Two Kinds of Stranger by Steve Cavanagh

 

Steve Cavanagh writes ingenious legal thrillers. Two Kinds of Stranger features a killer who is clever, ruthless, and makes almost no mistakes. The tension in this book is palpable from the opening page to the last. This book kept me turning the pages with enough twists and turns for a roller coaster.

Elly Parker built herself a very successful life with a TikTok account chronicling her cheerful attitude and determination to do one good deed every day. During one of her TikToks, she walked in on her husband having sex with her best friend, broadcasting her humiliation to the world. Even in her demoralized state, she can't help pitying a stranger struggling down the subway steps with crutches and a suitcase. Reaching out to do another good deed, as is her nature, Elly kicks off a series of events that turn her life even more upside down.

Elly needs a lawyer who is skilled, dogged, and flexible in their relationship with the law. Enter con-man-turned-lawyer, Eddie Flynn. Eddie knows that Elly's freedom depends on his finding the man with the suitcase. What he doesn't know is how devious that man truly is. Finding him will put Eddie, as well as his friends and family, in serious danger.

This book works so well because Eddie Flynn is such a likeable character. He doesn't operate outside the law so much as alongside it. Most legal thrillers feature lawyers who bend the rules, but the brilliance of Eddie is that he started out as a con man. He brings that perspective to the law. Rules that he can use, he does. Those he can't, well, they get ignored. While he sleeps fine with his choices, his law partner, Kate, is deeply ethical. Exploring this tension over how they each approach a case adds to the suspense. 

Eddie's investigative team, Bloch and Lake, are great characters who could easily sustain their own novel. They are involved in some of the most intense action sequences, including a confrontation with the suspected killer that will literally take your breath away. Harry Ford, a retired judge and Eddie's mentor, adds depth and gravitas to the team. Following Eddie's lead, but adding sage advice and acting as a sounding board for his plans. Their close relationship shines a light on a different side of Eddie.

The courtroom scenes are filled with clever strategies on both sides, which keep you in suspense for the outcome. The action scenes ramp the pace up to the maximum, making you race alongside the characters and feel the shock of every unexpected twist. The pacing keeps you involved from the very beginning until the shocking ending.

This series has always been good, but it has gotten even better with Eddie's supporting characters. These books work as standalones, but you're going to want to read more of them. Steve Cavanagh stands firmly beside Grisham and Turow in the legal thriller pantheon. He's on my must-read list, and I hope he'll be on yours!

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.