SYNOPSIS
- Book #8 in the series.
- Ruby Johnson is a nanny and a maid on a wealthy street in New York, where she used to reside before her dad gambled away the family’s wealth.
- When Ruby sees a murder go down, she starts plotting instead of reporting it.
- Eddie Flynn is a former con artist who’s now a defense lawyer.
- John Jackson, a prominent physician, is accused of murder, and Eddie takes the case.
- Flynn and his quirky team have to pull out all the stops to keep an innocent guy from going to jail.

MY THOUGHTS
- I have not read any of the other books in the series.
- I really like Cavanaugh’s other books I’ve read, but this one let me down a bit.
- There were a lot of characters & shifting POVs, and these aspects should have been majorly cut back for better execution. I felt like there was a near constant introduction of new perspectives & it took away from the story and true character development.
- For seasoned thriller fans, the outcome will feel predictable.
- Mr. Christmas felt cartoonish.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️Although I am a big Cavanaugh fan, this one fell short for me. Predictable endings + way too many POVs.

Thanks to Atria Books & Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on March 25, 2025.

Witness 8 revolves around a complex web of individuals connected to the murder of Margaret Blackwell. Eddie Flynn and his team are hired to defend John Jackson, a wealthy surgeon falsely accused of killing his neighbor. As Eddie digs deeper into the case, he faces obstacles at every turn, putting his own life in danger along the way. Ruby, the Jacksons' nanny, appears to be involved in the mystery, but there's something wrong with Ruby—something Eddie must unravel in order to uncover the truth.

As a lawyer, I'm not usually a fan of legal books, movies, or shows. However, this one struck the right balance of drama and fiction when it comes to the legal world. The shifting perspectives kept the story fast-paced and engaging, especially with the opening narration from a character who’s clearly bad from the first sentence of the story. I had no idea how everything would come together, but Steve Cavanagh did an excellent job of tying up loose ends and delivering a thrilling, well-crafted story.

This book was so good!!!! I could not put it down. It had major Lincoln Lawyer (on Netflix) vibes and truly just kept me entertained in each chapter all the way until the very end.

I loved all the main characters so much and could really visualize each of the them. I loved the whole Italian mafia feel, the courtroom tension, and the sly con man turned lawyer antics. I loved how everything came together in the last few chapters and the twists towards the end I did not see coming at all. Perfectly written.

I was unaware that this book was part of a series and/or could be read as a standalone. I am already adding the rest of them to my wish list.

Thank you #Netgalley and Steve Cavanagh for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'd like to start off by saying thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The newest book in the Eddie Flynn series is yet another masterpiece from Steve Cavanagh. Con man turned lawyer Eddie Flynn is back to represent John Jackson, a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon who is being accused of murder after being anonymously turned in by Ruby Johnson.

Ruby Johnson grew up in the extraordinarily wealthy neighborhood that is West Seventy Fourth Street. When her alcoholic father lost everything due to gambling, the bank took the house, and Ruby's father ran away, leaving Ruby and her mother to pick up the pieces.

Ruby now works as a maid and nanny to some of the wealthy families on the very street she grew up on. With this job she is able to dig into the lives of the families on the streets and learn their deepest secrets. One night while walking home, Ruby witnesses a murder. With her mother being ill and them struggling to get by, Ruby sees this as an opportunity to change their lives.

New York runs on kickbacks and greenbacks, and Eddie Flynn represents John Jackson, who Ruby anonymously turned in for the murder she witnessed.

What makes Eddie Flynn such a great lawyer is his ability to con his way through cases. When Eddie calls out a crooked cop in court, a hit is put out on Eddie. So Eddie must solve the case while also staying alive and one step ahead of the hitmen that are hunting him.

This book is action-packed and pulls you in from the start. I love the alternating POV between Eddie, Kate, Lake, Bloch, Mr. Christmas, Angel, and The Man. This book will have you second guessing everything and will keep you pulled in from the start.

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝟴
We follow Ruby Johnson, a house keeper and nanny for the wealthy, as she witnesses a murder on the block she works on and uses that information to blackmail the killer to help her sick mother. However, Ruby has other secrets from her past that she wants to keep hidden.
This book had an interesting cast of characters, some more likeable than others. I did enjoy “Mr. Christmas” and Eddie Flynn, a conman turned lawyer who has an interesting way of pursuing justice. Overall I thought this book was okay, and I did like the ending, but won’t be in my top thrillers of 2024.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars from me. This book comes out in March 2025.

Such a great story! Great characters amd side stories But so much going on at times. Excited to read the rest of the series.

I loved this book! I requested this book because the description sounded interesting but I didn't realize that Witness 8 was part of a larger series. I can't wait to read the rest of this author's backlog. I also haven't read a lot of police procedurals or crime novels but this was a great introduction to the genre. I loved the pacing, the different POVs and the balance of detective work/shenanigans and courtroom drama.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for trusting me with an ARC of Witness 8 by Steve Cavanaugh. Witness 8 is part of the Eddie Flynn Series. In this book, Eddie Flynn, former conman now defense attorney, has been hired to defend a doctor, John Jackson, who has been accused of killing a neighbor. There is one witness to the killing, Ruby Johnson, a maid/nanny to the Jackson family and others in the prominent neighborhood. As a child, Ruby lived in the neighborhood until her father lost all of their money. Ruby now works for these same families and struggles with her changed circumstances.

I was drawn to this book based upon one of the author's other books, Kill for Me, Kill for You, an outstanding book. However, I was not familiar with the Eddie Flynn series so it took me a few chapters to get up to speed with the characters. I love the Eddie Flynn character. He is street-wise and very funny. This book offered plenty of surprises and I look forward to starting the series at the beginning.

In the meantime, keep turning those pages....

My first read by the author but won’t be my last!!! Plot was easy to follow! And gave just what it needed to!

Wow what a story! This was my second book by Cavanagh & it didn’t disappoint! I’m embarrassed to say this was my first Eddie Flynn read but it won’t be my last. Cavanagh does a wonderful job with legal thrillers & pulling the pieces together at the end. I have to say Ruby was my favorite POV to read! Can you say “unhinged?!” I gotta say I did NOT see that end coming!
My only downside to this was the fact that legal thrillers & “mob” themes aren’t my favorite to read. But that’s a me problem, not the book! Overall it was a good, fun read & I’m obsessed with Cavanagh’s writing!

Okay, when I got approved for this book I was so thrilled because I LOVED Cavanagh's "Kill For Me Kill For You." But as I continued to read this book, something felt a bit off. And yes, yes, I realized about halfway through that this is the EIGHTH in a series and I was just jumping in completely blind.

That being said, I loved it so much that now I must go back and read the first seven. Congrats Mr. Cavanagh, you have made yourself a fan for life with your excellent writing and character development, even if I was coming in blind :)

A page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat!! Great plot, fast paced, and writing that kept you intrigued. I was the perfect amount entertained and disturbed throughout. Highly recommend this read if you need something that will keep you on your toes!

This was my first time reading an Eddie Flynn novel, it won’t be my last! I had a ton of fun learning about all of the different characters in this book, it made it fly by. I would recommend this to anyone who just wants to have a good time and have fun reading a title.

I recently read Kill For Me, Kill For You and it was hands down the best thriller I've read all year, so I was so excited when I saw another Steve Cavanagh on NetGalley. Witness 8 did not disappoint! When Ruby witnesses a murder on her old block in Manhattan, she decided to leverage this to her advantage and begins plotting her blackmail scheme, framing one of the fathers she nannies for. Eddie Flynn and his team are defending this innocent man while getting closer and closer to the truth. Meanwhile, the mob has put out a hit on Eddie for uncovering one of their rackets.

This book stands out to me because of the questionable moral compasses of many of the narrators. Who are we going to root for, and will this change throughout the story? Ruby has a bit of a Robin Hood mentality, as her manipulation is ultimately to pay for her mother's medical care. Eddie Flynn gives off major Saul Goodman vibes as a former con man turned attorney. Mr. Christmas, the assassin, has a code he follows based on respect and taste in films. There is a lot of backstory to the characters that is intriguing to me, so I will definitely be diving into Steve's backlist. Pick this one up if you like detective books and grey area characters.

A complicated multi faceted plotline, with lots of action. I could see this being made into a movie and I think it will appeal to a lot of my older students. A group of lawyers, with heart , even a hitman with a sometimes heart are among the people who make up this novel with some interesting moral dilemmas.

Overall this was a good read. It was my first Eddie flynn book so I didn't have a lot of the backstory and there were a lot of characters to keep track of so it was tricky at first. He is a former con man, now an attorney with unconventional methods to get the job done and an interesting team that he works with. The characters were not typical, which I enjoyed. There were multiple plotlines, an innocent man being framed for murder, a seemingly unscrupulous nanny, corrupt cops, a hit on Eddie. It all came together in the end and was worth the read 4.5

Dnf @ 18% I expected to like this with how high the reviews are. But I think all of the reviews are just from heavy fans of the author and readers who aren’t actually into thrillers. Calling this a thriller just isn’t accurate. It’s a crime/legal novel. With far too many POVs for a small book. Zero adrenaline so far. There’s so many storylines going on that it’s just wildly confusing. The characters aren’t interesting except maybe Eddie, but he’s had one chapter so far. And it’s certainly not a stand alone. I’ve tried to keep pushing myself but I spent over a week forcing myself to read only a couple pages a day. It’s just not worth the severe reading slump this has put me in.
I think this could be the book for you if you’ve read the entire series and love it and you don’t like adrenaline and thrill.

Steve Cavanagh is literally the best. Everything he writes is top notch and this was not exception. Hands down a 5 star read and I honestly can't wait to re read it. I will be recommending this to everyone I know.

Another solid read from Steve Cavanaugh. Fast paced and enjoyable for those wanting a bit of justice.

There's nothing like a Steve Cavanagh legal thriller to keep me glued to the words on the page (or in my case, the screen on my iPad Kindle app). In Witness 8, Cavanagh continues to exert his wild imagination to come up with a tense, compelling story with some familiar characters.

Eddie Flynn, a con man-turned-defense attorney, faces particularly long odds in his 8th adventure, as the overwhelming evidence against his client seems unimpeachable. John Jackson is a greatly admired pediatric brain surgeon, living a privileged life with his supportive wife in a neighborhood that includes only the very wealthy. With no apparent motive to murder a woman who lives in the neighborhood but with damaging evidence against him, he relies on Eddie to determine what really happened and identify possible suspects.

Eddie is a street-smart lawyer with a unique, impressive team that takes on only clients they consider to be innocent. He isn't afraid to insinuate himself into potentially dangerous situations as he doggedly pursues the truth to exonerate the defendant. But the real star of the story is Ruby Johnson, who describes her painful early days and her current situation as nanny and housekeeper for the residents of this exclusive neighborhood. How does she figure in how the plot plays out? You have to read the book to find out, as it would be unforgivable to spoil it for you. It's a story full of crooked cops, killers-for-hire, social dynamics, mental health, and almost unbearable excitement. I will definitely keep on looking for new novels by Steve Cavanagh.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.