No good deed goes unpunished, according to the oft-quoted saying. So where does that leave us in these random-act-of-kindness days? In deep doo-doo, if Steve Cavanagh’s latest Eddie Flynn novel is to be believed.
Two Kinds of Stranger opens with TikToker Elly Parker heading through Grand Central Station in New York, on her way to the subway and an important meeting. Self-styled journalist and social media influencer Elly has amassed a huge following through her videos featuring makeup, lifestyle and random acts of kindness – hashtag #RAK. Elly’s life has been great recently, getting married to the wonderful James and spending time with her BFF Harriet while really making her mark on TikTok.
Until, that is, a live streamed video of Elly getting home and happily about to prepare home made brownies for her new husband, turns into the shocking reveal of James and Harriet in bed together. The clip goes viral. Just like that, Elly’s perfect life isn’t perfect any longer and she’s reluctantly on her way for a meeting with her agent to discuss ways of capitalising on her predicament.
Elly is early, so when she sees a man on a crutch, his leg in a cast, struggling to get a cumbersome case down the stairs to the subway platform, she steps in to help him – and bang! Within minutes, #RAK becomes #TROUBLE. Elly’s Good Samaritan act is about to cost her dearly.
As she lifts the case down the steps, the handle snaps and the luggage falls, spilling its contents all over the floor. Logan obviously can’t carry it back home so Elly volunteers to help. It is hot work and when they eventually get to Logan’s apartment she accepts a bottle of water. And begins to feel dizzy…
Which is where things really start to unravel. She manages to get outside, but collapses, unconscious, at the feet of a homeless man – and subsequently wakes up in hospital, weak, disorientated and with her wrist handcuffed to the bad. What just happened? Um, apparently James and Harriet have been found dead and Elly is about to be charged with their murders. Say hello to our old pal Eddie Flynn, former con man, and lawyer extraordinaire.
The police are convinced they have a slam dunk case against Elly and push for a super-quick trial date. But what are they hiding? And can Eddie really win when all the evidence points to his client’s guilt? As the narrative skips from one key character to another, it becomes clear that Logan is a man who makes meticulous plans. Could Eddie be about to face… gasp… defeat?
Settle back and enjoy the ride as Steve Cavanagh shows is why his Eddie Flynn books are such a favourite with fans of the legal thriller. Well honed characterisation, snappy, sharp dialogue and a crystal clear sense of place are not all this author excels at. His plotting skills are always on point, and added to Cavanagh’s innate ability to blindside you, they will keep you up into the wee small hours as the pages fly by like occupied yellow cabs.
How an author based in Northern Ireland manages to create such a pin sharp rendition of the enigma that is New York City is to be applauded – and the appearance of the spotted lanternfly in this book will bring a wry smile to the faces of current Big Apple dwellers. As to be expected from the Flynn series, there is more than one narrative thread here, so be prepared for unexpected intakes of breath and moments where you may have to lay down the book for a few seconds, just to process what just happened.
In short, this is another stone cold winner from an author at the top of his game. My only complaint is that I’ll have to wait so long for the next in the series!
This book will be released in March 2026 in the United States. Also see Michael Connelly’s Mickey Haller series, AKA The Lincoln Lawyer, also popular on Netflix.
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£8.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
