BOOK TIP

Thirteen

Steve Cavanagh

In the tradition of fellow Irish thriller writer John Connolly, who sets his transcendent Charlie Parker novels in Maine, Steve Cavanagh details the exploits of former conman-turned-defense-lawyer Eddie Flynn also in the States, in Manhattan. Flynn, reeling from his wife's impending divorce proceedings over his alcoholism and the implied legal separation from his beloved daughter, is fresh out of rehab and takes a sensational case: defending a major film star accused of brutally murdering his wife and her presumed lover, and who has no recollection of the night of the crime and no alibi. That's fun, but Cavanagh writes with gritty knowledge of the rhythms and intricacies of New York. He also throws mucho tension and action into the mix with the character Joshua Kane, a serial killer who, for incredibly devious reasons, finds a way to be seated as a member of the jury on the trial. Fasten your seat belt and keep a supply of body bags handy.