Five stars!! Everyone loves a courtroom drama. Eddie Flynn is a smart, savvy lawyer. Frank, the former Mayor, is found murdered in his home. His two daughter, who were in the home at the time, discover the body and each call 911 accusing the other of the crime. One sister is a working professional, while the other has mental health issues and there are millions in inheritance on the line. Someone has to pay for the crime and the only possible suspects were the two sisters who were in the home at the time of the murder. Bet you won't guess who did it.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books & Steve Cavanagh for sending me this Arc!

I do have to say, this was a slow start for me. The book and background were written well, I think it was slow for me for the building for the story and the background itself.

At 40% is where I got straight up hooked and finished the last 60% of the book in just a few days.

The story was captivating. I will say...I sided with the jury.

The twists that come in the last 25% of this book, I could not believe. Steve set this book up so good, I am now an Eddie Flynn fan!

Absolute page turner. I love all the books by Cavanagh, but this might be a new favorite. Well done.

This book had one hell of a opening! I ended up reading this in one sitting because I simply could not put it down. Steve Cavanagh is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors

Fifty Fifty is another great book from Steve Cavanagh, one of my favourite authors! This is a 5 Star read with twists and turns that I did not see coming. Thank you Netgalley for this amazing e-arc!

'999 / 911' - what's your emergency? Is the opening for this book.

Me…. ‘999 / 911' My heart can't take this adrenaline rush and nerve wreaking story. Ok, I'm hooked on Eddie Flynn, an addict for Steve Cavanagh’s writing, and I have adored this book 'Fifty Fifty'!!!. I'm having palpations.😀

Operator… ‘999 / 911' Your craving will be satisfed. There are more books in the series. No need for treatment this is a normal reaction.

Gritty, immersive, and oh so clever. A psychological roller coaster of a story with twists and turns that has you guessing to the end and constantly questioning and reassessing which sister killed their father and possibly their mother, an accident which is now in question. As new evidence is presented, more of the backstory is revealed, along with new murders in the present that heighten the tension in the story to the last word.

The Book starts with a destressed call

'911 what's your emergency?'

'My dad's dead. My sister Sofia killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.'

'My dad's dead. My sister Alexandra killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.'

Two defence teams go head-to-head against each other and against the prosecution who don’t care whether both did it, or either one murdered Frank Avellino, because any of these scenarios give them the assured conviction of someone for the grotesque murder. Case closed for them.

The motive is clear Frank Avellino is a multi millionaire and was about to change his will to cut one out - but which one. Both girls were rejected by their father after the accidental death of his second wife (which is now in question!!!) and sent off to boarding school with little contact from him during holiday periods. His first wife, a cold and aloof woman, demanded excellence of her daughters, in the game of chess in particular. Far from being the loving mother her punishment was to bite her daughters for making the wrong chess moves. So, you can see why both or one suffers mentally from the relationship with both parents which leads to unimaginable hatred and psychological damage.

However, one is also evil (referred to a 'she' in the book), a daughter who murdered her mother, her stepmother and then her father. Which one, it’s a fifty fifty decision.

Review and Comments

This is probably my favourite Steve Cavanagh book to date. Maybe, then again, I also loved The Defense, The Plea and Thirteen.

I can’t say anything about the twists because it would be easy to spoil this for other readers who haven’t delighted in this book already. Good sister versus’s evil sister.

However, this was a cracking suspense thriller that kept me hooked, absorbed, and totally captivated and my favourite kind of thriller. I loved the intelligent way in which Flynn contests, and sometimes destroys the evidence and the so-called expert witnesses. I love his humour and witty retorts.

The characters are deliciously evil, well developed, cunning, and clever. The book alternates between the various characters narrating. Eddie (Defence), Kate(2nd Defence), Sofia (accused), Alexandra (accused) and ‘she’ the evil, disturbed and calculated woman who shows no remorse for the numerous murders she has and will commit during this exhilarating story. The stakes are high – it can only be one of two – its fifty fifty.

Storyline and Plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brilliantly devised and executed plot.

Main Characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Eddie is my favourite book lawyer. Love the dark humour, understated intelligence and acute mind that spots everything.

Writing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ clever, easy to read, captivating, and suspenseful. A fantastic crime author.

Yes, I admit to loving this one. I can’t get enough of Eddie Flynn, and I can’t get enough of Steve Cavanagh’s psychological thrillers. Most are 5 star reads, and this one is no exception.

This was an amazing book! Such a page turner. It's a story of two sisters who blame the other for the murder of their father. You wont want to put the book down. The perfect mystery of who did it. This was my first book by Steve Cavanagh. Even though it is part of a series, it can definitely be read out of order. I would definitely recommend this book

wow omg i am slowly becoming a steve cavanagh fan. this story is a little bit more complex. so two sister, a 911 call made at the same time by both sister who telling the truth?eddie take on one of the sister sofia, this is a truly terrific thriller.

This was so good! My second book by this author and it’s just so enjoyable. As a lawyer myself, I really appreciate the accuracy of the legal concepts in this book. A page turner!!!

Ahhh this was so good!

We follow Eddie Flynn- an attorney representing one of the two sisters that are accusing each other of murdering their father.

This story keeps you guessing on whodunit.
This is part of a series, but I definitely believe it can be read as a standalone.

Thank you so much to NetGalley/Publisher for the ARC!

I was captivated from the first chapter and couldn't put this one down. We are given a scenario in which we have two sisters with similar motives, similar opportunities, but only one that did it. The parallels that Cavanagh created between the two truly kept me guessing until the very end. There were scenes that had me gripping my kindle with suspense wondering where he was going to take the story. I truly loved the side characters and the witty banter throughout. This story was phenomenal and I can't wait to read more of Eddie Flynn series!

POV: 1st, singular/3rd, multiple
Angst: high

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

Fifty-Fifty Steve Cavanagh. Very good courtroom drama and legal thriller Fascinating the way the author ties together all the elements at the end. Interesting reading about Eddie's and Judge Henry's initial encounters with Kate, Bloch, and of course, Clarence. Hopefully there will be more cases and crimes for this new team to tackle. Another very good addition to the Eddie Flynn series.
Thank you to the author, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I didnt know this was part of a series but it was still a very good book from one of my favorite authors.

I really liked this story and I had such a great time with it. I did not initially think the plot would be captivating to me but it definitely was. I really will be looking forward to his future books.

I love when thrillers have multiple POV, and in Fifty Fifty you see situations play out through the eyes and minds of quite a few different characters, but I particularly enjoyed that there were chapters from the murderer’s POV, without giving away the identity.

But I have to be honest here – despite the cleverly hidden clues and the misdirection that the author uses liberally throughout the book, I did make my mind up as to who the killer was quite early on, and I was, in the end, proven right.

I was stressed reading this book because I kept telling my husband “I don’t know which one it is!” 😭 Like, I’m great at guessing thriller books but this one had me going back and forth like every other chapter 😅

It was so incredibly intricate and engaging. This story was well-written and the plot was super twisty and entertaining. I loved how the author played the point of view from both defense attorneys and the court setting didn’t get too overwhelming. There was enough violence, drama, and mystery that I was FULLY obsessed with this story.

The twists felt so natural- they always popped up at the perfect times but never felt too out of left field. And again, they played the two sisters against each other perfectly! I honestly can’t tell you how much I loved this book!

With shocking turns, amazing writing, and a lot of relevant themes on the treatment of women and our justice system- this book had all of the things I adore in a thriller/mystery! ✨

Are legal thrillers your jam? Then this is a must read for you!
Sisters are supposed to have each-other's back, not try to stick a knife in them!
But these aren’t your average sisters. They’ve never been close and in fact, at odds for years.

Their only common ground is their father. A father who has just been discovered dead in his home. And wouldn’t you know…both daughters just happened to pay dear ole’ daddy a visit that same night. Instantly, each point the finger at one another as his killer! Within minutes 911 receives a call from both sisters claiming the other one is the murderer.

Quiet please🤫 Court is in session!

Eddie Flynn is our unconventional defense lawyer we’ve all come to know and love. A former con artist, he will only represent you if he truly believes you’re innocent. A con can always recognize another con!

Eddie will be representing Sofia, the daughter found crouching over her father and the second 911 caller.

Kate, a young new lawyer trying her first case will be representing sister Alexandra, the initial 911 caller, found cowering in the bathroom thinking she would be the next victim.

Who to believe?

Well, I can’t tell you how many times I flip-flopped on who the guilty party was. It was basically fifty-fifty on who the killer was. Any guesses??

I love Eddie’s character! His street smarts work perfectly in the courtroom! Kate’s character was strong and dedicated and I can’t wait to see her again as the series moves forward.

Though it’s part of a series, it can definitely stand on its own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books.

I absolutely LOVED this book! There were just so many things to love: the characters, the plot twists, alternating perspectives - I could go on and on. Even though I suspected one of the bigger twists, I didn’t piece together how the twist came to be until it was expertly unveiled in the story. I have not previously read any Eddie Flynn novels, but I know what I will be binge reading soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of this excellent story!

This book was a good, slow burn. As it began, building the characters and the background it remained interesting enough to keep going. Once you hit the midpoint things started to speed up and it was difficult to put down. The multiple twists at the ending was unexpected but so good.