie Flynn, but it’s interesting that it is the first of the series to be published/released in the US. I’ve heard that there may be spoilers for some of the earlier books but I don’t know if that is true (other than the obvious that if Eddie had previously been in any near-death situations, he is alive and kicking butt in book 8!).
Set in NYC with a ton of characters and POVs, this is a book that needs to be read in a short period of time or else the reader would likely be confused. As if unreliable narrators aren’t confusing enough! I enjoyed the audiobook, and I will definitely be picking up more of Cavanagh’s books. And if you haven’t read Kill for Me, Kill for You, PLEASE check that one out!

Steve Cavanagh has a way of putting you right inside the lives of his characters, trapping you in their world, holding on for dear life. The upper sides of NYC didn’t see this FMC coming! Outstanding.