Steve Cavanagh: 'I signed my first book in a police custody suite'

Steve Cavanagh, a former solicitor turned crime novelist, draws parallels between his courtroom experience and crafting a gripping story. The concept for his debut novel occurred to him during a courtroom cross-examination when he realized how trial lawyers and con artists share similar skills such as misdirection, persuasion, and manipulation. “I kind of conned them into revealing that they were lying and it hit me then that con artists and trial lawyers have all the same skills,” he explained. This revelation inspired his popular series featuring Eddie Flynn, a conman-turned-lawyer based in New York, now featured in ten novels.

Living near Lisburn, Cavanagh leads a busy life balancing book tours with family moments, including breaks for his dog, Muffin, who evidently plays a role in his writing routine. Originally from Belfast, with education across Northern Ireland and Dublin, he only began writing in his mid-thirties following the death of his mother, who had been his greatest supporter. His choice to use his mother’s maiden name, Cavanagh, as his pen name served both as a tribute and a way to separate his legal career from his writing.

Cavanagh firmly believes in the power of language, stating, “every word is a weapon in a courtroom.” Inspired partly by the legendary trial lawyer Clarence Darrow, on whom his character Eddie Flynn is modeled, Cavanagh developed a protagonist who blends con artistry with legal acumen. Despite initial struggles finding an agent—facing over 50 rejections—he eventually secured representation and landed a book deal. His first novel, *The Defence*, gained critical acclaim but modest sales, with his career turning point coming with *Thirteen*, which hooked readers with the tagline: “The serial killer isn’t on trial, he’s on the jury.”

Today, Cavanagh’s works have sold over five million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 40 languages. He continues to explore contemporary issues through his writing, such as the dangers of online oversharing in *Two Kinds of Stranger* and the corrupting influence of wealth and power in his latest novel, *One Of Us is Guilty*. Cavanagh critiques the unchecked influence of billionaires and voices concerns about AI technology, highlighting the lack of government action against companies using pirated content. Though planning a break from his Eddie Flynn series with upcoming standalone projects, including a Sherlock Holmes short story, he assures fans that his iconic character is far from finished

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