WHAT if the witness to a murder was more twisted than the killer? This is the premise to Co Down crime writer Steve Cavanagh’s latest thriller.
Witness 8 tells the story of Ruby Johnson, a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan’s West 74th Street. One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour’s murder. She knows the victim. She knows the killer. She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer.
But Ruby didn’t tell the truth.
Eddie Flynn, conman turned trial lawyer, must defend the innocent man accused of this terrible crime.
When it comes to starting a new novel, Cavanagh reveals that he first asks himself “what’s the worst thing that can happen?”
“The idea for Witness 8 was, what if the only witness to a murder is more dangerous than the killer and uses what she sees for her own ends?.
“There are streets in Manhattan that are just full of millionaires and billionaires, and I thought what if there was a nanny who worked in that street and knew everything – their routines, their secrets, their text messages – but she is trusted?”
“Ruby is a very disturbed young lady: but she’s not just a monster, she’s doing what she thinks is right. I want readers to question her, but also empathise with her a little too. Even the villains can have grey areas,” he adds.
I ask Cavanagh if having characters that aren’t black and white is a key part of his writing.
@steve.cavanagh.books Pre-order now. Lonk in bio #booktok #eddieflynn
♬ Yes, I Think I Like It - Gorfell
“My books are all about the psychology of people and what makes us do these extreme things.
“Sometimes my villains are just out and out monsters, as they need to be, but where I can I make them a bit more sympathetic and rounded, that often makes them a bit more believable.
“Eddie’s a bit of a grey character too. He’s a lawyer, but he also used to be a con artist, he has his foot in two worlds to get the right result.”
In his latest thriller, readers see a more vulnerable side to his protagonist Eddie, with his relationship with friend Harry explored and his own life under threat.
“The more I write, I’ve got into the way of doing twists, reveals and surprises. But what I try to do as I move on is try and make the reader feel something more than just excitement. It’s about trying to get an emotional response from the reader by thinking about what’s at stake for the characters.”
The best-selling author of 16 books worked for many years as a solicitor, practicing under his real name, Stephen Mearns.
In 2010 he was part of the legal team who represented an immigrant factory worker who was discriminated against in the workplace and won the highest-ever damages for a case of its kind in Northern Ireland.
Cavanagh’s love of crime fiction came via his mother, after she gave him a copy of Silence of the Lambs when he was about 12.
It was after she suddenly passed away in 2011 that Cavanagh started to write his first novel.
“She was the only person who ever encouraged me to write, so in tribute I wanted to write the book she would have wanted to have read,” explains Cavanagh, who uses his mother’s maiden name for his writing pseudonym.
As with his previous books, Thirteen and Fifty-Fifty, Cavanagh once again includes a number in the title of Witness 8.
“The title came from my American editor. I do like numbers in titles, I find it can be quite intriguing. It worked out well this time as it was the eighth book in the Eddie Flynn series, and Ruby was the eighth witness.”
In the book, Eddie says: “As a former con artist, I have an advantage over some of my fellow lawyers”. As a former lawyer, does Cavanagh think he has an advantage over his fellow crime writers?
“No, not at all,” protests the author, who became a full-time writer in 2019.
“As a lawyer, I think you get used to telling other people’s stories. I think of them as very related professions, as you are just telling stories and solving puzzles.”
From the outset, Cavanagh made a conscious decision never to let reality blur with fiction and to set his books in New York.
“You get the impression with New York that anything can happen in that city. I wrote the first three books without having even visited the United States, but I’ve been many times since and New York maybe half a dozen times,” he enthuses.
Including the darker parts of the city?
“You mean the law courts?” he quickly replies, with a wry smile.
Corruption is a big theme in Cavanagh’s writing, and he doesn’t disappoint in Witness 8 with corrupt policemen, lawyers and even hitmen.
Having grown up in Belfast during the Troubles, does he think his Northern Ireland upbringing had anything to do with the desire to explore that theme?
“Possibly, but corruption is not something that’s unique to Northern Ireland, and is more and more prevalent these days. I never think ‘I must get more corruption into this book’ - it just seems to emerge.”
My books are all about the psychology of people and what makes us do these extreme things.
— Steve Cavanagh
One such character within Witness 8 is Mr Christmas.
“He’s one of those characters that popped into my head a couple of years ago - a hitman who was a cinephile.
“He’s a total psychopath, but has built these structures around himself – of politeness and manners - which allows him to undertake his profession without any qualms.
“I thought his name was a nice juxtaposition between his job. He has a very sweet name, but the worst job you could imagine.”
Callaghan is a self-confessed movie buff and, before studying law, tried his hand at screenwriting, submitting a movie script to none other than Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola.
“Someone representing me at the time sent it off. I’m a huge fan of Marlon Brandon and Coppola, and I love the Godfather,” says Callaghan, who relished including references to it in Witness 8.
With his Eddie Flynn books currently in “active development”, maybe he could swap his home in Lisburn for 74th Street, New York?
“I would never say never,” says the father-of-two, who has no plans to kill Eddie off anytime soon.
“I’ve started writing his next one. Eddie is paying my mortgage, so he’ll be around for a while yet,” he laughs.
“I think readers enjoy Eddie for his skills and his vulnerabilities. He’s the smartest guy in the room, and he’s brave, but at the same time, he gets scared. Sometimes he does the wrong thing, but he’s selfless and will put himself in danger for other people.”
