The Plea

Between a Rock and a Hard Place with Eddie Flynn
A review of the Headline eBook (December 1, 2024) of the original Orion Publishing hardcover (May 19, 2016).

The truth is not the aim of the process. The verdict is the aim. Truth has no place in the trial because no one is concerned with finding it, least of all the lawyers or the judge.

This came along as a Kindle Deal of the Day back in December 2025 and I snapped it up right away. I've learned that even though his plots are completely improbable, Steve Cavanagh is a reliable author of suspense thrillers that keep you entertained. I haven't been reading the Eddie Flynn books in order but generally they can be read that way without a problem. Some of the later books do reference earlier show more events though, so there is minor spoilage that way.

The Plea is #2 of the now 9 book series (as of early 2026 with 2 additional prequel short stories) with the ex-conman now lawyer Eddie Flynn. The book finds Flynn trapped in a setup where he is asked by the authorities to defend a client by having him take a plea for a murder charge. The entrapment is that Flynn's ex-wife will otherwise be arrested, charged and likely convicted of criminal conspiracy. But the catch is that Flynn is convinced that his client is actually innocent of the murder and has been framed.

The odds seem totally stacked against the client and Flynn and yet events prove that the wily lawyer will still manage to pull off a tour-de-force of a defense when he insists on taking the case to trial. It is of course a benefit to Flynn that he still has contacts in the criminal / grifter world to aid him along the way. Steve Cavanagh has not let me down yet and I look forward to further adventures. show less

Eddie Flynn, con man & defense attorney. Book#2 in this series is a dive right in & be entertained while trying to figure out who done it. this time Eddie is threatened by the CIA, FBI, & his wife's place workplace. Take a plea for murder for a young billionaire computer whiz who is most certainly guilty, or is he? Get him to plead & Eddie's wife will be off the hook for crimes she didn't know she committed. Full of rollicking fun, danger, courtroom drama, & the ultimate con. Eddie Flynn is my new hero attorney

Very enjoyable audiobook, well read. Hard not to like a book that has an intricate con and intricate courtroom machinations. The best cons are always cons conning the con men. This is a lot of fun. On to the next in the series.

My 6P review: Publication, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

David Child has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend and the FBI want Eddie Flynn to testify against his employer. The evidence is clear-cut but Eddie is not convinced David is guilty. When Eddie is shown incriminating evidence against his wife, Christine, Eddie not only finds himself trying to save David but must also try to save his wife.

Cavanagh can write, let me tell you. I am not normally one who is cheering on the defence lawyer but in this series, I just can’t help myself. The distinction between being a con artist and a lawyer isn’t that clear (aren’t they one and the same?) and Eddie’s skills are sublime.

The story begins with Eddie being shot show more and from there the story takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions and action. This was fast-paced, and I was constantly wondering where it was going to take me next.

The plot wasn’t even that far-fetched. Money can make people do a lot of things in life. It was fantastic the way Eddie figures out who are the rats in this story. His gut is once again working overtime.

This was excellent. I highly recommend this series. show less

The Plea is Steve Cavanagh’s second murder-mystery-legal-procedure novel featuring ex-conman turned lawyer Eddie Flynn. It lacks the legal realism of a Scott Turow novel, but it is pretty well crafted and fast paced. If you can suspend belief that any actual court would proceed as described by Cavanagh, you can enjoy the remarkably convoluted story about how a young tech billionaire, represented by Flynn, becomes enmeshed in a fantastic plot to steal about $8 billion (yes, that is billion with a B) in laundered money from the law firm representing a Mexican drug cartel. The government is hoping the client will accept a plea in exchange for more info about the planned heist.

Eddie Flynn, whose father was a professional conman, is more show more street-wise than legally competent. Nevertheless, he has just the kind of expertise to handle this particular case. Although the book is quite long for this genre (513 pages), the author keeps the twists coming and the action moving along at a pace that would try Dan Brown in the Vatican.

(JAB) show less

The Plea – Eddie Flynn is the Lawyer

Eddie Flynn in The Plea once again proves that he has more lives than the average cat, just as cunning and one hell of a survivor. You can creep and go like a lawyer going to heaven, but someone upstairs is looking down on Eddie Flynn and turning him in to the ultimate survivor, even better than Mick Haller.

Steve Cavanagh is going from strength to strength with his creation of Eddie Flynn, he has once again created a legal thriller that gets better on every outing. The Plea builds on Flynn and gives him yet more depth but also just as many faults making you wonder how he is married and is able to be a criminal lawyer at the New York Bar.

The Plea is every bit as good as The Defence where we are show more introduced to Eddie Flynn and his interesting set of friends and colleagues. Eddie is a recovering alcoholic married to Christine with a young daughter called Amy, he will do whatever is necessary to protect them. Many know of his previous life before law school when he was a grifter a con artist of the highest order, someone who was a hustler on New York’s mean streets.

When he is instructed to defend an internet billionaire, David Childs for murder in a slam dunk case for the District Attorney he is not aware of the full picture of what is about to unfold in and out of the court room. Under pressure to make sure Childs takes a plea bargain from the Feds and that Childs pleads guilty from the DA, the future does not look bright for Flynn or Childs.

The Plea is every bit as good as The Defence, from its shock opening of Eddie Flynn being shot and the story of how he ended up in that position is second to none. One thing that does come across in the story is that you should never hustle a hustler and Flynn is the best in the business in and out of court.

This is a fantastic read, that like the cliché is a page turner keeps you on edge and with a few twists thrown in so the story is not predictable. Steve Cavanagh has created an excellent character that grows on you he might be a defective defence attorney but he is not one you would want to play poker against. Great story, great characters, do I really have to wait until the next book? show less

The Book: 4.5/5
Audiobook: 5/5

Eddie Flynn, con man/hustler/lawyer, can’t seem to stay away from trouble. This time he is coerced to defend David Child, a tech entrepreneur who is accused of brutally murdering his girlfriend, to protect his wife Christine, a lawyer employed with the prestigious law firm Harland and Sinton, from being framed for financial fraud. Christine unknowingly signed incriminating documents and law enforcement has zeroed in on her and she could take the fall for financial crimes being committed by her employers using the firm as a front. Unbeknownst to David, software developed by him for business purposes is being used for the firm’s illegal practices. David is the key to deciphering the encrypted data that show more could implicate those truly responsible and using Christine as leverage, a covert branch of law enforcement blackmails Eddie into representing David, hoping to negotiate a plea bargain for David in exchange for David’s cooperation in uncovering the money laundering operation. Eddie begins to doubt David’s guilt and that puts him at odds with those who would rather see David in jail or dead. With all evidence pointing to David being guilty, proving his innocence won't be easy and Eddie will have to rely on his street smarts and help from his friends from his previous life to save his client and his wife and survive the ordeal.

The Plea by Steve Cavanagh, the second book in the Eddie Flynn series, is another action-packed, twisty legal thriller that was hard to put down. With its fast-paced narrative, interesting characters and a fair share of OTT moments (I’m not complaining!)this was an entertaining read! Plus points for the fact that I could not predict the identity of the culprits and I was surprised more than once as the plot progressed. I paired my reading with the exceptional audio narration by Adam Sims. Overall, I enjoyed this one more than the first in the series and can’t wait to read the remaining books.

My Review for Book #1: The Defense show less