Two sisters on trial for their father’s murder, both placing the blame solely with the other. Who is the murderer and who is being framed?

The plot of this was very intriguing and I enjoyed the way the story was written. While novels with many side characters can feel distracting, I enjoyed the way each character was highlighted and felt each added to the story. Although I was able to predict the mastermind, I did find myself second guessing throughout, which kept me interested in the final outcome. I also liked how minor plot points were tied up nicely at the end, without plot holes left behind. A great read overall!

Knowing that Steve Cavanagh is not one to disappoint, I was eager to dive into Fifty Fifty, a clever and twisty tale of two sisters arrested for the murder of their father. Both claim “the other sister did it” and we get the psychological thrill ride of trying to figure out who is the true murderess. Of course with Eddie Flynn defending one of them, we know we are in for some great courtroom suspense along with plenty of surprises.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This one started slow for me but once I got invested I was hooked. The twists are great and keeps you guessing which sister actually did it.

I couldn’t get into this one. I tried twice! The ratings and reviews are positive, so I’m an outlier. DNF at 33%.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

5 Stars!

Thank you to Atria Books & NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

One murder. Two sisters. Two phone calls, each accusing the other of murder.

This story is told from three narrators. Eddie, who is the rough around the edges lawyer defending Sofia, who has accused her sister, Alexandra of murdering their father. Kate, who is an up-and-coming lawyer who is defending Alexandra, who accused Sofia of murdering their father. And, our final narrator, “She”.

This book was a wild psychological thriller roller coaster! It kept me guessing the entire time I was reading it. I don’t find myself gravitating toward legal thrillers, but this book made me reconsider that! It was obvious how knowledgeable the author was on law and how the legal system works, but the way the information was presented in this book made it easy to follow and truly kept me on my toes. LOVED the back and forth as the trial took place, and getting a peek into how Eddie & Kate approached defending Sofia & Alexandra.

My favorite chapters were when “She” took over the story. Subtle hints were dropped through the entire book about who “She” might be, and her POV was SO creepy (but in a good, well written thriller way!).

Pick this book up if you like stories told from multiple points of view, suspense, and well thought out plots, that include a diverse and engaging cast of characters!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC of Fifty Fifty.

I was initially a little worried going into the book that I wouldn't understand some of the focal characters social relationships that are displayed while solving the murder, but I had no issue understanding the characters relationships to each other.

This book is a back and forth of guessing which sister did it. For a second you believe one sister then a chapter in her named perspective and all of the sudden you are seeing that the other sister could have done it. And just when you think it's over you look down at your kindle percentage and it says 90% and you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was taken through the highs and low and watched both Eddie and young lawyer Kate expertly navigate a high profile murder case and come together when they truly needed to work together.

I loved Eddie and this book definitely left me feeling like I need to pick up the rest of the series ASAP!

DNF - unfortunately I did not realize this book is from a series. While I appreciate that it could be read as a stand-alone, I personally would miss out on not having the character back story, so it is not for me. Thank you anyways for the opportunity!

This is the type of book that you absolutely have to tell everyone about! It was so cleverly written. I would double back looking for any little clue that may help my inner sleuth. I could not put this book down. Very rarely do I read books twice, but this book is definitely worth a second read. I am so thankful to Atria Books and Steve Cavanagh for the opportunity to add this book masterpiece to my collection for an honest review.

All I can say is grab a notebook and begin your gathering your clues. Your chance of actually being correct is 50/50.

No spoilers, but I might as well have just flipped a coin to decide whether Sofia or Alexandra killed their father, Frank. Actually, I started leaning towards they both did it, and they pulled off this rather ingenious plan together. You will have to read Fifty Fifty to discover the answer.
Two 911 calls from two sisters stating that their father is dead, and their sister killed him. The district attorney would like to convict both of them but will settle for either one. Eddie Flynn represents Sofia, the sister with a laundry list of mental problems. Kate Brooks is defending Alexandra, a woman with everything and no history of violence.
We follow the trial from the opening statements to the jury verdict (and beyond). Lots of twists and turns and surprises along the way. Of course, the question that was always on my mind was which of them did it?
The author in my humble opinion is a genius at writing twisty thrillers Every time I pick up one of his books, just one more chapter, always leads to at least 10 more.

This one was great!
I didn’t see the ending coming, I seriously couldn’t figure out which sister did it.
I loved this read and will 100% be looking for more by this author!

It took 5 long years for this book to make it over to the United States.

I had emailed Steve 4 years ago asking him why his books weren’t available in kindle format. He said that’s just the way it was.

I waited. And it so SOOO worth it!

This is my favorite Eddie Flynn book in the series. So far.

Highly recommend

Steve Cavanagh really draws you in and keeps you in the edge of your seat. I was looking forward to this and couldn’t put it down!! Another great book from him

Mysterious and spooky at times. This book had my attention from the start. I was intrigued by the storyline and the main characters. Well-written and easy to get lost in. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I LOVED this book. It was typical smart and fast paced Steve Cavanaugh! I love his twists and turns and I had to read it in one sitting.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I was guessing until the very end. I loved the multiple points of view. I did not know I was starting in the middle of a series. I have nothing negative to say. In my opinion the book was pretty much perfect. It kept my attention from the first to last page. I will be running to get the rest of the Eddie Flynn series.

If you enjoy legal thrillers, this book was pure fun! I’d read Kill for Me Kill for You by the same author and enjoyed it, so I had hopes for this book at it delivered. The story centers around 2 sisters who are accusing each other of murdering their wealthy father. One is a serial killer, and the other is innocent. Who is telling the truth? Told mainly from the viewpoints of the 2 defense lawyers and the killer herself, this was a fast-paced, twisty read. I enjoyed the characters even if they were sometimes a bit stereotypical- Eddie Flynn is a con man turned good guy lawyer- and went back and forth on which sister was the killer until the end. Will definitely check out more of the Eddie Flynn books!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

This was my favorite Eddie Flynn book to date and Steve Cavanagh is an exceptional legal thriller writer.

Two sisters accused of savagely killing their father, one innocent and one a monster. Con man turned lawyer must figure out who is who. I kept changing my mind as new details emerged at a pace that gave me whiplash.

Each book has been fantastic- I recommend them all but can also be read as a standalone. Fifty-Fifty is a great place to start.

Two sisters call 911 to report the death of their father within minutes of each other, but they are both pointing the finger at each other. Eddie Flynn takes on the case for Sophia, who he believes is innocent and the case unfolds as we watch Eddie fight for her freedom as they build as case against her estranged sister.
The book starts off with a bang, we've got these two very different sisters both accusing each other and alternating points of view in chapters showing the un-named killer, Eddie, and Kate, the other sister's lawyer. I loved the alternating chapters and the point of view of the killer. It chronologically took you through the whole trial and legal process while still keeping you on your toes trying to guess the killer. The author did an amazing job of building suspense right off the bat and putting that doubt in our heads that whoever we suspect, there will be more to it. This made the suspense so much better, and I could not put this down. I especially loved that both lawyers really had a strong sense of justice and fought hard to have the innocent free and the guilty to pay for their crimes.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected reader's proof ARC of 'Fifty Fifty" by Steve Cavanagh - expected release date in the US on 06/03/2025.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cavanagh's Eddie Flynn series is being released in the US, years after being published worldwide. The fact that they're being released out of order is weird but I read book #8 a few months ago and didn't feel like I missed anything. Fifty Fifty is book #5 in the series and it was just as entertaining as book #8 and the relationship between Flynn and Brooks was established in this book. His writing is solid and there's always a few twists and turns. I would like to read more in the series!

I was immediately intrigued when I read the synopsis of this book. A man dead, two sisters accusing each other of the murder and claiming innocence and the lawyers working to defend who they each believe is the innocent sister. The story was fast paced and exciting, keeping me absorbed the whole time. I kept going back and forth on who I thought the killer was, between who seemed the most obvious and what I thought would be more of a twist and then back thinking the most obvious (which would be too obvious) would be a twist as well. Safe to say I was entertained and enjoyed the slow reveal, seeing all the pieces come together. Overall this was a fun thriller and all the twists and turns played out well.