What a thriller! This was tense and kept me guessing. There were quite a few characters to keep track of, but they all played a part in the multiple story lines.
A woman is killed late at night in an upscale NYC neighborhood. A nanny/housekeeper witnesses the murder and then frames her employer. Former con man, now lawyer Eddie and his team are defending the accused and go to great lengths to find out the truth.
I consider this a "smart" thriller as you do need to pay attention to the details and it's a complicated storyline. I was completely hooked and can't wait to read more of Cavanagh's books.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I have to admit that this is my first Eddie Flynn book, but I can clearly see why this character has his own series.
Eddie started off as a conman before becoming one of NYC’s most unconventional criminal lawyers. Now he must defend a powerful, yet innocent man, for a murder he didn’t commit.
But first, we meet Ruby Johnson. A maid/nanny to the wealthy including for the accused.
One of the first things we discover is that some people, including her own grandmother, think that there is something wrong with her.
So when it’s Ruby who happens to be walking home from a job when she sees the murder take place, she immediately from a pay phone calls the police. Only Ruby lies about who the real killer is and instead frames an innocent man.
But the real question is why?
Steve Cavanagh takes you on a fast and pacey thrill ride with twist and turns that will leave your head spinning.

“They’re forgetting something…you can’t cheat a con man…”

I read book 4 of the Eddie Flynn series without realizing it was part of a series…and when I was finished, I promptly went back to the beginning and binged the entire series - books one through seven. In three weeks, because I simply could NOT put them down. I was ecstatic to get an ARC of the newest one, “Witness 8.”

Eddie is fascinating, intelligent, loyal, complicated yet simple. He’s basically the ideal man and I love how these books take us through his thought process and we get to see how his brain works! Right off the bat, this story drew me in. The reader knew from the beginning a bit of what was happening, but not the why. As the story went on, and Eddie finally revealed the truth, my jaw dropped - I never saw it coming! There were moments that made my breath catch, not only because of the mystery at hand but also seeing Eddie with his found family. He really grew to love the people around him, at his law practice and it always warms my heart to see just how good they all are together. I hope Eddie Fly’s adventures never, ever end!

“Witness 8” releases March 25, 2025. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Witness 8 is an impossibly twisty book. You never feel like you can get your footing before another twist becomes apparent. Ruby, a former socialite and now a maid, witnesses a murder. She calls it in to the police, but deliberately gives the police false information. Eddie Flynn, conman turned trial lawyer, must defend an innocent man accused of this crime. Don’t try and figure this one out — just go along for the fun ride!

4.5 stars…really liked how engaging and easy to follow along and keep up with this book, even though it was book 8 in a series. I enjoined seeing a little bit of Eddie’s con artist perspective throughout the entire book but then you really saw it more towards the ends. Ruby was so likable at the beginning but you could just tell something was a bit off. Overall, it was pretty believable but also let in a bit of a supernatural element that you just couldn’t put your finger on if it was really supernatural or a mental illness coming to light.

Overall, I liked this, but Cavanagh's latest is not without issues.

To start, this is not being marketed as what it is: the eighth novel in an ongoing series starring con man-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn. I likely would not have requested and read this had I known that it was so deep in a series, but I enjoyed Kill for Me, Kill for You and was excited to see a new book from Cavanagh; it's not totally necessary to have read the previous books, as the author makes the histories and relationships relatively easy to follow, but there were definitely points where having more context would have made me care more about what was going on.

Also, there's just too much going on. There are 3-4 plots happening all at once, and I could have done without at least one of them (my personal choice for excising would have been the police corruption/bounty on Flynn subplot). It was occasionally confusing to keep the characters and stories straight; it doesn't help that characters have similar names (there is a Jackson family and a Johnson family that both play major roles here and interact frequently).

I had fun, but it needed simplification.

I wouldn't expect anything less than phenomenal from Steve Cavanagh!

I love this series and this is just another great installment for Mr. Eddie Flynn. If you haven't read this series I suggest you run to your nearest book store and dive in. You won't regret it.

I loved Kill For Me, Kill for You so was excited to be approved for this arc. Definitely had some exciting moments but there were too many characters to keep track of. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Although this is #8 in a series it read well all by itself. I loved the characters, even with their flaws. Ruby used to live on 74th, where all the rich folks live, but her father gambled away their life and then fled. Ruby and her mom ended up losing everything and had to move. Ruby was reduced to working for the rich families that she used to think were their equals. A murder in the neighborhood reveals many secrets and Eddie Fly and his crew need to try to get to the bottom so that their client, isn't found guilty of something he didn't do while trying to keep Eddie from getting killed due to the hit out on him.

4⭐️

I’ve read every single one of Steve Cavanagh’s books and they never disappoint! This one was intense, heart-racing, and intriguing. The plot was unique and kept my eyes glued to the pages from start to finish. The twists weren’t as crazy as his other books. However, the overall story really made up for the lack of mind blowing twists.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This series is one of my favorites , there was not one book of Steve Cavanagh that I have not enjoyed ! The book stayed interesting the whole time and I kept wanting to continue to read more . I was worried because I did not read the previous book in the series but it can be read as a standalone book . Highly recommend !
Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a great cast of characters that truly made the story shine. Eddie reminded me a lot of Mickey from *The Lincoln Lawyer*—the Netflix version, not the books. He had that same demeanor and generosity, which made him easy to root for. But what really made this book special was the entire team. There was a sense of wholesomeness in their dynamic that I really enjoyed.

Each character had a unique personality, and honestly, I would love to see individual novels for some of them. Lake and Mr. Christmas stood out the most, especially toward the end. Lake’s quirkiness and sharp attention to detail kept me hooked every time they were on the page.

The plot itself wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but that didn’t really matter because the characters carried the story so well. Sometimes, a book doesn’t need a wild, unpredictable plot—just great characters that make you want to keep reading.

I absolutely loved this one. It was memorable, fun, and full of charm. If you’re looking for a book with strong, likable characters, this is definitely one to pick up!

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Atria Books and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley and @AtriaBooks for this ARC. Ruby is a nanny for several families on a prominent street in NYC. Walking home after babysitting, she sees a women murdered in the front window of her home. What Rudy does with this information sets up an elaborate scheme for money.
I requested a copy of this book not knowing it was part of a series. Though I haven't read the other books, this one flowed seamlessly. I can see how these characters are beloved. This book is full of adventure! #Witness8 #SteveCavanagh #AtriaBooks #March2025

This was great. I’m a huge fan of police procedure, court rooms & murder investigations! This book had it all! I love how Mr. Cavanagh has so many POV’s going at the same time just to find it weave it all together!
This was my first Eddie Flynn & I cannot wait to get into his backlist. Eddie was great…I love a morally gray good guy! Ruby was just conniving & nasty!
Thanks for letting me read this early. I really enjoyed it!

When I first requested this title I did not realize it was part of a series. I loved loved loved kill for me fill for you, so I was excited to read something else by Steve Cavanagh. Even though this is part of a series, I didn't feel like it hindered my reading experience. I'msure there is some things that I missed but I never felt confused. I would very much like to go back and read more of the series though! What more could you ask for form book then a top notch criminal lawyer doing his thing while also fending off hits on his life. This was a f un read with quite a few twists that I didn't see coming.

The Eddie Flynn series needs to keep coming!! Steve Cavanaugh never disappoints. Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy. I couldn't put this book down.

Alright, I absolutely LOVED Kill for You, Kill for Me by the same author. I was so stoked to see this title on file with NetGalley. And frankly. I was honored to get access to it! I was not expecting to be approved.

I was pretty disappointed though. To me, all the characters were pretty flat (except Ruby, go OFF crazy QUEEN and get your bag). I was thinking my lack of connection to the characters may be due to the fact that this is book #8 of a series that I hadn't touched. I think this is being marketed as a standalone (which it could be); however, readers may find it beneficial to pick up some earlier installments in the series.

I also felt that there were just far too many characters and POVs. I was confused during this book. Everyone had their own agendas, motives, theories... It was tough for my ADHD brain to keep it all straight. And I don't think I did.

I did really love Ruby's chapters. Mr. Christmas was giving Jacquen Hagar (GoT reference). And I also enjoyed the modern-noir tone of the book. It felt like Law and Order meets a Michael Crichton novel. I personally did not care for it in the end (simply due to the volume of characters, most of which were boring), but I think the right reader may enjoy it more than me. If you're a stan of this author, you'll like it. If you are picking this author up for the first time, I would probably talk you into Kill for You, Kill for Me instead!

This is such a good series! It features Eddie Flynn, NYC attorney, and his team. Although this is a series, it is not necessary to read the previous books, however, the previous books give backstories on the very interesting characters in Eddie’s world. Recommended!

Eddie Flynn- con man turned defense lawyer- needs all of his legal and con skills to prove his client famous pediatric neurosurgeon John Jackson is innocent of a murder of a neighbor. His team of assistants-Kate, Bloch, Lake and Harry all play key roles in the book.
Eddie has so many people trying to kill him to collect the bounty on him placed by corrupt members of “ New York’s Finest”) that you are on the edge of your seat seeing if they succeed. There are so many entertaining twists and turns that require you to pay careful attention, and lots of interesting minor characters to round out the novel.
Eddy’s favorite line-New York runs on “kickbacks and greenbacks”- proves true in this book.

Fast paced and gripping story with a few twists I did not see coming. This is my first book by Cavanagh and I hadn't realized it was part of a series when I read it, but that didn't limit my enjoyment at all. Great characters and I'd love to catch myself up from the beginning of the series. Parts of the story drove me a little crazy - how did no one give Ruby a second glance in the investigation until we were nearly through the story - but overall this was definitely a hit for me.