A review by bethreadsandnaps
Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

4.0

 

WITNESS 8 by Steve Cavanagh has an incredible premise and is extremely riveting. 

Ruby Johnson is a domestic worker in Manhattan, but her family was once rich. After her father gambled away their fortune and fled, Ruby and her ill mother have been just scraping by. When Ruby sees her friend get murdered, she concocts a plan, but she doesn’t realize she’s going to have to contend with Eddie Flynn and his unconventional legal team. 

This is only my second Eddie Flynn novel. The conman-turned-lawyer is an innovative hook to the series, and I appreciate that each can be read as a standalone even though it gives the reader more depth to read as a series. This one has a few scenes in court with most of this story taking place outside of court and on the streets of New York. There’s a few more shootouts than I really wanted in my reading, but I must say this novel is very propulsive and you want to get back to it.  I would have liked to get to know some of the characters, like Bloch and Kate, a little more, but that might occur in other books in the series. 

As for the Ruby plot, which is a chunk but not all of the novel, I really liked it. The author included an interesting aspect about art (trying to be vague), and that really surprised me how that evolved. Also, I was intrigued by how the Ruby plot line ended. 

I really enjoyed the male friendship between Eddie Flynn and Harry. I know that it’s a very small plot line throughout the book, but it made me smile every time I got back to it.

I find Cavanagh writes really interesting morally gray characters (Eddie Flynn and Ruby, notably, in this novel). So if you like fast-paced action/legal novels with people with questionable morals, this one will be up your alley!  

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

WITNESS 8 publishes March 25, 2025.