I first came across Steve Cavanagh‘s books when I went to Harrogate Crime Writing Festival and attended an author dinner there. We each were given one of the books which was up for their book of the year. Steve’s book Thirteen actually won and I was fortunate to receive that particular book.
Well, that was it – I was hooked. It was absolutely brilliant and I fell in love with his lead character, Eddie Flynn, who features in many of his books. Thirteen wasn’t the first in the series so I went back and read the first few and I’ve not stopped. Two Kinds of Stranger is the latest book in the series and when I saw Steve was having a book signing event at Nottingham Waterstones, I booked a ticket.
I’d not met Steve before and thought he was going to be a pretty serious guy – he always looks quite sombre in his photos. Well, he’s certainly not! He gave a talk which had us laughing all the way through and he was so giving with his time. I had a lovely chat to him afterwards which ended a great evening.
Now for the book and whether it lived up to expectations.
Blurb:
Elly Parker had everything. Perfect husband. Perfect apartment. Perfect friends and the perfect job. As an internet celebrity – famed for her random acts of kindness – everyone knew it.
So when a betrayal causes her to lose it all, millions of people are watching.
But even at her lowest, Elly will always help someone in need.
Which makes her the perfect target for a sadistic game.
Because as she soon learns, you can never trust a stranger – and a seemingly random encounter plunges her into a nightmare worse than she ever imagined.
The only person she can turn to is conman turned trial lawyer Eddie Flynn, who must take on a case where nothing is what it seems. With the most cruelly ingenious mind manipulating events from the shadows, everyone is in danger – including Eddie and his family.
My Review:
The thing I love about an Eddie Flynn novel is that, even though he has a murky past, you can’t help but like him and his heart is in the right place. You’re willing for things to go right for him. But, in true Eddie style, they don’t and just when you think things can’t get any worse, they do.
Eddie doesn’t defend just anyone – he has to believe in them and believe he can win. This time round he and his team find themselves not just defending one innocent victim but also someone closer to home. It’s a book packed full of twists and turns that you literally don’t see coming. I would have quite happily sat and read it in one sitting – if I didn’t need to work!
Two Kinds of Stranger gets five stars from me.
Esther Chilton 
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