
Enjoy fast, FREE delivery, exclusive deals and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Video
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
Buy new:
$9.99$9.99
FREE delivery: Tuesday, June 6 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Buy used: $6.99
Other Sellers on Amazon
+ $3.99 shipping
91% positive over last 12 months
Usually ships within 4 to 5 days.
& FREE Shipping
71% positive over last 12 months
+ $3.99 shipping
87% positive over last 12 months

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.


The Plea: A Novel (Eddie Flynn, 2) Mass Market Paperback – November 27, 2018
Price | New from | Used from |
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial |
Preloaded Digital Audio Player, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
—
| — | — |
- Kindle
$9.99 Read with Our Free App -
Audiobook
$0.00 Free with your Audible trial - Hardcover
$15.68 - Paperback
$14.54 - Mass Market Paperback
$9.99 - Preloaded Digital Audio Player
—
Purchase options and add-ons
“CRIMINALLY ENTERTAINING.”―PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)
“The Plea is one of the most purely entertaining books you'll read this year. It's a blast.”
―John Connolly, bestselling author of the Charlie Parker novels
“Rip-roaring legal thriller…Twisty, bloody, and convincing.” ―Ian Rankin
Eddie Flynn earned his law degree in the school of hard knocks. Now this con-artist-turned-criminal defense attorney is about to take on his toughest case yet.
Billionaire David Child swears he didn’t murder his girlfriend, Clara―even if the evidence suggests otherwise. Home security video showed no intrusion. The murder weapon was in David’s own car. He seems guilty as charged. So why won’t he plead guilty?
Meanwhile, the FBI needs David’s help in taking down a huge money laundering scheme. Now it’s up to David’s lawyer, Eddie, to get him to take a plea bargain. Otherwise the FBI will use incriminating files on Eddie’s wife to send her to jail. Still, David insists that he didn’t murder anyone. . .
As the FBI pressures Eddie to secure the guilty plea, Eddie becomes increasingly convinced that David is telling the truth. With adversaries threatening, Eddie has to find a way to prove David’s innocence and find out if there’s any way he might have been framed. But the stakes are high: Eddie’s wife is in danger. And not just from the FBI…
“If you’re a fan of John Grisham…you will be a fan of Steve Cavanagh.” ―Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author
- Print length528 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFlatiron Books
- Publication dateNovember 27, 2018
- Dimensions4.25 x 1.41 x 7.46 inches
- ISBN-101250105986
- ISBN-13978-1250105981
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Frequently bought together

What do customers buy after viewing this item?
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Nasty, vicious, ruthless. That's the way we like our legal mysteries, so The Plea fits the bill…The impressive legal maneuvering pays off in a centerpiece courtroom drama."
―New York Times Book Review
“Cavanagh's fast-paced, action-packed legal thriller is bound to grip John Grisham and Michael Connelly fans with its unexpected turns.” ―Library Journal, starred review
"A terrific new voice... Cavanagh's blend of courtroom twists and out-of-court action shakes up standard tropes and has real freshness...Cavanagh has a particular talent for escalating tension, and Eddie Flynn is a terrific creation well worth following. There are shades of Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller, but Flynn is also a unique character all his own. The Plea is a propulsive read that'll have you soldered to your seat as the pages whir by." ―Mystery Scene
“Criminally entertaining…Perfect for anyone who likes a locked-room mystery wrapped inside a legal thriller on steroids.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“As Cavanagh develops his plot, it’s not clear who’s conning whom... [The] setup produces some stunning moments, like a car chase directed by cell phone. Plus delicious locked-room and what-the-police-missed detection... The action sequences and the courtroom hijinks make this worth a look.” ―Booklist
“You can beat him up, arrest his wife, try to acid bomb him, but you can't hustle a hustler… Good courtroom sequences, engaging minor characters, an ornately twisted plot, a repentant but hopeful hero―what could go wrong?...A worthwhile caper.” ―Kirkus
“Rip-roaring legal thriller…Twisty, bloody, and convincing.”
―Ian Rankin
“The Plea is one of the most purely entertaining books you'll read this year. It's a blast.”
―John Connolly
“Fast-moving, low-punching, street-hustling adventure... Seriously superior airport read.”
―Times Crime Book Club
“If you don't normally read courtroom dramas, you must make an exception. These books are just full of intelligent wheeling and dealing. Top notch storytelling... Superb, in a 'I must not move a muscle til I have finished this book' way.” ―Northern Crime
“Lively, clever and enjoyable . . . The constant action is interrupted only by absorbing courtroom scenes.” ―The Times (UK)
“The Plea reads like an idiosyncratic cross between Elmore Leonard and John Grisham, but bursts with its own individual flavour.” ―The Financial Times (UK)
Praise for Steve Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn series:
“Cavanagh’s stellar debut provides everything a reader could ask for in a thriller―nail-biting suspense, a Russian nesting doll of a plot, and an original and compelling lead.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“If you're a fan of John Grisham, Scott Turow, and Brad Meltzer, then you will be a fan of Steve Cavanagh's The Defense.”
―Nelson DeMille,#1 New York Times bestselling author of Radiant Angel
“This guy is the real deal. Trust me.”
―Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Steve Cavanagh pulls off an enviable premise with panache.”
―Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Expertly combines his authority on the law with an absolutely great thrill ride.”
―Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Steve Cavanagh is the John Grisham for a new generation.”
―Sarah Pinborough, #1 internationally bestselling author
“Smart and original. This is a belter of a book.”
―Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Flatiron Books; Reprint edition (November 27, 2018)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 528 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250105986
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250105981
- Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.25 x 1.41 x 7.46 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #857,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,404 in Legal Thrillers (Books)
- #11,530 in Murder Thrillers
- #40,297 in Suspense Thrillers
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, Sunday Times best-selling author of the Eddie Flynn series which has sold a million copies in the UK. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime novel of the year 2019. FIFTY FIFTY was a Richard and Judy Book club choice, and the BBC Between The Covers book club choice. All of his novels have been nominated for major awards. His last four novels have all been Sunday Times Bestsellers.
The Eddie Flynn series can be read in any order, but the list in full in order of publication is as follows:
The Defence
The Cross (ebook exclusive novella)
The Plea
The Liar
Thirteen
Fifty Fifty
The Devil's Advocate
The Accomplice
Standalone books - Twisted.
Find out more at www.stevecavanaghauthor.com or follow Steve on Twitter @SteveCavanagh_
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
---
Lawyers don’t usually question whether or not a client is telling truth. That way lies madness. You do what you have to and trust the system. So, the guilty plead guilty. The innocent fight their case and the jury decides. If a by-product of that process is the emergence of the truth, then so be it, but the truth is not the aim of the process. The verdict is the aim. Truth has no place in the trial because no one is concerned with finding it, least of all the lawyers or the judge.
If that's not cynical enough for you, try this:
I saw through Dell’s game. It was a familiar one. It’s a game the justice system plays every single day in America--because sometimes it simply doesn’t matter if you’re really innocent of the crime; the only smart move is to plead guilty and make a deal for a lesser sentence.
“You want me to read the new evidence and tell David that irrespective of his innocence, he will definitely be convicted and his only choice is to plead guilty and make a deal to cut his sentence.”
“Bingo,” said Dell.
Happens all the time. I’ve done it myself. Innocent people often don’t want to take the chance of losing and doing fifteen or twenty years when they could make a deal and be out in two. It’s mathematics--not justice, but that's the reality.
Don't worry -- this book is not a diatribe about the shortcomings of the American judicial system (as appropriate as one might be), little comments like that are just a little bit of flavoring accenting the story, grounding it in the real world despite the craziness filling the book.
Eddie Flynn, for those new to the character, is a con man who went straight and then went to Law School. Following that, he made a couple big mistakes -- one cost him the career he had built, the other cost him his family. He's in the process of rebuilding both -- no easy task -- but you have to root for the guy trying to recover.
Eddie's approached (okay, ambushed) by the FBI, who wants Eddie to take on a new client, David Child. Child's a tech billionaire accused of murdering his girlfriend, and the FBI wants Eddie to convince him to plead to the charges. Then he needs to convince Eddie to help the FBI take down the law firm that currently represents him -- and is laundering money on a mind-boggling scale. If Eddie refuses? The FBI has enough evidence to put Eddie's ex away for a long time (did I mention that she works for the aforementioned firm, totally unaware that she's incriminated in the laundering?).
So, somehow Eddie has to separate Child from his current counsel, replace them, and then persuade Child to work with the FBI -- within a couple of days. No easy task. Then Eddie becomes convinced that Child is innocent. Which complicates things tremendously. So how does Eddie clear Child, keep his wife out of jail and help the FBI take down the laundering lawyers? Well, it'll take every bit of his old tricks, and maybe a few new ones.
I'm not a huge legal thriller guy -- never read a Grisham -- but when you give me a compelling character (particularly a defense attorney) like Eddie Flynn, I'm in. Watching Eddie navigate through the tricky waters of the system -- including jail guards, court staff, judges, prosecutors -- is a blast. This was like a serious version of the Andy Carpenter books. I would like to see Eddie take on a client he because he wanted to for a change, but that's not a complaint about this book, it'd just be nice to see.
Sure, it's your appreciation for Eddie Flynn that'll determine if you like this book or not, but he's not the only character to focus on -- there's David Child himself, who is interestingly drawn -- he's a fairly typical computer-genius character, socially awkward, etc. Typical, yes, but used well. My only complaint about Child's associate, Holly, is that we didn't get more of her (not that Cavanagh could've easily fit more of her in). The villains? Nasty, vile people -- believable (with one possible exception, but I liked him enough I don't care) -- all of them were well used, well drawn and just what the doctor ordered.
The Plea isn't perfect: I figured out the whodunit almost instantly, but it took a little while to get the details of the howdunit right -- and Cavanagh fooled me a little bit on that one. But that didn't detract from the book at all -- the fun is in watching Eddie and the rest scramble to survive this horrible situation and figure things out. The plot moves at a relentless pace -- which is a cliché, I realize, but I challenge you to come up with another way to describe this plot. Eddie can barely get a moment to rest and think, and when you're reading this, you feel like you can't either.
Characters you can't help but root for (or, in some cases, against), a fast-moving plot, with just enough twists, turns and hurdles. This one'll grab you by the collar and drag you along as it rushes to the dramatic conclusion (not that you'll be fighting against it, but the dragging will help you keep up). Keep yours eyes peeled for Steve Cavanagh and Eddie Flynn, they're something to watch.
Eddie Flynn - con man turned defence lawyer - is such a fantastic character, and each book is so intricately plotted that you have no idea how he will get out of one impossible situation after another. This one is a variation on a locked room mystery, and is so cleverly done that I defy anyone to guess how.
Each book is a separate case, although there are recurring characters and events from his previous adventures are referred, so while it’s not essential to read them in order, I’m glad I have.
Eddie has been pressured into taking the case of young internet billionaire David Child, arrested for the murder of his partner, inside his luxury apartment, with overwhelming evidence of his guilt. A bullying CIA agent has proof that Eddie’s estranged wife, Christine, was complicit in money laundering at her legal firm, and is using the threat of having her arrested to force him to push David into a guilty plea, to make him testify against the corrupt senior partner, as revenge for the death of his lover, a fellow agent. Meeting David, Eddie, whose specialty is reading people, is convinced of his innocence, so will have to use all his hustling skills and shady friends to find out what happened, and keep him safe from Mexican cartel killers and an over-ambitious DA.
This begins at the end, with Eddie about to be killed, then jumps back two days to how it all happened, which is a technique that’s become popular in TV recently, and can be annoying in books, but actually works very well here. It’s a longer book than the first one, with a lot more courtroom scenes, which slowed the pace down a little, but still enough action to keep me happy, and more importantly, a plethora of twists and turns. Cavanagh excels at seeding little snippets of information into the narrative, that are all threaded in to weave the most fantastic plot tapestry, while gently misdirecting us into each corner.
Eddie may be a conman, but he has a huge heart, and has never gone after the “Little Guy” or the innocent. Still plagued by the case that destroyed his career, he’ll risk his own life and liberty for both his family and his client. He has a wonderful array of friends who help him in unexpected ways, from the sinister but loyal Lizard to ancient and deaf but still sharp old lawyer Cooch.
While I know very little about the American justice system, I am consistently amazed that an author from Northern Ireland can write such believable legal shenanigans - he must have either very good advisors or do meticulous research. I’m so pleased I have the next two ready to go, and his stand alone Twisted which I have also heard great things about.
Top reviews from other countries

This book is 513 pages long and split into 91 chapters.
Here the opener is explosive. Eddie narrates the story and is at his most compelling from the first page - breathless and exciting. People have been killed around him in the smart office of a law firm and he sees the gun that is going to be used to kill him. He feels the bullet ripping into him then we are taken back 48 hours to find out how he got there. It seems very unlikely he will survive the shot from such close range (but I was guessing he would as there are more books in the series!!).
I didn't read the blurb before I started so the plot was a surprise as I went along which always makes for a better experience.
Eddie Flynn is a great character to read who is always one step ahead of everyone around him. As he narrates the story, the reader is privileged to get into his head and understand his thought process which makes an entertaining read.
David Child (the accused) turns out to be an interesting amalgam of the various high profile tech bosses (well, the public's impression of them anyway).
The time period of the whole book is only a couple of days and the high level of detail works hard to make the pace breathless, adding urgency as well as making the visual images very vivid.
Of course, the plot is ridiculous and there is never any point in the book that it feels plausible but the author explains every step to make sure that the reader is engaged throughout.
Everything works out in the end and it is admirable to see how the author manages to tie up all the strands of such a complicated story.

This was quite a complicated story with a lot going on, and sometimes it was hard to follow the legal jargon. However, I did get the gist of it, and it didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book. I just couldn’t put it down and found myself grabbing a few minutes here and there to read a little bit more.
The story carries on directly from book one, so we see the ramifications on Flynn’s daughter Amy and how Eddie has started his legal practice again. This time, though, it is his estranged wife that is in danger, and he needs to do everything he can to protect not only her but his new client as well.
The book’s pace didn’t let up, and I found myself rushing through it to see how it would all untangle. Like I’ve said, some parts were hard to follow, and I did find the conclusion a bit too entwined and complex to get my head around. However, it was how it all ended that really mattered, and that was great!
I’m gutted as I will have to take a few days’ break from reading this series to read some books I’ve committed to, but as soon as I can, I will be reading book three!


𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 - Steve Cavanagh
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 - Thriller, Fiction, Legal Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Legal Story
𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 - 387 pages
𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 15+
𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
When David Child, a major client of a corrupt New York law firm, is arrested for murder, the FBI ask con artist-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn to persuade him to testify against the firm.
Eddie is not someone who is easily coerced, but when the FBI reveal that they have incriminating files on his wife, he knows he has no choice.
But Eddie is convinced the man is innocent, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. With the FBI putting pressure on him to secure the deal, Eddie must find a way to prove his client's innocence.
But the stakes are high - his wife is in danger. And not just from the FBI . . .
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Another Eddie Flynn Novel!
I've waited so long to read this and it's been sat in my Amazon Wish List for months!
I decided to just buy it for the current price because it just wasn't dropping to 99p!🙈
Oh my word, this book gripped me from the first page, but I will say it was a very complicated plot so I had to reread parts of it a few times so that I could understand what was happening, especially because most of my reading is done at night, in bed!
This is another Eddie Flynn case that is fast paced and super exciting!
It does not disappoint and I highly recommend that you read it, you don't have to because they are standalones but please read them in order!
See more reviews from me on Instagram - @mrslaurenoliverreads


Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 29, 2022
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 - Steve Cavanagh
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 - Thriller, Fiction, Legal Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Legal Story
𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 - 387 pages
𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 15+
𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
When David Child, a major client of a corrupt New York law firm, is arrested for murder, the FBI ask con artist-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn to persuade him to testify against the firm.
Eddie is not someone who is easily coerced, but when the FBI reveal that they have incriminating files on his wife, he knows he has no choice.
But Eddie is convinced the man is innocent, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. With the FBI putting pressure on him to secure the deal, Eddie must find a way to prove his client's innocence.
But the stakes are high - his wife is in danger. And not just from the FBI . . .
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Another Eddie Flynn Novel!
I've waited so long to read this and it's been sat in my Amazon Wish List for months!
I decided to just buy it for the current price because it just wasn't dropping to 99p!🙈
Oh my word, this book gripped me from the first page, but I will say it was a very complicated plot so I had to reread parts of it a few times so that I could understand what was happening, especially because most of my reading is done at night, in bed!
This is another Eddie Flynn case that is fast paced and super exciting!
It does not disappoint and I highly recommend that you read it, you don't have to because they are standalones but please read them in order!
See more reviews from me on Instagram - @mrslaurenoliverreads


Eddie Flynn is coerced by CIA agent Lester Dell into getting himself hired by David Child, billionaire owner of a massive social media network, as his lawyer. Child is accused of first degree murder and Dell wants him to make a deal—testify against a prestigious law firm for a lesser sentence or risk a much longer incarceration. If Eddie and Child don’t cooperate, Dell has information that will not bode well for Eddie’s wife. Christine works for Harland and Sinton, a front for a huge money laundering operation. David Child designed an algorithm that tracks the firm’s funds, but that seems to have been tampered with, and Christine witnessed a document with no idea it would implicate her in fraud. Add to the mix a district attorney who just wants a quick conviction to further his career and Eddie is in a very tricky situation.
Even though the evidence against Child seems to be watertight, after speaking with him, Eddie doesn’t believe he’s guilty.
'With my experience I could normally spot a lie a mile away. I expected Child to be an excellent liar, a man I would have to study before I would be able to spot his tells. I’d underestimated him. He was a mass of nerves, shock, and guilt. That made him damn near impossible to read. So I had to rely on my gut instead.
My first impression—this guy was no killer. But I’d been wrong before.’
After a surprising opening the tension begins to build as Eddie is on a forty-eight hour countdown, via the chapter headings, to the gun shot that opens the story. With the help of his unconventional and interesting group of friends, Eddie works under pressure to get Child’s case thrown out and find out who the real villains are.
A fast paced, well constructed courtroom drama, with an engaging protagonist it would be hard not to like—well defined, multi layered and with a strong moral code but not without flaws. Con man turned lawyer, Eddie needs every one of his skills, legal or otherwise, to save his family, himself and David Child. He has no intention of letting an innocent man, or his wife, go to prison.
'“I saw through Dell’s game. It was a familiar one. It’s a game the justice system plays every single day in America–because sometimes it simply doesn’t matter if you’re innocent of the crime; the only smart move is to plead guilty and make a deal for a lesser sentence.”’
The story covers tense courtroom scenes and Eddie’s attempts to find out the truth in a non stop, fast paced narrative. Yes, reality has to be suspended up to a point, it doesn’t really seem feasible that all this took place over two days but…I enjoyed the first book very much, the first person perspective drew me in, getting into Eddie’s mind and being privy to his thoughts. The drama in the courtroom is a delight to read, and the whole thing is intricately plotted. The ‘con’ tricks Eddie learned from his father adds another unusual dimension. It has everything a good thriller should—murder, fraud, double-dealing, twists and flashes of humour.