Review of Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn #9) by Steve Cavanagh

It's not necessary to read other books in this series before diving into an Eddie Flynn novel; Cavanagh skillfully establishes key elements of the past while diving into the urgency of present-day events. The character of Eddie is perfectly imperfect, and I didn't mind the outlandish story elements because Cavanagh creates such a suspenseful story that moves right along.

Elly Parker is a wildly successful social media influencer who focuses on filming and sharing her random acts of kindness across the internet. She's happy in her marriage--until she realizes that her husband is having an affair with her best friend.

Elly retreats into silence after inadvertently posting to the internet the moment she attempted to surprise her husband but discovered the affair, which was at that time occurring in her own bed. When she emerges from seclusion, she sees a stranger with crutches and a suitcase on the steps of a subway platform, clearly in need of assistance. She is determined to continue to try to be kind out in the world, despite her pain.

But the stranger's specific intention was always to draw Elly into his mysterious, elaborate, destructive plan. He goes to great lengths to lay the groundwork of framing Elly for a terrible crime. Now Elly is having trouble getting the police or anyone else to believe in the existence of the unknown man who has turned her life on its head, much less in getting them to believe she is wholly innocent of the terrible acts that literally have her fingerprints all over them.

Enter Eddie Flynn, whose fast-and-loose approach to his work as a criminal lawyer destroyed his marriage and is a constant threat to the continuation of his career. But when you're backed into a corner with all logic eluding you and with evidence and criminal charges pointing in your direction, Eddie Flynn is just the guy you need.

The convoluted motivations of this stranger-villain, a sociopath criminal mastermind, feel shockingly arbitrary. Cavanagh does delve into this monstrous figure's past and the reasons for his mental illness. The randomness of his targeting Elly and her seemingly assured destruction make for a chilling, it-could-happen-to-anyone horror.

Eddie is perfectly imperfect and stops at nothing to achieve his ends, using craftiness, his knowledge of human nature, and playing up favors and loyalty. His ragtag officemates are an underrated, skillful team.

Toward the end of the story there's an overly convenient although somewhat satisfying twist regarding the bad guy; I had wondered if something along these lines was going on, but thought it felt too far-fetched. I didn't mind that Cavanagh dove in on multiple outlandish avenues (the villain's targeting of Elly; this final twist) within the book.

I received an electronic prepublication edition of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Atria Books.

More from Steve Cavanagh

Steve Cavanagh is also the author of Kill for Me, Kill for You as well as eight other titles in the Eddie Flynn series, of which this book is a part.

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