One Of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh

 

When the mistress of a wealthy political candidate is found dead, suspicion falls on the politician's wife, Vanessa. Eddie Flynn is hired to defend Vanessa, but throughout the case, he's convinced something just isn't right.

One Of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh is the tenth book in the Eddie Flynn series. With each book, Flynn seems to have a knack for getting himself into ever more dangerous situations, and this book is no different. From the opening pages, it looks as if Eddie has finally reached the end of the road. The story then jumps back four months to show us how he has ended up in such a dire situation.

When Eddie is approached to represent Vanessa Vanderpool, alarm bells immediately begin to ring for both him and the reader. Vanessa has married into one of America's wealthiest families. Why have they engaged the services of Eddie and not some huge Manhattan law firm?

As the story progresses, it becomes clear that the head of the Vanderpool family is willing to sacrifice Vanessa for the sake of his son's reputation and future political career. Fans of the series will be well aware that behaviour like this is like a red rag to a bull as far as Eddie is concerned. He's determined to get his client acquitted, however Vanessa seems to be holding back. At times, it's almost as if she wants to be found guilty. It's impossible to figure out what dark secrets are being hidden.

Eddie is supported by the usual cast of characters: Harry, Bloch, and Lake, who all play an invaluable role. Bloch and Lake, in particular, are involved in some tense situations. If you like your action bloody, then you will find the story highly satisfying.

There are some lighter moments. As usual, there is a minor case which is used to highlight the skills Eddie picked up as a conman; he's an expert at reading people and manipulating them. The vast majority of the tale, however, is dark. We see Eddie pushed to his limit and reacting physically. Eddie isn't soft, but his behaviour this time around is extreme.

Towards the conclusion, the twists begin to appear, and although one in particular seemed to be obvious, author Steve Cavanagh fools the readers. Overall, I found the conclusion surprising, one that I would never have guessed at in a million years. However, the general theme of the story shows how much privilege and power the extremely wealthy hold.

One Of Us Is Guilty by Steve Cavanagh will be published on 30th July 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for a review copy.

Author Details

Steve Cavanagh has sold over a million copies of his novels in the UK alone and over four million worldwide. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2019. Twisted, Fifty-Fifty, The Devil’s Advocate and The Accomplice were all Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers and his three most recent books – Kill For Me Kill For You, Witness 8 and Two Kinds of Stranger – were all Sunday Times Top 5 bestsellers.