Title: TWO KINDS OF STRANGER – Eddie Flynn #09
Author: STEVE CAVANAGH
ISBN: 9781035408276
Publisher: Headline Books
Pages: 400
Source: Private Copy
SHE HELPED A PERFECT A STRANGER. SHE DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS THE PERFECT KILLER…
Ellie Parker had everything.
Perfect husband. Perfect apartment. Perfect friends and the perfect job.
As an internet celebrity – famed for her random acts of kindness – everyone knew it.
So when a betrayal causes her to lose it all, millions of people are watching.
But even at her lowest, Ellie will always help someone in need.
Which makes her the perfect target for a sadistic game.
Because as she soon learns, you can never trust a stranger – and a seemingly random encounter plunges her into a nightmare worse than she ever imagined.
The only person she can turn to is conman turned trial lawyer Eddie Flynn, who must take on a case where nothing is what it seems. With the most cruelly ingenious mind manipulating events from the shadows, everyone is in danger – including Eddie and his family.
Official Summary
05 March 2026
I absolutely devoured this book. Two Kinds of Stranger is one of those rare thrillers that grabs you from the very first chapter and simply refuses to let go until the final, jaw-dropping reveal. Steve Cavanagh has always been brilliant at delivering twist-heavy, high-stakes stories, but this one felt especially sharp, clever, and emotionally charged. This one is, without a doubt, my favourite in the series so far.
Ellie Parker is such a compelling protagonist. At the start, she appears to have the perfect life — influencer success, loving marriage, beautiful home — but watching everything unravel so quickly creates an immediate sense of tension and vulnerability. What I loved most was how relatable her core trait is: kindness. Her instinct to help others, even when she’s struggling herself, makes her situation feel even more terrifying because you can see exactly how she becomes the ideal target. It adds a psychological realism that makes the danger feel close and believable.
The pacing is phenomenal. The story moves at breakneck speed without ever feeling rushed, and every chapter ends with a hook that makes it nearly impossible to stop reading. Just when I thought I had figured things out, another twist landed and completely shifted my understanding. The villain’s manipulation is chillingly intelligent — one of the most cleverly constructed antagonists I’ve read in a long time.
Eddie Flynn remains one of my favourite characters in modern crime fiction — morally complex, sharp-witted, and endlessly resourceful. The personal stakes for Eddie in this story raise the tension even higher, and his involvement adds that extra layer of legal drama and strategy that Cavanagh does so well.
What really elevated this book to five stars for me was the sheer ingenuity of the plot. Everything fits together with precision, and the ending is both shocking and deeply satisfying — the kind that makes you want to flip back through earlier chapters to see how all the clues were hidden in plain sight.
This is a smart, addictive, edge-of-your-seat thriller about trust, manipulation, and how quickly life can spiral when you let the wrong person in. Without question, one of my favourite reads — and a must for anyone who loves twisty psychological suspense with unforgettable characters.
If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers with big surprises and emotional punch, this one is unmissable.
Also By Steve Cavanagh
WITNESS 8 – Eddie Flynn #08
Something is wrong with Ruby Johnson.
A former resident of the ultra-elite Manhattan upper class, Ruby now works as a maid in the type of houses she used to live in. Unassuming, she sees everyone’s dirty secrets from the inside of their beautiful, renovated brownstones. But when Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth.
Eddie Flynn, streetwise ex-con-artist-turned-defence attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s—the gun that killed his neighbor found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. Flynn and his unconventional team will need to use every trick they know to keep an innocent man from being locked up. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organised criminals in the city are out for his head.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Steve Cavanagh is the bestselling author of the Eddie Flynn novels and standalone thrillers. In 2018, The Liar won the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger for crime novel of the year. In 2019, Thirteen won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2019.
All of his novels have either been nominated for awards or have won awards internationally.
He is a former lawyer and was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he still lives.
I cannot wait for the next Eddie Flynn book – One of Us is Guilty – due for release in July 2026. Have you read all the Eddie Flynn Books? Which one is your favourite? Please leave a comment below.
I love how Steve Cavanagh mentions his wife in every book’s acknowledgements – I would like to thank Tracy for supporting him so fans can keep enjoying the Eddie Flynn books.
Until next time… Happy Reading!
