Thirteen - Steve Cavanagh

Rating: ✫✫✫✫✫

Thirteen first came to my attention because it was recommended by a number of people. When I first picked it up, the plot description jumped out to me immediately, and I just knew it was going to be right up my street. A crime novel based inside the courtroom, but with an intriguing twist: the killer is actually on the jury.

I loved this book. If I could have read it all in one sitting, I probably would have. The short, sharp chapters made this a real possibility, as they ensured the book was easy to read, despite the dark subject material. Eddie Flynn also makes for a really endearing protagonist; he is just the right balance of sharp and sweet. Switching between his viewpoint and the perspective of the murderer keeps the reader on their toes through an exciting and intriguing story. 

✼

This is the murder trial of the century, with Hollywood star Bobby Solomon charged with the murder of his wife. When the defence contact lawyer Eddie Flynn, he isn't sure whether or not he should involve himself with the case. But then he meets Bobby, and Eddie knows instantly that he is innocent.

As the trial begins and a series of fatal incidents happen outside the court room, Eddie starts to wonder if there is more to the trial than meets the eye. And if Bobby is really innocent, then where is the real killer?

What if they're on the jury?

*spoiler alert*

The Plot

I thought this was a very clever idea - very clever. The idea of the murderer being part of the jury is so intriguing, and I bought this book on plot potential alone.

I think one of the real merits of this book is the dual-perspective, showing us not only Eddie Flynn's progression through the trial, but also providing a glimpse at the murderer's movements. It was so enthralling to be able to read both sides of the case. However, I do feel that the trial itself, even without the murderer's narrative, was good. It could so easily be boring to hear in depth about a murder trial, but Eddie's charismatic character kept me interested as to what evidence there was, and what would happen next. Bobby Solomon also maintains the reader's interest; he is set up immediately as a wrongly accused suspect, and so, as a reader, you can't help but root for him to be cleared of the charges. This part of the plot alone is well written and keeps the reader interested, but the dual perspective mixes it up and takes the whole book to another level. Hearing from the murderer is strangely exhilarating, and it builds the anticipation; as a reader, you're just waiting for Eddie to somehow discover what you already know to be the truth. It was also really great to see just how the murderer finds his way on to the jury. This was covered in quite a lot of depth, and I really enjoyed the way these scenes added to the drama of the plot.

I also loved how the reader was misled in discovering the identity of the murderer. Eddie was convinced that it was Alec who was the rogue juror, and Cavanagh crafted the plot in such a way that the reader also believes that Alec is the one who needs to be watched. Discovering later that it was actually an entirely different juror who had caused so much chaos was a fantastic twist, and one that I wasn't expecting. The whole plot keeps Kane very much as a mystery. I did work out immediately that it probably wasn't actually Arnold on the phone to Eddie in the early hours of the morning, but that didn't take away from the excitement of the story. It was a relatively transparent detail, but because there were so many other twists and turns in the story, it didn't matter at all that some were more obvious that others. There is so much detail, and so many twists, and I loved that.

I did find that there were some passages and scenes that could have been outlined and explained better. One example is Holten's background. He ends up being far more important to the story than the reader originally realises, and yet it isn't really explained fully. We never really understand exactly why Holten acted this way, and I think the story would have felt as if it were even more pulled together if details like this were addressed in more depth. It could also have been better for Cavanagh to have provided further explanation as to why exactly Kane chose to commit these crimes. His hatred of the American dream is touched upon, but I feel so much more could have been made of his story. His lack of clear motive was a little bit of a throwaway compared to the enormous detail included in other aspects of the story. However, that is certainly a minor criticism when viewed in line with all the positives about the book.

The Characters

Of course, a great plot is nothing if it isn't supported by great characters. Eddie Flynn is a charismatic, smart and sensitive character, and exactly the kind of protagonist you want in a thriller like this. The setup of Rudy Carp stepping down felt very natural, and it didn't feel unrealistic that Eddie would end up in this position as primary defence lawyer. He is evidently a good lawyer, and he is written so that you really do root for him to solve this case. The extra details about his wife, and about his relationships with Harper and Delaney, also provide sufficient padding to make him feel like a more rounded character. These aren't necessarily very significant, but they make him feel much more three dimensional.

Kane, on the other hand, is all sorts of weird. It's very strange, and interesting, to have a character who feels no pain. I really liked the chapters which focused on Kane, as he was what made this book stand out. The way he manipulated his way onto the jury, and the chapters that outlined this progress, were very clever, and I think he made a fantastic counter-balance to Eddie.

Besides these two, there is a fairly limited cast of supporting characters who kept my interest in the story very high. However, of these, Bobby in particular is very endearing. I felt that more could have been made of where he was on the night of the murders; it felt a little bit like his sexuality was thrown in as an afterthought just to make more of the fact that he didn't want to confess his real alibi. However, his emotion and sensitivity added a lot to the plot, and I felt that he could easily have been a more standout character in terms of the story.

The Verdict

As soon as I saw the tag line for this book, I was sold. 

"The serial killer isn't on trial - he's on the jury." 

It doesn't get much more intriguing than that. I bought the book immediately, and finished it quickly. And I'm pleased to say the book didn't disappoint me. I didn't expect to have Kane's much more sinister perspective run so neatly alongside Eddie's main narrative, but I'm really glad it did. It gave the whole story much more excitement and anticipation, and it made the potentially tedious courtroom cases far more manageable. I've already bookmarked other Eddie Flynn novels for future reading, and I'd urge anybody who like reading thriller novels to get their hands on this one as soon as possible.