I had already read and enjoyed the first 4 books in this series when I saw this one come up. I liked the idea of a conman turned lawyer. This one keeps you guessing back and forth the entire time. You think you know but it's 50/50!

Very good!!! Great twist!! However some parts dragged on and would have loved to hear more from the killer/suspect point of view!

I found this book to be a captivating read, alternating my attention between the two sisters as I attempted to solve the mystery. The author's ability to craft a suspenseful narrative made it challenging to put the book down, and I eagerly anticipated discovering the truth. I am excited to explore more works by Steve Cavanagh.

Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh is a paperback release.

"Two sisters on trial for murder. They each accuse the other. Eddie Flynn only defends people accused of crime if they're innocent. He believes the sister he's defending is the one falsely accused. The other sister's lawyer believes the same about her client.

One sister is a killer and a liar. Which one?"

This is another Cavanagh book where you never know who is guilty until the end - the very end. Cavanagh always saves a twist for the end. He's setting you up the whole time. There are red herrings and misdirection galore. There is tragedy and surprise in the courtroom. Fans of Cavanagh will recognize some future allies. Flynn is a great character from SC. There are many layers to and it's nice to see some humanity and depth in him.

This was the perfect beach read. Tell people to leave you alone and find an umbrella to read it under.

Eddie, Harry, Kate, and Bloch...name a better team? I love these books and really enjoyed this one. The only reason for removing a star was that they came to conclusions so quickly that made me think "how would they know that???"

Until the last couple of chapters, you think you know which of the sisters killed their father. Also a little voice in your mind is telling you that this is too easy and making you question if you are getting played. This is that kind of a book. This is that kind of a plot. You question every clue, every decision, every guess. It's "Fifty Fifty" after all.

Two 911 calls saying the same thing: "send help, my sister killed my father". The ex-mayor was found brutally murdered in his bed. Both of his daughters were in the house and blaming each other for the murder. They hated each other to begin with and their mother's death did not change the dynamics (it actually made it worse). One was successful, loved, and outgoing; the other was battling mental health issues, and detached. It's up to Eddie and newly minted Kate to figure out which is the liar and which is the victim.

I'm reading this series in random order, but after reading books 5 and 8 it's safe to say I'm going to read the rest of the series for sure. I really appreciated Cavanagh including real court procedures into these stories without making it too academic. I'll be back for more.

This felt like reading Law and Order:SVU. I typically go for more thriller vibes, so this was a little too criminal procedural for me, but it was still very entertaining! I knew that there would be a twist with the sisters, but the ending felt kind of predictable. I wish it was a little more spicey, but it was quite nice and tidy and the characters felt interesting.

4 stars
Wow, this book had me guessing who the murder was until the end and it was a true 50-50 chance that it could have been either of the suspected sisters.

Two sisters, one brutal murder, and a courtroom battle where only one can be telling the truth. Alexandra and Sofia Avellino both claim they found their father’s mutilated body—but each insists the other is the killer. Now, they face trial together, with a single jury deciding their fate.

The authors writing is so captivating and it makes it feel like I am there along side Eddy and Kate trying to solve the crime. The POV chapters of the murder were the ones I looked most forward to read because I was trying to find little clues to figure out who is the murder but again, I was split fifty- fifty on which sister.

If Steve writes it, I will read it. He has quickly become an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this complimentary e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Received from NetGalley.

Alright so, a few months ago I got an ARC of the 8th book in this series.. without realizing it was the 8th when I took it. Being a procedural with an interesting premise, I took a chance jumping in at book 8. Well, it was great. There was just enough personal stuff to feel for the characters without being too heavy that I felt like I was playing catch up. The case itself sucked me in.

But I have been bogged down by ARCs to go back and ready the 7 previous books.

So when Fifty Fifty came my way, I was like sure, I might as well keep going with book 9. Readers, it was not book 9. This wasn’t an advance. It was book 5 and it came out in 2020.

Putting aside my eye twitching at not only starting at 8 and then going back and ready 5, the premise was too good to skip over.

I mean. Really. How could I not read this? No regrets.

Now I’m taking a break from ARCs to go read book 1. Though I was tempted to just go to book 6 but I don’t think I could take being that chaotic.

Another book by Steve Cavanagh that DIDN'T DISAPPOINT! I need the Eddie Flynn series to be made into a tv series, stat. Much like the other books in the Eddie Flynn series, Fifty Fifty grabs your attention from the first page. We follow Eddie Flynn and a rival lawyer as they defend sisters who are blaming their father's murder on each other. What really keeps you guessing though, is the POV of 'she', presumably the guilty sister. I thought I had it figured out about 20 times throughout the story, and I still wasn't right in the end. While I didn't predict the ending, I also didn't find it as shocking as Steve Cavanagh's endings normally are, which is why I'm giving it a 3.5 stars!

I will always recommend Steve Cavanagh, so run to pick this up on June 3rd!🫶🏻

LOVED! This book was fantastic and I will be buying a physical copy to add to my shelves. I loved the characters and how the book unfolded! highly recommend!

Cavanagh does it again!! Kept me hooked from the beginning!! Loved this legal thriller!! Would highly recommend.

Thank you net galley for this ARC!

Fifty Fifty is my first Steve Cavanagh book, but definitely not my last. This had me instantly hooked, and kept me guessing the entire time!

I can't get enough of Steve Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn series. I am planning to go back and read them all!

This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I just love Eddie, Harper and Harry I can’t get enough! With every chapter I kept switching on which sister I thought was the killer and it had me questioning everything. It kept me on my toes and the twists were great, the ending was perfect.

The story of two sisters, Sofia and Alexandra Avellino, who are both accused of murdering their father, a former New York City mayor. Each sister blames the other, and they are on trial together before the same jury. One sister is a liar, and one is a killer, but which one? The novel explores themes of betrayal, family secrets, and the complexities of legal proceedings. Eddie Flynn, a lawyer with a strong sense of justice, is drawn into the case, representing Sofia and trying to uncover the truth

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC
Publication date :June 3, 2025

Since going to law school, I have mostly stopped watching and reading legal shows and books because I typically can’t enjoy the experience anymore because of the way many characters act with reckless abandon over their legal license. Having loved Kill for Me, Kill for You though and knowing Steve Cavanagh practiced as a lawyer, I was intrigued to give this a try. It took me a bit to get into, and the sexism and harassment Kate faces at her firm was too close to home, but by the 30% mark when Kate pulls out her “nuclear option,” I was strapped in.

Fifty Fifty is a suspenseful, fun ride. I enjoyed that Eddie and Kate relied on clever thinking and their detail-oriented eagle eye for their arguments, making the trial scenes compelling. When they do act in ways they probably shouldn’t as lawyers, it was justified because of the situations they’ve been placed in. The way Cavanaugh switches perspectives from Eddie to Kate to “She” helps build the suspense, and I was particularly at the edge of my seat during “The Dark Red Night.” While I called who would be the killer, there were plenty of twists and turns, and it was very satisfying that all the clues that are dropped along the way are eventually tied up.

There’s too many books on my TBR and legal thrillers aren’t my cup of tea anymore, but I can see myself one day revisiting the Eddie Flynn series again, especially with the exciting new beginning the book leaves these characters at.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advanced reader copy!

I'm such a huge fan of Steve Cavanach. But I really wish these books would be re-released here in the US chronologically because I read book 8 first, which came out this past March, and that would have made a lot more sense if I'd read this book, book 5, which has a lot of the backstory I was missing.

That said, Fifty Fifty was a disturbing, twisty book that probably requires a lot of readers advisories for graphic violence and self harm. The premise is SO clever, though I sort of figured out how things had to end up.

I need to go back and read in order, if I ever have time!

This was an easy 5 stars for me! Steve Cavanagh is very quickly becoming one of my top authors. I love his writing style! This was twisty, emotional, and beautifully written, definitely one of my favorite reads this year!

3.5
I've become a fan of Eddie Flynn, Cavanagh's fictional, street smart, rule breaking, attorney who does what needs to be done to bring justice to his clients. This book is no different with a new case of sister against sister, it's a 50/50 chance that one will be acquitted and he's hoping it's his client, who he's certain is innocent...but is she?

First of all, I don't know that there would ever be a case done this way?? I'm no attorney, but it seems very unfair and a slam dunk for the prosecution. Overall it was a bit confusing and I didn't feel like the clues were there to really allow the reader to smart out this book for good or bad. It was maybe a bit simplistic, or I could have used more tangles within the storyline. I loved the SHE chapters where we heard the voice of the killer but didn't know who the voice belonged to.

All of this said. I definitely plan to continue reading the Eddie Flynn books, backlist and moving forward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this gifted e-ARC.

Now THIS is a thriller!

Absolutely loved this book. The perspective switches from the trial to the POV of the murdering sister were so captivating and kept me picking up little threads and hints of who it might be based on little personal elements revealed about each sister. I especially loved that it wasn’t just about solving a who done it murder, but that we got the perspective and insight of the murderer herself to help understand everything.

The slow reveal of information and backstory and character pieces allowed things to feel like they were slowly sliding into place, but whenever I thought I knew which sister it was, a new reveal had me second guessing and switching sides yet again. This book kept me second guessing up until the very last pages! It could have easily been either of them or both of them, and the book made sure you knew it.

Well written, captivating story, and had me invested from start to finish.