Review

We were drawn to Thirteen by its unique underlying premise: The killer is not on trial. He's on the jury! This book, Cavanagh's third featuring New York defense attorney Eddie Flynn, centers on the trial of well-known actor Bobby Solomon. Bobby has been accused of killing his wife and a security guard, the evidence against him is overwhelming and he has hired Rudy Carp, a big-time, high-profile defense attorney to represent him. He, in turn, asks Flynn to sit second chair for the defense team to manage certain aspects of the trial. In reviewing the case, Flynn concludes the best chance to free Solomon is to identify another killer. Meanwhile, the reader learns right at the outset that the real killer, Joshua Kane, is a serial killer and that he is making plans. Stealing a mail bag containing a supply of jury summons is the first step in impersonating a potential jury member and getting himself seated on the jury for the Solomon trial. Some clever questioning in the courtroom throws some doubt on what appears to be a convincing case and some valuable legwork by an ex-FBI investigator provides a solid lead for the serial killer who has managed to escape detection by framing others for his killings. The man on the jury goes to work on jurors who won't vote for conviction. The trial scenes are great as the author writes alternating chapters of trial and investigation on the one hand and the thinking and actions of the killer on the other. Thirteen is a mystery that will take you in right away and deliver growing suspense and plot twists at the end. Great book for mystery/suspense readers.

< Back