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asourceoffiction's review against another edition
4.0
What I found really clever (if a little hard to believe) is how Eddie uses his con days to come up with interesting ways to manipulate his situation and plot his defence strategy. And as a reader you're rooting for him but it's hard to watch him try to win a case for a known murderer, which makes for compelling reading.
As I got further into the book, the many different gang characters and allegiances got a bit hard to follow. But it also becomes an absolute adrenaline rush of action that ramps up to insane proportions by the end, which was great fun if a little too full on. The character set up and cliffhanger ending make it an intriguing opener for the series.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
annikareads_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness and Death of parent
liz_ross's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The word, not the book. The book was actually pretty filled with action to the point I couldn't put it down once it reached the climax. But that was due to the writing style and my love for elaborated plans such as the one Eddie created (I LOVED IT!), more than due to the plot.
The plot was good, sure, but it was so damn obvious and for someone who is supposedly so smart it took him way too much time to figure things out. It took me less than 10 chapters. Which means that when the "plot twist" came I already knew it far too long ago.
And the characters were also good. Complex, easy to remember, filled with life. But I swear if I had to read about Eddie being a former con artist, I would have set the book on fire. You could have forgotten everything else about him, but I guarantee you, that he was a con artist you wouldn't forget. He told me that five freaking times in the same freaking paragraph!
The action was realistic, though. Everything was. Which is obviously good. I don't have any Court experience, which means it may have felt realistic, but in reality none of it would ever happen. But that's the perks of not having Court experience. As it felt realistic, I can accept it as real and enjoy. I couldn't have done that if it didn't feel realistic as I would have spent my time on Google checking to see if things are really that way.
Just one last thing, what the hell is wrong with me to end up liking Olek almost as much as I liked Eddie?!
Full review coming soon!
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
kennanicole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, and Violence
revived_reading's review against another edition
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape
a_robin_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- Library book
- Series TBR
A very fun read! Read it in two days, that's how much I enjoyed it.
Didn't like some repetitions in the story, the rest was awesome.
Review previously placed on my blog:
I have read The defence by Steve Cavanagh. This is the first book in the Eddie Flynn series. I'm reading this series for my series TBR. I also mention this one in my series vlog, which I'm making.
Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping