Steve Cavanagh, a former solicitor from Northern Ireland, has become a bestselling crime writer with more than five million copies of his books sold worldwide. His writing career began in his mid-30s following his mother’s death, drawing inspiration from her encouragement. He adopted his mother’s maiden name, Cavanagh, as his pen name while keeping his legal surname separate from his writing identity.
Cavanagh’s breakthrough concept emerged from his legal work when he recognized shared skills between con artists and trial lawyers. This observation led to the creation of his primary character, Eddie Flynn, a lawyer based in New York with a background in confidence schemes. The character is supported by associates including Harry Ford, Melissa Bloch, and Gabriel Lake. Cavanagh’s journey to publication involved rejection from over 50 agents before securing representation and his first book deal.
His debut novel, The Defence, received recognition but limited sales. The turning point came with his third book, Thirteen, which features the premise of a serial killer serving on a jury. Released in 2019, this novel’s success allowed Cavanagh to leave his legal practice and pursue writing full-time. He has since written ten novels in the Eddie Flynn series alongside several standalone thrillers.
Cavanagh’s recent works explore contemporary themes including social media exploitation in Two Kinds of Stranger and concentrated wealth and power in One Of Us is Guilty, which features a prominent family entangled in a murder investigation. He has been critical of artificial intelligence companies, arguing their practices amount to widespread piracy of literary works with limited government intervention.
Looking forward, Cavanagh plans to step back from the Eddie Flynn series temporarily to pursue standalone projects, including a Sherlock Holmes short story commissioned by the Conan Doyle estate for an upcoming collection. He has assured readers that the Eddie Flynn character will return to future novels.
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