TWISTS, COURTROOM ACTION AND A HIBERNATING SERIAL KILLER: NEW 2024 CRIME BY STEVE CAVANAGH, CATHERINE STEADMAN AND DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI

Fans of clever, twisty crime fiction will greatly enjoy these new releases by Steve Cavanagh, Duane Swierczynski and Catherine Steadman.

Steve Cavanagh’s books about New York ex-conman turned lawyer Eddie Flynn are always a twisty, fun read and his latest adventure, Witness 8 (Headline, 1 August 2024), is no exception.

Witness 8 is, appropriately, the eighth book in Cavanagh’s Eddie Flynn series and opens in good fashion with a murder. Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan’s West 74th Street.
She knows their routines and their secrets. One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour’s murder. She knows the victim. She knows the killer. She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer. But she doesn’t tell the truth.

Eddie agrees to take on the case for the accused murderer, a high flying New York brain surgeon, convinced that he is defending an innocent man accused of a terrible crime. Little does he realise that his defence of the man is being constantly undermined by Ruby and her actions. Meanwhile, Eddie also finds himself on the wrong side of a New York criminal enterprise involving crooked cops and former cops, and has to fend off several threats on his life while defending his client.

This is a typical Eddie Flynn novel. The multi-layered plot rushes along at a hectic rate and there are plenty of twists and turns, and unexpected developments. The courtroom scenes are engrossing and clever, and the addition of the hired killers hunting Eddie adds a good dose of excitement. The telling is short and sharp, without a lot of introspection or description, and the book powers to a very good climax.

As always, the new characters are engaging and slightly quirky, especially the hitman known as Mr Christmas, and the book serves up an interesting array of miscellaneous detail, and scary insights into the US legal system.

You could quibble over the credibility of aspects of the story, but it is very easy to just settle back and let Mr Cavanagh entertain you.

Fans of the earlier novels will love this one.

Witness 8 is due out in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2024. Release in Australia is not until 13 August 2024. American fans will have to wait until 2025. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the book for review.

Catherine Steadman’s Look In The Mirror, (Quercus, 30 July 2024), ranks alongside M. W. Craven’s The Mercy Chair, as one of the most addictively readable books I have encountered so far this year.

The story opens with a dual storyline. When Nina’s father dies, she inherits a gleaming dream vacation home in a balmy tropical paradise, one she had no idea existed. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. She is confused as to how her sensible father could ever have had enough money for this and why he never told her.  Desperate for some answers, she agrees to visit the house.

Meanwhile Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is now a nanny for the super-rich. The money’s better, and so are the destinations, like her new assignment in the British Virgin Islands. When her wards fail to turn up at the luxury house, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool. There’s just one rule: ‘Don’t go in the basement’. As both women’s timelines intertwine, dark secrets start to unravel, and one thing quickly becomes clear: nothing could have prepared them for what they are about to encounter.

Catherine’s intriguing plot quickly draws you in and after a couple of chapters you are keenly turning the pages to find out what is going on and what will happen next. The book is quite cleverly structured, and Catherine skilfully unfolds her story in a way that keeps the tension at a high level. There are plenty of twists, and a good amount of excitement, as both Maria and Nina find themselves battling for their lives.

Both Maria and Nina are well fleshed out and interesting, and their actions are credible. Their characters grow as the book progresses, without ever slowing the pace, and their personal reflections add some good depth. The other members of the cast are also well done and fit nicely into the story. Also adding interest is Catherine’s usual interesting insider information on the lives of the rich and famous.

The book moves at a terrific pace, which is helped by Catherine’s use of short chapters and alternating viewpoints, and her naturally easy going narrative style. I really liked the first person narrative of her The Disappearing Act, but I think that the structure and flow is better this time around.

Towards the end the book’s central premise requires a generous suspension of disbelief, but not enough to stop Look In The Mirror from being a compelling read.

Look In The Mirror is released in Australia and the United Kingdom on 30 July 2024. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the book for review.

Duane Swierczyniski’s California Bear, (Little, Brown, February 2024), has been out for several months overseas, but is yet to be released in Australia. I have read and enjoyed some of Duane’s earlier books and decided to listen to the Audible version of California Bear, which is available here.

In short, California Bear is a typically quirky crime novel by Duane, with plenty of weird characters and a plot that never goes where you are expecting. Without giving too much away, the story revolves around four principal characters, who initially go by their nom de plumes:

‘KILLER’: Jack Queen has been exonerated and freed from prison thanks to retired LAPD officer Cato Hightower. But when guilt gnaws at Jack, he admits: “I actually did it.” To which Hightower responds: “Yeah, no kidding.” Regardless of Jack’s guilt or innocence, Hightower has a special job for him.

‘THE GIRL DETECTIVE’: Fifteen-year-old Matilda Finnerty has been handed a potential death sentence in the form of a leukemia diagnosis. But that’s not going to stop her from tackling the most important mystery of her life: Is her father guilty of murder?

‘GENE JEANIE’: Jeanie Hightower mends family trees for a living, but the genealogist is unable to repair her own marriage. And her soon-to-be ex may have entangled her in a scheme that has drawn the bloody wrath of a hibernating serial killer.

‘THE BEAR’: A prolific serial killer who disappeared forty years ago, who is only now emerging from hibernation when the conditions are just right. And this time, the California Bear is not content to hunt in the shadows.

The plot is too wild to describe, but includes an ill-fated blackmail attempt, murder, doughnuts, a cold crime mystery and a true crime television show that is getting out of control.

The story starts a little slow with lots of scene setting, drinking, driving around LA and parental regret, but once underway it is a terrific story. An unexpected twist early in the book, kicks the story along and the second half is very exciting and full of surprises.

Beneath the witty banter, semi-crazy scenes, well aimed attacks at the true crime business and the abundant humour, there is a real heart to the story, that involves The Girl Detective’s medical condition and her ability to cope. An element that is made even more moving in the author’s afterword.

Overall, despite some lapses in pace, and too much LA navigational detail, I really enjoyed California Bear. The story is great and the characters have a freshness to them. Highly recommended.

As I mentioned, I listened to California Bear, rather than reading it, and thought that the Audible production was first rate with multiple narrators and delivered with real style and energy.

Happy reading (and listening).