This is so dark. What happens if a prosecutor in a small town is a very bad person indeed? And the townspeople trusted him so they wanted to make life hard for the defense attorney, to the point he couldn't get a room or service at the diner.
I desperately needed to find out how this very unusual defense attorney was going to overcome all those obstacles! So much suspense.

I normally love Steve Cavanagh's books, but this one did not work for me at all. For one thing, it was very political and seemed to be an outsider's idea of what Southern racism must be. The bad guys were so over the top evil, and some were so over the top racist it was like something out of a cartoon. I was really disappointed that the author wrote stereotypical caricatures, instead of realistic nuanced characters. For another, the description is very misleading. It literally says that Korn is behind every murder, but he's not. I assumed this book was about a lawyer who murders people and frames others for it then prosecutes them. It's not. Also, he doesn't win cases by being a brilliant lawyer and outmaneuvering others. He bullies, bribes, and threatens everyone around him into going along with his wrongful convictions. Basically, the whole town knows how corrupt he is and yet they all go along with it and keep voting him into office. I guess because it's a Southern town everyone is corrupt and evil. I do like Eddie and the team, and the courtroom scenes were good, but I did not like the plot or the heavy-handed political message. I'm glad this wasn't my first Steve Cavanagh book, because it would be my last. Luckily his other ones are much better.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. I will post this on Goodreads on August 5th.

I'M A BIG FAN OF COURTROOM DRAMAS, AND THIS ONE DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
CAVANAGH IS A BRILLIANT WRITER. FROM CORRUPTION WITHIN LAW ENFORCEMENT, GOVERNMENT, AND THOSE WHO PRACTICE LAW, TO SOCIAL AND RACIAL INJUSTICE, THIS STORY COVERS LITERALLY EVERYTHING.
IF YOU LOVE SUSPENSE, DRAMA, AND SMALLTOWN SECRETS, THIS IS FOR YOU.

Going into this I expected there would be To Kill A Mocking Bird meets My Cousin Vinny vibes. I knew without a doubt Cavanagh was going to tell a heck of a story in Alabama. Being born and raised in Montgomery, it’s always interesting to see how my home state is portrayed to and by the rest of the world. I was very curious to see how Eddie Flynn and his band of experts were going to pull it off.

The story did not disappoint. I was turning pages as fast as I could and my heart was pounding the whole time. I devoured it. The drama is chilling and the court room scenes had me holding my breath. This land is absolutely haunted by its dark and bloody past and I think Cavanagh did a great job of translating that.

One doesn’t simply take middle school English in the Deep South without reading, and deep diving To Kill A Mockingbird. The novel sparked a love of reading for me at a young age. I will say that, thankfully, we have come a long way from 1960 in Alabama. Kudos to Steve Cavanagh for giving us such a heart pounding crime thriller! I will definitely be recommending this one to every suspense lover I know!

Eddie and his team travel to Alabama to defend Andy Dubois, an innocent young man who has been framed for killing his coworker Skylar Edwards. Not only is the town’s DA, Randal Korn, corrupt but there are other corrupt things going on behind the scenes. Who is involved and are the actions related to Skylar’s death?

It is great to see Eddie, Harry, Kate and Bloch all working together as a team in this latest installment of the Eddie Flynn series. There is a camaraderie and light hearted es to the interaction even while dealing with the serious death penalty case. This story dives more into the investigative side of the case with a small percentage of the story focused on the actual courtroom. But you still get enough to see how good Eddie and Kate are, even given little to go on. Another great story from Steve Cavanagh.

I have to say this was a tough read for me. The subject matter - blatant racism, discrimination and disregard for humanity - made my blood boil to the point I had to put the book down and allow myself to cool off. For me this is a sign of a good author who can so strongly touch your emotions through their words on a page.

I would like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️s - I love Steve Cavanagh’s books so when I got this ARC, it had my full attention. Fast paced and action packed thriller that takes my favorite character, Eddie Flynn, down to Alabama. Corrupt town with several villains sets the stage for this one. It’s a race against time for Eddie and his team to try and win the case and figure out the killer. Recommend for legal thriller fans and this will be a solid summer page turner!

Expected release: 8/5/25

✨Special thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for this complimentary digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely love the Eddie Flynn books. It's very intriguing to see how he and his team are able to help their client. This book had a difficult and real storyline. I found myself rushing thru certain parts of the story not because of the writing or any negativity towards Steve Cavanagh, but how real the story felt. I was satisfied with the wrap up of the book and the statistics provided at the end of the book. Shocking!

Thank you to Atria Books and Steve Cavanagh for the opportunity to read this book. I freely offer my honest review of this book. Ready for the next Flynn story!

(4.5/5 stars)
The Devil’s Advocate is pure, high-octane legal suspense—the kind that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go until the final, explosive twist. If you’re a fan of courtroom drama with real moral weight and a tightly coiled plot, this one delivers in spades.

Eddie Flynn is exactly the kind of protagonist I love in a thriller: resourceful, clever, and just flawed enough to be believable. Watching him navigate a crooked justice system—especially one as cold-blooded as DA Randal Korn’s—was addictive. Korn, by the way, is one of the most genuinely unsettling villains I’ve read in a while. The concept of a prosecutor who rigs trials to watch people die? Chilling.

The pacing is razor sharp, the stakes sky-high, and the legal strategy is smart without getting bogged down in jargon. My only knock is that a couple of the twists felt slightly sensational, but in a book this intense, it’s easy to forgive.

A brutal, propulsive thriller that’s as much about justice as it is survival. I tore through it.

Steve Cavanagh's The Devil’s Advocate delivers another high-octane legal thriller starring conman-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn. This time, Flynn heads to Alabama to confront a corrupt district attorney known for railroading innocent people onto death row. The stakes are high, the pacing relentless, and the courtroom drama as sharp as ever.

Cavanagh excels at crafting tense, twisty plots, and The Devil’s Advocate is no exception. The moral urgency around capital punishment adds depth, and the antagonist—a DA with a chilling God complex—brings real menace. As always, Flynn is resourceful, slick, and fiercely principled, though his cleverness occasionally stretches believability.

While the book hits all the right thriller beats, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of earlier entries like Thirteen. Some twists feel overly engineered, and supporting characters aren’t as fleshed out. Still, it’s compulsively readable, with plenty of gasp-worthy moments and satisfying legal sparring.

At 3.5 stars, The Devil’s Advocate is a solid, entertaining installment that tackles weighty issues without losing its entertainment edge. It may not be Cavanagh’s best, but fans of the series—and legal thrillers in general—will find plenty to enjoy.

Wow!! What can I say, other than Steve Cavanagh has done it again!. This book grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. Eddie, Harry, Bloch and Kate are all back in this fast paced thriller and still as lovable as always.

Eddie travels from New York all the way to Alabama to investigate why so many inmates are being put to death in this small town and to race against time trying to save another one from meeting the same fate. I promise, just like all of Cavanagh’s books you will have a hard time putting it down.

Thank you to the publisher and Steve Cavanagh for allowing me to read the ARC copy.

I would like to say thank you to netgalley and Steve Cavanagh for the arc. I am absolutely grateful to read this beauty before its publishing. Steve Cavanagh has done it again! I absolutely love the Eddie Flynn series and this is no exception. I ate this book up!

Okay, wow. I had to take breaks while reading this one because the villains are so diabolical. Like genuinely disturbing. Steve Cavanagh really knows how to write evil—and it’s not over the top, it’s chillingly real.

Eddie Flynn might be the star on the blurb, but what I loved is how every supporting character matters. No one feels like filler. Each person has a role that adds depth and tension to the story, and Cavanagh weaves it all together so seamlessly. The plot is layered, the twists hit hard, and it’s so immersive that I had to remind myself to blink a few times.

If you’re into legal thrillers that feel personal, sharp, and intense, definitely pick this one up. But fair warning: you might need a breather or two.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my second book into the Eddy Flynn series, I didn't read them in order but I wasn't confused at any point, which is wonderful. I would have liked to have gone a bit deeper into some of the characters. Otherwise, a very enjoyable read!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

4.5/5 stars! Wow; this legal thriller really hooked me. This is book 6 in the Eddie Flynn series by author Steve Cavanagh and focuses on discovering the culpability of Andy Dubois in the murder of a young woman deep in the south of Alabama. This book was so well written. I had to take deep breathes at a few points when the messaging hit too close to home in these days of vicious police corruptions, but I appreciated the honesty. I need to go back and re-read the first entries in this series.

Eddy Flynn is one of my favorite characters of any book. This one was my least favorite. Being from the south, the portrayal of Alabama was very different than what I’ve experienced. It seemed from outsiders POV and a little far fetched and backwoods. Other than that, the story was compelling.

Fast-paced legal thriller with a deeply satisfying courtroom drama at its core. Eddie Flynn remains one of my favorite protagonists—clever, gritty, and relentless. The stakes are high, and the villain is truly detestable. While a few plot points stretched believability, the ride was too entertaining to mind. Cavanagh knows how to keep readers hooked.

This book fell flat for me. It didn’t seem to be like the others in this series. There were too many characters that weren’t developed enough.

This book was good but not as entertaining to me as some of the others in this series. As always, the writing along with the twists and turns had me into the story. The pacing just seemed a little bit slower.

There was an Eddie Flynn lull between Thirteen and Kill for Me Kill For you, so I'm happy to see the in-betweens getting some love!

The Devil's Advocate makes you feel a little bit dirty, but you keep turning the pages because you just have to see how it ends! I love reading Eddie Flynn books, so I hope they never stop!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how mad I was the whole time. The whole thing showed a very corrupt DA and a town with a racist cult. They got justice but in today’s cancel culture I was worried about how that all reflects to readers. The racist got justice which is great and the whole time you’re reading you know how wrong it is. I mean that also makes it a good book too. I did enjoy all the suspension that took place. I sometimes got a little lost with sooooo many different POVS but by the end I knew all of the povs