In this one, defense attorney Eddie Flynn faces off against a ruthless DA with the highest death row record in history—while also taking on a violent white supremacist group. It’s a bit over the top at times, but it works and keeps you hooked.

The real strength is Eddie’s team—Kate, Block, and Harry are easy to root for and bring heart to the story. While the pacing felt slower than previous books and the plot a bit stretched, I liked the change in setting. It gave the story a fresh feel.

Not my favorite in the series, probably a 3.75 ⭐️ but still a solid read. I love this crew, and Steve Cavanagh remains one of my must-read authors. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria.

Okay, this one had me hooked immediately. A lawyer up against a corrupt justice system, a truly sinister DA, and a town that’s basically built around the death penalty. I love that these types of books do not need to be read in order. You can pick one at random without feeling that you’re missing an entire backstory.

Underneath all the courtroom strategy and small-town horror, there’s real commentary about justice, power, and how broken the system can be.

Perfect if you love twisty legal drama, morally gray villains, and main characters who fight dirty for the right reasons. I devoured it.

This book was so good ! I love this series, and I highly have enjoyed the murder mystery elements paired with the law and courthouse thrillings. The characters were done well, and I was so excited to see more of them.

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.

This book had me guessing till the very end! I was constantly changing my mind about who I thought certain characters were and I was on the edge of my seat the entire trial. I love Eddie Flynn and can’t wait to read more of his crazy adventures

The King of legal thrillers has done it again! I loved this book and I love Eddie Flynn!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

The underlying subject of this novel is the death penalty in deep south Alabama. Eddie Flynn will do whatever it takes, including spending a few nights in a cell, to help keep an innocent man from going to death row. The odds are stacked against him and his team: partner Kate, mentor and former judge Harry, investigator Bloch. The district attorney has his hands on the scales of justice and will stop at nothing, including murder, to add to his death penalty conviction rate, putting the entire team in danger. Another solid Eddie Flynn novel by Steve Cavanagh.

This is another great Eddie Flynn book from Steve Cavanagh! The great thing about this series is even though there are many books, you can read them in order, but each still makes sense as a stand alone. The Devil's Advocate is set in the deep South with themes of systemic racism and underground white supremacist groups. Flynn is taking on more than just a corrupt prosecutor, he and his team are going after the entire law enforcement and political system that is rotten from the inside. Their client is a young Black man who is innocent and faces the death penalty if the jury convicts him. Major themes mirror To Kill a Mockingbird which is referenced several times in the story. Overall it was a good, fast read and a solid legal thriller. Definitely recommend!

This wasn’t my favorite Eddie Flynn addition but I still really enjoyed. I loved the political aspects and tie ins to real life issues we are still somehow facing in the US. Also a sucker for a good ending with a twist!

Another great Eddie Flynn novel by Mr. Cavanagh! This one was full of unexpected twisted and turns but trigger warning as this has a lot of racism/racial equity issues in it.

The Devil's Advocate is a high-stakes legal thriller that delivers on tension, pacing, and courtroom drama. Cavanagh’s protagonist, Eddie Flynn, remains a compelling figure—quick-witted, morally driven, and easy to root for. The novel’s central antagonist is chilling and well-developed, adding genuine menace to the plot.

While some plot points stretch believability, the sharp dialogue and relentless momentum keep the story moving. Cavanagh balances action and legal intrigue well, making this a strong entry in the series and a solid pick for fans of John Grisham or Scott Turow.

I absolutely love the Eddie Flynn series and Steve Cavanagh’s writing.

This book definitely did not disappoint. It kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how the impossible was going to be made possible. It also sent pure rage through my mind on more than one occasion. There were points I had to put the book down and come back to it because of how mad it made me, but that’s part of what made the book so great. It was necessary to actually feel the book.

I definitely recommend!

That book left me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it
I kept shutting the book because I was too nervous and too scared for what’s to come
As usual Eddie Flynn and his group are my fav everrr
I enjoyed every second of this book, the tension was over the ceiling.
The politics and religion topics that it viewed were viewed very nicely from everyone’s point of view
Thanks Steve for this beautiful story
And thanks netgalley for this chance

First thank you to net galley for the ARC. This book is vintage Steve Cavanaugh. I discovered this author last year and now I’m hooked. The best thing about Eddie Flynn novels are they are part of a series but can also be read as standalone books. Highly recommend.

One of those books you don't want to end. I think this author is my new favorite!
I love the characters, the action, all the twists and the pace of this book. If you like thrillers, this is your book! Great summer reading but I'm sure it would be fun to read this book any time of year.
I would LOVE to see a movie made of these characters and this story.

4.5 stars

I have enjoyed every Steve Cavanaugh book I've read so far, but none felt as emotionally charged and disturbing as this one. It definitely struck a nerve given the current political climate and world today, even though it was originally published in 2021. Eddie took more of a backseat in this novel and there were a bit too many characters to keep track of as the plot within a plot unfolded. There was so much carnage throughout the novel that the ending wrapped up too cleanly in my opinion. It was satisfying in a "the bad guys got what was coming to them" kind of way, but it was also anticlimactic for characters like Korn. I did like the message though about standing up for what's right and that sometimes it takes just one person to make all the difference. Even though this is book 6 in the series, I feel it stands well on its own. It would be most enjoyed, however, if you've read the previous novels since you will have a better understanding of the characters and relationships.

The narration by Adam Sims was wonderful again, and I'm not sure I can ever listen to an Eddie Flynn novel without hearing his voice. I love all the different voices he uses to elevate the story. I'm looking forward to listening to the next book.

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Steve Cavanagh for an ARC of The Devil’s Advocate. I absolutely love the Eddie Flynn series. I’m not too much into series it’s hard to keep up with - but these are worth it. I haven’t read them in order, but yet can completely enjoy them. Steve does put reminders into the books for important items, which I greatly appreciate! I thought I had figured this book out and was completely wrong. Eddie is such a great smart mouth character and love how he’s quick on his feet and all the characters that shape each other. I also wasn’t too much into legal stories until now and can’t get enough of it. Korn, the district attorney, has won every trial since he kind of completely controls them. He enjoys watching prisons being executed. Who cares on justice - guilty or not, they must die. Andy Dubois is an innocent man who faces death penalty for murdering a friend. Korn has it in the bag for this conviction until Flynn comes into town. Eddie has had some tough cases, but nothing compared to this corrupt town. Eddie doesn’t have much time to save Andy.. if he can even save himself. Faced paced - edge of your seat - screaming at the end of the book. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

Pre-Read Notes:

I picked this one up from NetGalley because it's my kind of book, a gritty gothic crime thriller, and it was endorsed by S.A. Cosby, the king of gritty gothic crime thrillers. Looking forward to this one!

"["...]I don’t need a sledgehammer here. I need someone smart enough to take on Korn in the courtroom, get the kid off. If something bad has happened to Warren, no one will ever find him. Korn is too careful. Warren is beyond my help now. What I want to know is will you go to Alabama and save this kid’s life?”" p32

Final Review

(thoughts & recs) I like stories about corruption and capital punishment. The stakes are so high in these stories, makes for great tension! This book *does* remind me of S. A. Cosby and also Trophy Kill by R.J. Norgard, and True Detective. If you like gritty Gothic detective and PI novels, or dark crime thrillers, you'll enjoy this one.

My 7 Favorite Things:

✔️ I love corruption stories. I love hating corrupt characters. For me, this theme automatically raises the stakes.

✔️ This is a really scary story. Not like monster movie scary, but deep, inescapable human evil scary. I find these sorts of antagonists so vonpelling.

✔️ Blunt delivery, but the characterization is nuanced.

✔️ I don't know whether this writer is a lawyer in the real world, or if he's just a great researcher, but he knows the world of law and justice and he writes convincingly about corruption.

✔️ I'm always impressed with books lately in a series that stand completely alone. Even the character development feels natural and considera new readers. This book is well done.

✔️ This is so scary: "["...]Korn has a way of getting to people. Climbing inside them with his filth. Infecting them. Not long after he became DA, the capital-murder cases in the county went through the roof.... Korn put Lomax on the take. And once you make a little compromise, you’re finished. Then it’s a one-way street. Taking a bribe becomes turning a blind eye to some evidence tampering, then actively evidence tampering, then destroying evidence, then destroying people like Cody and Betty. Sooner or later, you realize that street has taken you someplace you never expected to be.”" p193-4 Such good development of the antagonists, which I think is a rare pleasure.

✔️ "It was a strange time to be an American , she thought. After September eleventh, the single largest threat came from overseas terrorists. That had changed. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other intelligence and law-enforcement agencies recognized the single greatest threat to the country now came from white supremacist domestic terror groups. They were increasingly well organized and funded." p271-2 In-freaking-deed. I just think the theme work here is so strong.

Notes:

1. capital punishment, railroading, murder, corruption, forced confession, police, criminal justice system, racism, systemic racism, racial violence,


Thank you to the author Steve Cavanaugh, SS Atria Books, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE. All views are mine.

“The Devil’s Advocate” by Steve Cavanagh-
His books are like wild rides for me. You don’t care where you’re going or how you get there because it’ll all be well worth it. This book had me feeling emotional highs and lows. Although this is a book of fiction, it touched on some real topics.
From the first page to the last this was a five-star read for me. Eddie Flynn and the crew leave NYC and head South to defend Andy Dubois. Dubois is accused of murdering Skylar Edwards. Korn, the DA, is seeking the death penalty.
Lies, deceit, corruption and hate can be felt throughout the entire book.
My advice for anyone contemplating reading “The Devil’s Advocate”, READ IT!!!!! I loved all Steve’s book and this is no different.