The Accomplice: The gripping, must-read thriller (Eddie Flynn Series)

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Book 7 in the Eddie Flynn series based in the lawyers hometown of New York, this one was an absolute blast. Eddie Flynn is approached by fellow lawyer Otto Peltier to defend Carrie Miller in her murder trial, due to start in a few days. Peltier is not a criminal defence lawyer, he specialises in estate law, commercial/property law and the odd divorce. So as well as a clever legal thriller, we get the added bonus of a serial killer. I love a good serial killer book. This killer is vicious, and takes his victims eyes as trophy’s, leaving behind sand in their place. I will never hear Mr Sandman, bring me a dream the same way again. When he meets Carrie, he sees a woman heavily weighed down by a sense of grief and guilt, her suffering persuades him that she is innocent, although he can feel Carrie has not told him everything as he sets out to defend her. He and his hardworking and talented team, consisting of ex-judge, mentor and now consultant Harry Ford, partner Kate Brooks, investigator Bloch and his over-qualified office manager, Denise, are the only ones who believe Carrie is innocent, and simply another victim of the Sandman. They are joined by Gabriel Lake, once a former FBI agent before someone tried to kill him, he believes everything the FBI knows about serial killers is false, and he is a man who wants revenge. Interspersed throughout the narrative is the perspective of the Sandman, intent on saving and freeing his much loved wife, he is once again killing to protect Carrie, and everyone, including Eddie and his team are a target.

Glad to return to the world of Steve Cavanagh and the Eddie Flynn legal thrillers, I turned to the latest instalment of the series. Cavanagh takes an interesting approach to the law and investigation in a piece that shows just how on the ball the author can be when it comes to the world of serial killers. A strong story and great characters help elevate the book and make me yearn for more as soon as possible. Tot het einde blijft het gissen en dit vond ik zo sterk en goed opgebouwd! Er komen ook nog een paar goede plottwists, dus dit was echt goed. Er zitten ook een aantal spannende momenten in en dit was wederom genieten! De boeken van Steve lees ik supergraag en ik kijk uit naar het volgende deel met Eddie Flynn. Her lawyer, Otto Peltier, is in over his head, so when he can’t cut a deal for his client, he implores Eddie’s team to take over. His partner Kate believes that Carrie is another of her husband’s Victims, and that she is innocent- and she wants the case!

The situation for Carrie Miller looks hopeless but she has Eddie on her side. She was seen with her husband (the suspected Sandman) in front of a house, watching it, where two people were murdered later that night. So she’s suspected of aiding her husband, at least she must have known about his activities. It’s up to Eddie to prove she’s not a killer and that she didn’t know for sure Daniel was. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Carrie’s husband Daniel is the Sandman but Eddie and his team are forced to prove that – though she had her suspicions, she wasn’t certain enough to go to the police. (Let alone join him in the murders.) Wow. Steve Cavanagh just gets better and better - this book is genuinely chilling and unnerving at every turn. Couldn't put it down In dit boek draait het om de Zandman en zijn vrouw. De Zandman heeft al verschillende mensen vermoord en iedereen verdenkt zijn vrouw, Carrie, van betrokkenheid. Hoe kan de vrouw van een seriemoordenaar nou immers niet op de hoogte zijn?

There's plenty you won't see coming (and it's all the better for it). This is easily my favourite of Steve's books Daniel Miller is known as the Sandman and murdered fourteen people, then vanished leaving his wife Carrie facing trial for being his accomplice. The FBI, the District Attorney, the media and everyone in America believe she knew and helped cover up her husband’s crimes. It is up to Eddie Flynn to prove to the jury that his client Carrie Miller is innocent. But that is not going to be easy given the public opinion that Carrie must have known what her husband was doing. Eddie Flynn only defends clients he believes to be innocent so at least Carrie has one person who is on her side. Steve Cavanagh was born and raised in Belfast before leaving for Dublin at the age of eighteen to study Law. He practiced civil rights law and was involved in several high-profile cases; in 2010 he represented a factory worker who suffered racial abuse in the workplace and won the largest award of damages for race discrimination in Northern Ireland legal history.While Eddie is hesitant to take the case, he’s persuaded by something deep inside him. Preparing to defend her on charges of being an accomplice to murder, Eddie knows that it will be an uphill battle, exacerbated by the fact that his client has skipped bail. Add to that The Sandman is lurking in the shadows and still killing, when he makes a bold move; kidnapping one of Eddie’s team members and promising to release her only when Carrie is exonerated.

Anyone looking for a run of the mill legal thriller won’t find it here. Yes, Cavanagh treats us to some fantastic court scenes with the legal cut, thrust and unexpected humour he is known for. But he is never shy of throwing other elements into the mix and with Carrie’s husband still on the loose and lusting for blood, we’re all set for a story that will keep you up at night, unable to sleep without finding out what happens next. With his wife on trial, the Sandman is forced to come out of hiding to save her from a life sentence. He will kill to protect her and everyone involved in the case is a target. Eddie and co are used to coming up against some pretty twisted individuals, and that can definitely be said of their latest foe, The Sandman, a killer with a very distinctive signature, one which makes the stomach churn just a touch. The Sandman takes trophies from his victims and I have to say this is one particular scenario which makes me a little squeamish. If there is anything that can make my skin crawl, it’s that. What that is you will have to read to find out, but it’s the one thing to make me wince throughout the book.However, I noticed that in the last two instalments, Eddie was not the primary character (in his own series) and the courtroom scenes were minimised. Kudos, Mr. Cavanagh, for keeping me entertained and highly in tune with the world of legal thrillers. Cavanagh was in the zone when he was writing The Accomplice, and I deeply enjoyed how the entire story came together. Like most of Cavanagh’s novels, the pacing in The Accomplice was spot on and the reader is never really given a chance to relax or put the novel down, which ensures that they try really hard to get through everything in one go (it worked on me). There was an excellent blend of styles throughout The Accomplice, and Cavanagh once again did a great job of combining the darker subject matter of a disturbed killer, with the lighter scenes that focused on Eddie Flynn’s outrageous behaviour. The scenes focused on the Sandman were particularly dark and gripping, especially as you get to see directly into his diseased mind, and the use of them throughout the novel really helped to amp up the drama and threat, while also moving the narrative along in some impressive directions. Likewise, you get some intriguing and powerful character driven scenes from some of the other major characters, such as Flynn’s investigator Bloch and newcomer Gabriel Lake, as they get obsessed with finding the Sandman and bringing him to justice.

The courtroom is his playground again where he tries to find explanations for all the accusations she is facing and tear down the witness accounts and evidence. There is the fact that there was a little blood found on her sleeve for example. I loved Eddie’s creative mind (I don’t even care if it’s actually allowed in court) and how he can twist everything so that it all makes perfect sense and that he gets what he wants. There’s a restaurant scene which was magnificent, it killed two birds with one stone and plastered a huge smile on my face. Eddie is a creative guy, I can’t underline that enough :-). :-). Gabriel Lake used to be a federal agent, before someone tried to kill him. Now, he's an investigator with a vendetta against the Sandman. He's the only one who can catch him, because he believes that everything the FBI knows about serial killers is wrong. Ik vond dit boek zeer goed in elkaar steken. Je leest vanuit verschillende perspectieven, waaronder die van Eddie en de Zandman zelf. En steeds twijfelde ik of Carrie nou wel of niet betrokken was bij deze moorden, of dat ze in ieder geval wist dat haar man een seriemoordenaar was. Telkens bleef mijn mening hierover veranderen. Pff... wat ben ik blij dat ik zelf nooit in zo'n jury hoef te zitten. 😉 The final character I need to mention is the killer known as the Sandman. While I won’t go into too much detail here about them to preserve some plot details, they serve as a sinister and threatening figure throughout the story, and their presence really impacts the events of the narrative. Cavanagh goes out of his way to make the Sandman appear as deadly and deranged as possible, and it was fascinating to get a glimpse into his mind, especially as he truly believes that the Sandman is his true persona. Watching him work his deadly skills in several disconcerting point of view chapters really adds to the intensity of the narrative, and he ended up being a particularly impressive literary villain. I really had a great time with all these amazing and complex characters, be they old and new, and Cavanagh has once again really showcased his excellent skill when it comes to writing damaged people. Eddie Flynn won't take a case unless his client is innocent. Now, he has to prove to a jury, and the entire world, that Carrie Miller was just another victim of the Sandman. She didn't know her husband's dark side and she had no part in the murders. But so far, Eddie and his team are the only ones who believe her.Here Eddie find himself defending the wife of a serial killer named The Sandman. Although The Sandman has escaped capture, his wife has been charged as an accomplice, with evidence being found in her closet that incriminates her. The new Eddie Flynn novel from the Sunday Times and million copy bestselling author of THIRTEEN, FIFTY FIFTY and THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE. I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the readalong hosted by Tandem Collective UK. Eddie and his team become involved in the trial of Carrie at the very last moment when her lawyer’s forced to recuse himself. Eddie is reticent but fellow lawyer Kate, former judge Harry and firm PI Bloch convince Eddie to meet Carrie and he believes in her innocence so takes her on.